Torn between SSD vs non SSD Terra server for first time owner

[jmpage2]

Greetings,

I'm a very long time AVSForums member and have toyed with the idea of jumping into KScape for quite a long time.

I have a huge NAS and run Plex on a VM and have about 500 BDs ripped to MKV files that I host on the NAS. I will sometimes go literally years between watching a title on Plex. There's maybe 100 titles that my kids will watch frequently and I don't anticipate moving those titles off of the Plex.

I love the quality of 4K discs but hate having to load the discs into my Panasonic player, dealing with disc issues, care of the discs, etc. Obtaining discs other than new releases on release day from Amazon is also becoming a hassle. It seems that for premium audio/video KScape is pretty much the only game in town and that physical media is undoubtedly winding down.

I have super fast fiber internet (4Gb/s) and am leaning towards getting a smaller 8TB SSD KScape Terra server that offers faster downloads and just rotating what is kept on the server at any one time vs. buying the biggest server I could realistically justify (which would be the 30TB model) and loading it up with hundreds of movies I won't watch for years at a time.

I realize that the SSD model is a poor value proposition but I think it fits my use case pretty well. I'm also leaning towards getting a Stratos E player and then at a later time when availability improves getting Stratos K and exploring the new higher quality format Kaleidescape is offering.

Would love to get the input of others before pulling the trigger on such an expensive purchase.

 

[RAGJr]

That was my first thought. I started with an E and added a Mini Terra Prime a month or so later. When the K came out, I immediately upgraded from the E and soon realized the 8TB mini wasn't enough. I'm now happy with a couple of K players and a larger Terra Prime, although I really don't like the idea of spindle disks, but I'm not spending a house on the larger SSD version

The idea of just downloading what I wanted and having enough swing space to store more than the player supports was my game plan, but I soon realized I really needed more for times when the internet was out or I didn't want to wait 15-20 minutes for a download. I don't have a Plex, so you might not find the need is the same as mine, but my $.02 is to go with something larger. If you get a great deal on an E, that's a good option, but why not go a for the latest and greatest and get the K?

 

[JonProphet]

HDD has a clock. Not an if but when. Are you willing to risk that when warranty is up?

SSD’s are the way to go if you have the means. I am a USED HDD server owner. Clock is ticking. I have 6 TB. I’m not trying to store all of my movies on it and most movies rewatch once and delete. Core movies stay.

As far as download speeds that’s all marketing. It really doesn’t matter. It’s a one and done r thing or do it remotely.

If you can afford a SSD go that route.

 

[todo]

The best Combo IMHO for someone who has high speed Internet upwards of 2 GIGS.
Strato K and a 8 TB SSD Terra (which can download HD movies in 2 minutes 4K in 3 to 4 and Cinematic 6 to 8 Minutes).
You can hold unto 75 Cinematics on a 8 TB SSD.
There is no end to storage - I got rid off all my Premier Gear and K Players - the way to go is to leave your movies on the Cloud and Serve them as you need.
Buy Once Cry Once.

 

[jmpage2]

This has all been very helpful.

Is the lead time on the Strato K still 90 days? That's the only reason I would get the Strato E initially.

 

[RAGJr]

Seems to be more like 30 or so now?

 

[jmpage2]

30 days would not be too bad and I'm getting a new 85 set that would probably make the PQ difference between 4K and cinematic 4K at least somewhat noticeable. I will consider this, thanks.

 

[DLCPhoto]

It's my understanding (which can certainly be wrong) that while HDD's are more prone to failure than SSD's, the differences are not that much. I've been reluctant to pay double for SSD, and now have an 8tb and 12tb HDD server. I made the initial mistake of just going with 8tb, and bought the 2nd within a few weeks.

If I were starting over, I'd probably go for something in the 20-30tb size. I own more movies than I can fit on my servers, so I have to delete from time to time to make room for others. It's really not a big deal, with a 300 movie 'buffer.' And while I understand the appeal of shorter download times, with my ISP at 500-600, and a lowly HDD server, my download times are still in the 15-20 minute range or so.

So I'll need to do a little thinking and planning, but I'm okay with that, vs the much higher cost of SSD.

As they say, your mileage may vary.

 

[JonProphet]

This has all been very helpful.

Is the lead time on the Strato K still 90 days? That's the only reason I would get the Strato E initially.

What is your display device and viewing distance?

 

[swarley]

The best Combo IMHO for someone who has high speed Internet upwards of 2 GIGS.
Strato K and a 8 TB SSD Terra (which can download HD movies in 2 minutes 4K in 3 to 4 and Cinematic 6 to 8 Minutes).

This is how I’m currently rolling. The pull to add more storage is strong, so it more or less requires a mentality of owning a standalone player with a larger buffer. I have 2G internet, and all downloads for the last month have been between 1800-2000Mb/s on average. The longest it’s taken for a 4K cinematic title to download has been 10 min (sound of music, almost a 3hr film).

I’d definitely recommend reaching out to a dealer on here for best pricing or sourcing a used one with some warranty remaining if you can find one.

 

[JonProphet]

The best Combo IMHO for someone who has high speed Internet upwards of 2 GIGS.
Strato K and a 8 TB SSD Terra (which can download HD movies in 2 minutes 4K in 3 to 4 and Cinematic 6 to 8 Minutes).
You can hold unto 75 Cinematics on a 8 TB SSD.
There is no end to storage - I got rid off all my Premier Gear and K Players - the way to go is to leave your movies on the Cloud and Serve them as you need.
Buy Once Cry Once.

