Kaleidescape Strato E Movie Player Review

In a world where quality has taken a back seat to convenience, and streaming has become the de facto standard, Kaleidescape’s entry into the Australian market comes as a breath of fresh air. There’s no denying the allure of streaming, with its vast array of titles at your fingertips for just a few dollars a month, but it comes at the cost of quality. Most streaming services have a video throughput of under 10Mbps and an audio rate of 500kbps. It’s a far cry from up to 65Mbps of video and 6Mbps that Kaleidescape and 4K Blu-ray can provide.

What’s more, the differences are readily apparent on the big screen. The picture is notably softer, with a loss of detail, not to mention compression artefacts. Arguably, the bigger casualty is the audio, which noticeably lacks dynamic range compared to its lossless counterparts. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how much you’ve spent on your equipment, because it will never reach its full potential.

Enter Kaleidescape, which offers the convenience of owning a digital library, with the same or better quality than 4K Blu-ray. The most significant point of difference is that titles are downloaded rather than streamed – as well as being released much faster. Some titles can even be purchased or rented – albeit at a premium – on Kaleidescape while they're still at the cinema.

Kaleidescape offers four movie players, including the Strato M (480GB) Reference 2K Movie Player, the Strato E (480GB) Entry-Level Movie Player, the Strato C (no onboard storage) Legacy 4K Player, and the Strato V (960GB) Flagship 4K Movie Player. And for those with very deep pockets, they also have seven Terra Prime Movie Servers that range from 8 to 123TB.

Unfortunately, though, Kaleidescape’s Strato Movie Players are only compatible with the company’s own Movie Servers. So, unless you can afford to pay a king’s ransom, you're limited to the onboard storage of the Strato. Fortunately, Kaleidescape has mitigated this to some extent with cloud storage. This means there’s no limit to the number of movies you can display in your digital library; they will need to be downloaded if they are not already on the Strato hard drive, so a fast internet connection is a must.

For those who already own a disc library, DVDs and Blu-rays can be added to your digital library on a like-for-like basis or upgraded to 4K for a small fee. To accomplish this, you’ll need a compatible external drive.

I received the Strato E for review, which includes enough storage for approximately five titles. It supports 4K, HD, SD, Dolby Vision, HDR, Dolby Atmos, Dolby True HD, DTS:X and DTS: HD Master Audio. None of the Strato Media Players currently support either Auro 3D or IMAX, though given the lack of support for both formats, it’s hardly a barrier.

UP CLOSE

Measuring just 163x30x163mm [WxHxD], the Strato E has a small footprint. Clad in architectural-grade painted black steel, it eliminates the need for a fan and consequently additional noise, with its unique mosaic vent pattern. It emits a soft blue glow from within, which, for those with visible racks, can be turned off but not completely disabled. The rear has connections for USB, HDMI, Ethernet, and power.

Rack mount kits, single or dual face plates, can also be purchased – as can the remote, which isn’t included. However, I imagine that most people will use either their own universal remote or the free Kaleidescape app. The box also includes an AC Adapter, HDMI Cable and Ethernet Cable. Setting it up couldn’t be simpler. Connect it to your AV or Video Processor via HDMI, connect the Ethernet cable, add power, and voilà!

Powering up the Strato E for the first time, you are greeted by a setup menu, which guides the user through everything from checking the network connection, product registration, creating a Kaleidescape account, and, if you’re lucky enough, connecting a Terra Prime Movie Server. The review sample consisted of 14 titles, five of which were stored directly on the drive, with the remainder accessible via download. It took me 3.2 hours to download Jurassic World on a 50 Mbps connection, though I’m told it can be done in as little as ten minutes with a gigabit connection. Kaleidescape’s store boasted 4,000 titles at launch, the number continuing to grow.

Kaleidescape uses the familiar tile interface, letting users navigate their library with ease. In addition to being given the option to play the chosen movie, clicking on a title reveals a range of information, including the video and format, genre, studio, cast, trailers and scenes. The latter are collated by Kaleidescape and listed by name and runtime. It’s a great way to jump straight in and demonstrate your home theatre’s capabilities, and should you wish, you can create your own.

The app is an indispensable tool. In addition to acting as a remote, it can be used to access the Kaleidescape store, which lets users purchase and download titles remotely. You can also schedule downloads, which is a significant boon, particularly for those utilising cloud storage. From the web interface, you can find further information, including remaining storage and download history. You can also select your screen's aspect ratio and output resolution and add Lutron integration for lighting and shades, among other things.

For this review, the Kaleidescape was connected directly to a Lumagen Radiance Pro 5348, with a Sony VPL-XW5000ES projecting onto a Severtson 100" Cinegray 16.9 screen. An Oppo UDP-203 was used for 4K Blu-ray comparisons. Audio components consisted of a Denon AVC-A1H receiver connected to VAF Signature i91 front and centre speakers; six VAF i90s were used as rear surround and ceiling-mounted front and middle Atmos speakers, with two Ascendo 16” active subwoofers for a 5.2.4 Atmos layout.

VISION ON

Eager to get my hands on a copy of Maverick at home, I downloaded a 4K digital copy before its release on 4K Blu-ray. And while the video transfer was acceptable, the Atmos Soundtrack was sadly lacking. Gone were the punchy dynamics I’m used to in my home theatre, with no amount of nudging the volume bringing them back. However, the 4K Blu-ray was a revelation, with sharper and more detailed imagery accompanied by a Dolby Atmos soundtrack that has enough power and dynamics to part your hair. Firing up Maverick for the first time on the Strato E, I was greeted with the same reference Atmos soundtrack found on the 4K Blu-ray, albeit without the piracy warnings.

Indeed, I was surprised to discover a notable improvement in picture quality over my 4K Blu-ray copy of Maverick. Faces were clearer and sharper, with details such as cockpit instruments readily apparent. The difference between the 4K Blu-ray and Kaleidescape versions was akin to watching with a projector lens that is slightly out of focus as opposed to one that is properly focused.

Be that as it may, the 4K Blu-ray of No Time to Die was indistinguishable – not only in terms of audio, but also in video quality. Interestingly, Jurassic World came with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, as opposed to the DTS:X soundtrack accompanying the 4K Blu-ray. Some browsing through the Kaleidescape store revealed that this was the exception rather than the rule.

CONCLUSION

With performance that matches or exceeds that of 4K Blu-ray, the Strato E – or for that matter any of Kaleidescape’s movie players – is a must for home cinema owners who take quality seriously. If you’re using a media device as your primary platform, then you need this because your home cinema is going to look and sound a whole lot better for it. Collectors of physical media should also consider this, either now or in the future, given the uncertainty of physical media.

Financially speaking, it will be a tough pill for some to swallow. Savvy enthusiasts, however, will leverage the combination of onboard and cloud storage to their advantage. Smart physical media collectors will also seize the opportunity to upgrade some of their Blu-ray discs at a cheaper cost than replacing them. The fact that Kaleidescape offers early access to titles at the cinema doesn’t hurt its case one bit either. Yes, you’ll pay a little more for early access, but it still comes in at around the same price as a single ticket and snacks. This one is a slam-dunk and comes heartily recommended from this enthusiast.

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