MEDIA SERVER REVIEWS

Kaleidescape Strato S 4K Ultra HD Movie Player Review Specs

Specs
12-terabyte hard drive (stores up to 180 UHD movies); integrated 802.11ac 5GHz Wi-Fi; Dolby Atmos/DTS:X audio support; 17 x 1.6 x 10 in (WxHxD); 8.6 lb
CONNECTIONS: HDMI 2.0A/HDCP 2.2, HDMI 1.4 (audio only), coaxial digital, optical digital, 3.5mm IR input, USB 3.0 (for factory use), Gigabit Ethernet, 12-volt DC power
Price: $5,995 ($8,995 as reviewed)

Company Info
Kaleidescape
(888) 352-5343
kaleidescape.com
COMPANY INFO
Kaleidescape
(888) 352-5343
kaleidescape.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
jeffhenning's picture
Submitted by jeffhenning on September 10, 2020 - 8:07am

... but, I'd have to get a new pre-pro and TV to use it.

While I like the idea of having the ability to buy 4K movies in their box, I can't really find a way to justify the price.

I have a Nvidia Shield Pro and a Synology NAS with two 1Tb SSD's and all the associated Cat8 cabling for less than $1K.

Johan81's picture
Submitted by Johan81 on September 10, 2020 - 11:54am

I agree, I have the Vero 4K which plays all full UHD/Atmos/DTS:X fine over my network and CAT5e is enough for the bandwidth which with my NAS (which I already had) cost me less than $200
This option seems to be less of a grey area, but at this price you better be able to watch all movies for free. Buying movies on disc will surpass the price of the option as reviewed after more than $20 UHD discs.

This device has no real right to exist to me.

jeffhenning's picture
Submitted by jeffhenning on September 10, 2020 - 1:29pm

These types of boxes are for people who can’t do anything technical.

I upgraded all my AV Ethernet cables with the best Cat8 from Monoprice when Netflix started acting dodgy on my top-line, 6 YO, Samsung TV. The cables helped, but, in the end, the CPU in the set couldn’t handle the latest HEVC encoding. The Shield Pro kicks ass. It’s several orders of magnitude better than the TV in every aspect when it comes to streaming.

In the end, none of it was very expensive.

jeffhenning's picture
Submitted by jeffhenning on September 10, 2020 - 1:29pm

These types of boxes are for people who can’t do anything technical.

I upgraded all my AV Ethernet cables with the best Cat8 from Monoprice when Netflix started acting dodgy on my top-line, 6 YO, Samsung TV. The cables helped, but, in the end, the CPU in the set couldn’t handle the latest HEVC encoding. The Shield Pro kicks ass. It’s several orders of magnitude better than the TV in every aspect when it comes to streaming.

In the end, none of it was very expensive.

trynberg's picture
Submitted by trynberg on September 10, 2020 - 2:52pm

The Kaleidescape system in general, is fantastic, although the lack of a full library and some immersive soundtracks are definitely issues that need solving.

It's unfortunate that providing this type of service while meeting all the laws and keeping Hollywood happy results in this kind of pricing. Luckily for those of us mere mortals, Plex server on a Shield with a NAS or attached hard drive and a UHD drive for ripping, get us most of the way there. I am concerned about the lack of UHD (or even BD) discs going forward though.

I will say the $3k upcharge to go from 6TB to 12TB is pretty egregious.

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