You guys are forgetting the source. The guy is debating between ssd and hHD for budget reason. So recommending a ton of storage may not be optimal.

 

[swarley]

You guys are forgetting the source. The guy is debating between ssd and hHD for budget reason. So recommending a ton of storage may not be optimal.

You either quoted the wrong person or this is a reading comprehension fail. He recommended the smallest possible size.

 

[jmpage2]

What is your display device and viewing distance?

I will be 10' away from an 85" Sony B9 II

 

[jmpage2]

It's my understanding (which can certainly be wrong) that while HDD's are more prone to failure than SSD's, the differences are not that much. I've been reluctant to pay double for SSD, and now have an 8tb and 12tb HDD server. I made the initial mistake of just going with 8tb, and bought the 2nd within a few weeks.

If I were starting over, I'd probably go for something in the 20-30tb size. I own more movies than I can fit on my servers, so I have to delete from time to time to make room for others. It's really not a big deal, with a 300 movie 'buffer.' And while I understand the appeal of shorter download times, with my ISP at 500-600, and a lowly HDD server, my download times are still in the 15-20 minute range or so.

So I'll need to do a little thinking and planning, but I'm okay with that, vs the much higher cost of SSD.

As they say, your mileage may vary.

I work in IT and for the type of "read often write rarely" job that a Terra server does the SSD will generally have much higher reliability than hard disk. The SSD model has 2 4TB units in a JBOD and it was advertised somewhere at some point that even if one of them fails the player would continue to work with the storage of the other one.

All that is to say that if I never grew the system past the one box and kept it well outside the warranty period it would still work even if an SSD crapped out 5+ years down the road vs. the single drive 30TB or 8TB HDD models which, other than paying for an out of warranty repair from KScape are basically dead if the drive goes bad and the warranty is gone.

 

[JonProphet]

You either quoted the wrong person or this is a reading comprehension fail. He recommended the smallest possible size.

Yer a salty dog aren’t ya. It’s apparent I quoted the wrong person. No need to get bent out of shape. It happens.

 

[senior_vagabond]

I started with a good still under warranty V player. Three months later I realized the management of my 60 4k movies in the cloud was a hastle so I bought a new 8TB Terra server. From the online marketing information I thought I would be able to store about 125-130 standard 4k movies on it. However that did not turn out to be the case. I currently have 70 movies (including the 3 short-duration preloaded selections that came on the Terra) and my system is estimating I only have room for about 32 more. Bottom line is files are getting larger and 8TB isn't what it used to be. In fact when I checked the K website it is now indicating 8TB is only giving you an estimated 112 4k copies. Just wished K offered something between 8TB and 30TB. A 12-15TB would now be the sweet spot for entry level.

 

[JonProphet]

My 6 TB stores over 100 non-4Kc.

 

[FURY]

I started with a good still under warranty V player. Three months later I realized the management of my 60 4k movies in the cloud was a hastle so I bought a new 8TB Terra server. From the online marketing information I thought I would be able to store about 125-130 standard 4k movies on it. However that did not turn out to be the case. I currently have 70 movies (including the 3 short-duration preloaded selections that came on the Terra) and my system is estimating I only have room for about 32 more. Bottom line is files are getting larger and 8TB isn't what it used to be. In fact when I checked the K website it is now indicating 8TB is only giving you an estimated 112 4k copies. Just wished K offered something between 8TB and 30TB. A 12-15TB would now be the sweet spot for entry level.

I started with an 8Tb compact Prime and sold that to get a 12Tb compact Prime. As my K movies begat other K movies, I then purchased a 12 Tb compact Prime and an 8Tb SSD, for redundancy and to "bank" some movies, on hand.

I thence, fearing a much anticipated price increase and growing library, purchased a 30 Tb compact prime. The 8Tb and 30 Tb are still NIB, as the arrival of the. Strato K has assuaged my apprehension of the platforms longevity. The 12 Tb has good warranty time on it as well. Trying to figure out which and how many of the above storage units to sell, if any. The impending 8K choices and Cinematic Luma fix upgrades will, no doubt, drive me to another 30 or...

Another vote for more is more, in storage, at least...

Thank you very much

FURY

 

[andy]

Wanted to add my 2 cents...

How you use K can change once you get hooked on the system. It certainly did for me.

I have 50TB of storage that has long been filled, and I hate when a title isn’t already on my system. Part of that is the immediate access, but it’s also the time I’ve put into curating my collection. When I remove a movie, it loses its place in my custom collections, along with any metadata or cover art changes I’ve made. Having everything downloaded matters more once you’ve invested time in making that library your own.

My viewing habits have changed, too. I often enjoy watching shorter portions of movies, sometimes jumping through six or seven titles in an evening. I don’t necessarily know ahead of time what I’ll feel like watching next. With limited storage, that kind of spontaneous browsing becomes an exercise in deciding what to delete and what to download.

If your routine is to download a movie, watch it, and move on, smaller storage may suit you perfectly. But there’s a whole other side to K and that's building and curating a collection that’s ready whenever the mood strikes. It’s worth considering whether that might become part of the appeal for you, because storage starts to feel very different once it does.

Andy

 

[jmpage2]

Thanks for the feedback @andy - yes another option I have is the 30GB Terra compact, I would get a physical hard disk, a little more power consumption and lose the 2.5Gb fast downloading but certainly it would store more movies.

I'm also thinking of switching my plan for a player from the Strato E to the Strato K since I will have a new TV in the next couple of months and probably want the best possible PQ when watching content since that's the entire point of getting a new television.