Kaleidescape STRATO V 4K MOVIE PLAYER Review!
Being one of the very first to check out Kaleidescape’s new Strato V Movie Player (production unit) was super cool! For those who have been waiting Dolby Vision is now being offered with Kaleidescape! A huge new feature for many with large panels. We actually have a 75″ Sony with it so I will be discussing a little about that too. I was more interested in the possibility of it having better image quality than their other Movie Players. I was told the Strato V has an improved HDMI port which results in a cleaner signal so you could see an improved picture quality from the Strato V on non-DV content compared to their other players. Right off the bat I will say the image is amazing. The best we have seen using with a JVC 4200 in our theater. The Sony TV looks the best we have seen it watching Dolby Vision content with the Strato V. Wow! My family have all made comments on this killer combo. Packaging from K-Scape has always been top notch. The Strato V is no different.
You get their newest remote which the vast majority love. You also get the usual ethernet cable and power cable as well as a high end THX HDMI cable. Remember THX? Love the Strato V’s black finish!
You also get super easy, super quick instructions on how to get up and running. Took me less than 5 minutes. I opened a separate account so I can use the Strato V for our Outdoor Movie Nights and not have to worry about getting wifi. A huge advantage over the AppleTV 4K and Roku we normally use outside. We have on average 50 guests for these nights so there is nothing worse than having a movie start buffering or have to make a hotspot because the internet is out. Carefree movie playing is solved with the Strato V. I just picked Despicable Me 4 and Twisters and let the Strato V download them to its built in server. Took the Movie Player outside and the magic happened…
I use a small screen I made out of cardboard and paper to test the image and sound a hour or so before it gets dark out. This assures a smooth movie night.
The GUI is super simple. All movies you have are loaded and waiting for you to pick them. You can move movies in and out as you like. I just wish there was a way to use it with a current system. Maybe Kaleidescape can work on that? Keep the V’s GUI…
Outdoor Movie Nights are always fun. Especially when it’s a kid movie like Despicable Me 4. We had a nice visit from an ice cream truck this time and of course we made s’mores. The kids were enjoying Mickey Mouse in the gazebo while waiting for the main event. Adult movie nights (usually PG-13 is the limit) have always been a blast. This time we did Twisters. It was a slightly breezy, cloudy night so it set the mood perfectly. Again, playing the movie on the Strato V was seamless without having to worry about internet access. As much as we loved it outdoors we hooked it up to both our Sony TV and JVC 4200 projector. The Dolby Vision option is available when it senses it is connected to a display that does it. The image is even more impressive than with a projector. We watched Despicable Me 4 on all of our displays. It looked equally impressive on each of them. The JVC 4200 was next level even without Dolby Vision. Pics below:
The amount of detail on the JVC is astounding. You can see individual hairs and even Gru’s cut on his face clearly. Check his eye brows! Also, keep in mind I did not pause the movie. These screen grabs were taken on the fly. The movie Twisters revealed so much debris swirling around the screen your eyes couldn’t keep up! Speaking of, it was the moment of truth. We started the movie with the Strato C which is fairly new. We then switched off to the Strato V. We jogged back a couple chapters so everyone could make an informed decision as to which had the better image quality. Keep in mind some of them (like my Mother-in-Law) do not ever notice the picture one way or the other. I switched back a couple times just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. Five different people besides myself all picked the Strato V each time. The image just looked better. It was slightly cleaner but just had more visible depth with more detail. It’s way easier to tell in person. Well, it’s been a very long time since K-Scape has released a new model with new HDMI specs. The Strato V is just what they needed. And were pretty sure we hear an even better soundtrack than the previous model. The Amaze Demo was amazing! The Atmos sound was some of the best I have heard. Currently, the largest upgrade with the older K-Scape models was sound. The image has always been a little better but now its even more apparent. The sound is now two steps better! I finished the Strato V review with the movie Trap and Inside Out 2 outside. Trap is one of my favorites of 2024! The movie takes place at a “Taylor Swift” type concert and the next level sound made our room make us feel like we were there! The image also was crisp and detailed. Josh Hartnett does an amazing job! So does Saleka! Inside Out 2 was a ton of fun for the kids and the adults also really enjoyed it. The Strato V has knocked it out of the park again! Great visuals, great sound!
To summarize my thoughts… The biggest compliment I can give a product is wanting to keep it. I need to let my boss know that I really, really want to keep the Kaleidescape Strato V Movie player. That’s a true testament on how strongly we feel about it. We’re getting the absolute best of both worlds in sound and image. With the Strato V we have reached the pinnacle level for each! Just get your popcorn ready!
EQUIPMENT USED FOR ALL OR PART OF THIS REVIEW:
Kaleidescape Strato V and C, JVC 4200 Laser Projector, madVR MK2 ENVY Extreme, Stewart Studiotek 144 ST100 16:9, Marantz AV10, McIntosh MX180, Apple TV 4K 2023, NVIDIA Shield Pro, Datasat RA7300 Amps X 2, Oppo UDP-203 4K Player, Samsung UBD-K8500 4K Ultra Blu-ray player, Furman Elite-20 PFI, Monster Power HTS 5100, AC INFINITY Component Coolers, Speakers: MARTIN LOGAN ILLUSION Center, IMPRESSIONS (Left and Right), VANQUISH (HEIGHTS & ATMOS & Top), AXIS (Backs), Subwoofers- Martin Logan BalancedForce 212 X 2, Seatcraft Equinox Seating with Sound Shakers, Remote: One For All, Harmony 1100, HARMONY ELITE, Harmony ULTIMATE, Cables: Audioquest shorter HDMI cables top to bottom. Audioquest.
I want to thank my awesome family for all of their love and support. They make the Movie Nights entertaining.
Author: Joe Rodriguez
Contact: jo*@ht******.com