Awesome video!  Good explanation

I can’t wait to get the STRATO E. I sit about 8-9 feet from a 77” OLED. But I also can sit within 4 feet just for fun. For me, the E is the best all around option for now plus any setup I get in the future, I wasn’t considering the STRATO M at all.. but there’s also the option to buy a used STRATO E for less $$ now.

Great review of the kaleidescape. The entry-level piece is still quite expensive but for s** and giggles it is just as much as the top-of-the-line magnetar so it is comparable. You got a lot more detail in your review than I've seen in most other reviews especially regarding a 2K video having HDR and such. Great job!

I can see Sony, coming out with a player that could rival the Kaleidescape for less the cost.

Makes a lot of sense.

Good stuff in this video. Very detailed and unbiased breakdown. Appreciate you What The Frick. The keyboard warriors are going to light your comments section up 😂😅

Not surprised you saw this result.  I would look at very fine repeating patterns for moiré if you want to see artifacts from the Strato M approach.  I run a similar operation with a Lumagen Randiance Pro and Sim2 Lumis projector to get 4:2:2 1080p from 4K sources.   I thought about going this route myself, but the Kaleidescape library does not fit my viewing habits.  Not a fan of being locked in to a single provider either.

In cinema, the projected image resolution is 4K; the vast majority of movies run at a constant or average rate of between 150 Mbps and 200 Mbps. In comparison, the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray physical disc has a theoretical limit of 128 Mbps, though most movies are encoded with a variable bit-rate that fluctuates between 60 Mbps and 90 Mbps, occasionally reaching rare peaks of around 100 Mbps. Personally, I prefer 4K Blu-ray over Kaleidescape's 2K presentation.

I love physical media, but every time a disc freezes I start searching for used kaleidescapes.

I think the biggest challenge is simply finding compelling content.... which leads me to 80's movies almost every single time!!  Looker 1981, First Blood (Rambo) 1982, VideoDrome 1983, The Last StarFighter 1984, Romancing the Stone 1984, Runaway 1984, Terminator 1984, Beverly Hills Cop 1984, The Never Ending Story 1984, The Goonies 1985, Blue Velvet 1986, Top Gun 1986, Ferris Bueller's Day off 1986, The Golden Child 1986, The Time Machine 1960, Vertigo 1958, Over the Top 1987, Big 1988, BeetleJuice 1988, Roxanne 1987, Three O'Clock High 1987, Good Morning Vietnam 1988, Christmas Vacation 1989, Misery 1990, Career Opportunities 1991, Event Horizon 1997, Eyes Wide Shut 1999, Mulholland Drive 2001... to name a few....

It seems to me that almost everything after 2000 = garbage...Don't even get me started on Disney (good luck to all the fathers out there!!) can we find a few gems here & there - sure - but - I think 2000+ was the turning point from a story telling perspective...

So what am I getting at?  Well - I think a good story can overcome the quality aspect....  It's the same thing in still photography: "Great, now we have 50+ MP images that don't move the needle"...

This is why I don't really choose to play in the arena - although I had a nice OPPO 4k BR player + 65" LG at one point - but - what do you do after you've watched your fave movies so many times?

I think the 80's - 90s were more family oriented movies, and more creative risk taking occurred by the time we got into the mid 90's the whole subversion game started - well - clearly demonstrated by The Jerry Springer Show and all the other "talk shows" meant to introduce the public to non-normal relationships - seen as shocking "taboo" but in retrospect - once you notice that - then you start watching movies differently, you start seeing how newer movies technically look clearer, more sharp, color, etc.... but the story telling and cultural subversion = a major turn off...

So that's where I'm coming from when it comes to Quality vs. Storytelling/relatedness - as we do have a major Ontological/Existential crisis on our hands - what we watch matters!!   I'm always asking myself:  Are these movies as entertainment? how much propagandi is here?  

Sadly it seems to me - that the tradeoff from Quality / resolution / color / fps vs. Storytelling is a compelling question - I also wonder if the arguably "better" 80's movies were between 720-1080p = then it probably doesn't matter if we see them in 1080-2k-4k;  Although I will add that many of the 4K BR that claim to have "remastered" the original - did a HORRIBLE job - I have some older DVD's that look better than the 4k BR's (So I guess it depends on who's doing the work right?)...

There's also something about being able to physically hold a product vs. "licensing" the "rights" to it (amazon!);  I cannot tell you how many times due purely to laziness to find a BD player for my computer - that I've "purchased" movies off amazon - only to have them rug pulled because of a fake licensing dispute between amazon and the studios....

Since we're doing the PC thing only - is there a BR player that's external - that comes with software - you would recommend?  

Finally:  Do you actually "own" the movies you buy from Strato?  Or is it eventually in the fine print "We can rug pull these..." game being played?

I don't think anybody can dispute the quality picture and sound of the Kaleidescape. If you want to spend the money I say each to his own. My problem is that the price is simply ridiculous for most people. When you add the cost of the player, the storage, and the movies, you'll be in anywhere from $7k- $25k. To me that's ridiculous, immoral, and greedy. Apple TV streaming will beat this cost any day of the week, and you probably already have it and use it way more. I enjoy your content, but please don't go down the Kaleidescape content rabbit hole.

Thank You for the video. To confirm a couple of things:

1- The Strato M is the best choice for the price value?

2- Strato M compared to the others you see not able to see the difference?

3- How many movies are you able to download on the Strato M?

My suspicions all along. Good info.

I’m definitely on the cusp of getting one of these. I’m not one who has hundreds or thousands of blue rays, so it’s definitely on my radar. Watching the latest on the strato k, with its cinematic 4k feature and how  it’s supposedly the best video and audio quality you can buy. Higher bitrates and 8K picture for the future.

Did you know about the K before buying your Strato M or Strato E edition? I know you had both the E and M, but I missed which one you bought or if you have both? I’m not sure if the Strato V has the exact same cinematic 4K feature that the Strato K provides, and if it doesn’t, at these prices, why even worry about the extra price? Maybe you can explain the difference between the V and the K version, besides the K being the 8K flagship? Even without 8K, from what I saw on audio advice, the K offers the highest bitrate of all the Kaleidescape models. Is this true? Also, if you can explain, what the warranty for the V and K are, and if the same, can you help with a quick explanation? Thanks, and great video.

Strato m over strato e?

great but providers like netflix cap you at 1080p if you don;t have a 4k monitor and windows 11

So out of curiosity what movie files do you download? Meaning are you down loading the 4K HDR or just the HD? I know the system gives you multiple file sizes. I Appreciate you video on this, thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you compare the audio quality of a 4K disc and what you would get on kaleidoscape?

Great video, but 4K video (3840x2160 pixels) includes 8 million pixels (not 4 million pixels as in your graphic). Doesn't have any impact on your argument, just an error in one of the graphics. Agree with you that the lossless audio, HDR and wider color gamut of the Strato M makes it superior to Blu-ray and 4K streaming.

Completely unfair!
The comparison of KScape gear to streaming is like a Corvette vs a Chevette.
Too bad any KScape rig is way above my pay grade. 😢