Strato M Reduces Entry Cost For Kaleidescape Users

For some time now, it has seemed like we’ve been witnessing the twilight of physical media, especially with Best Buy clearing out its DVD and Blu-ray sections and manufacturers halting production of Blu-ray players. The shift toward streaming-only content is understandable, especially considering the spatial constraints that physical discs impose. However, there are notable drawbacks to exclusively relying on streaming, particularly for serious cinema lovers, since the visual and audio experience offered by streaming cannot compete with that of physical discs. This is where Kaleidescape’s movie player comes into play.

Kaleidescape has been producing high-quality movie players and servers that allow users to store their favorite films with top-tier video and lossless audio on a local device. Their latest model, the Strato M, is a 1080p movie player equipped with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, BT.2020, and 4:2:2 chroma subsampling. With an internal solid-state drive of 480GB, it can hold up to six high-bitrate movies sourced from the Kaleidescape store. Additionally, the Strato M supports lossless spatial audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Kaleidescape positions the Strato M as the ideal choice for users who own either a 2K television or projector or for those sitting more than 1.5 times the screen’s diagonal distance away from their display. This recommendation is based on the idea that, at that distance, the difference between 1080p and 4K becomes less perceptible to the human eye, a point that the company highlights on the product page for the Strato M.

When you purchase content from the Kaleidescape store, it is made available in the highest quality possible. For instance, if you buy a 4K Dolby Vision movie, it will be downloaded to the Strato M, although it will be downscaled to 1080p. Should you later expand your Kaleidescape system to incorporate a 4K player, you’ll have the option to play that content from the 4K device. Once the internal hard drive reaches its capacity, you can delete a previously watched film to make room for a new acquisition or another movie from your collection. Typically, downloading a film from the Kaleidescape server over a gigabit Ethernet connection (which is recommended) takes around 10 minutes.

“The Strato M offers a gateway into the Kaleidescape experience for a wider audience of film enthusiasts,” asserted Tayloe Stansbury, CEO of Kaleidescape. “In larger setups, the Strato M serves well in secondary rooms, while the flagship Strato V can be reserved for primary viewing areas.”

Although we have yet to test the Strato M ourselves, the potential for stunning visual quality in 1080p HDR content with 4:2:2 chroma subsampling is promising, particularly on a high-quality display.

Currently, the Strato M stands as Kaleidescape’s most affordable player — at half the cost of the Strato V (a detailed review is forthcoming) — priced at $1,995 through authorized retailers. While that may still be a significant investment for a 1080p player, it presents a solid option for anyone eager to enter the Kaleidescape ecosystem, especially when paired with a top-notch TV that can enhance the 1080p 4:2:2 signal to 4K.