Today, in the home theater market nothing says performance and status more than owning a Kaleidescape system. Kaleidescape has been a benchmark source system for well over a decade, and with the introduction of its Strato E, the company is making it easier for a wider array of people to own a Kaleidescape system.
With a retail price under $3,000, the latest Kaleidescape product can be used to store a basic selection of uncompressed content that supports UHD resolutions with HDR and immersive audio.
Trying the new Kaleidescape product out, I Inserted a Strato E into my system, which includes a Digital Projection 4K E-Vision 4000 projector, along with a 100-inch 16:9 Screen Innovations (SI) Pure White 1.3-gain Zero Edge screen, an Integra DTX-3.4 receiver, a Panasonic DP-UB820 UHD disc player, and an 4K Apple TV.
CE Pro & Cons
Pros:
- The more affordable price point allows a wider variety of movie buffs and cinephiles to enjoy a Kaleidescape experience
- Even though the small footprint Strato E is more affordable, it does not sacrifice a quality AV experience
- Because of the price point homeowners and dealers can take an ala carte approach and buy a Strato E now and wait to add a Kaleidescape Terra Prime server product
Cons:
- Realistically, there are no “cons” with the Strato E, but a case could be made to include a physical remote control just to have that option to complement the Kaleidescape App.
- The app is fantastic, but it would be nice to be able to play a movie from the “my movies” section of the app to eliminate the extra steps to wake the system then find a movie and then playing that selection
Kaleidescape Strato E Features
Designed to serve as a basic entry point into the Kaleidescape product ecosystem, the Strato E provides homeowners with 4K (UHD) resolutions, as well as format compatibility with SDR (standard dynamic range), and HDR (high dynamic range) formats that include HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
On the audio side of the home theater equation, the new movie player offers compatibility with the immersive (spatial) audio formats Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. For those systems that don’t provide immersive audio capabilities, the Strato E also delivers surround sound through the playback of formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
The Calif.-based company emphasizes that unlike streaming media, its content is downloaded, which means it is not subject to inconsistencies of network bandwidth. Kaleidescape says it supports bitrates up to 100Mbps and because the movies are downloaded, its content does not experience any sort of issues related to buffering.
Kaleidescape specifies the Strato E’s standalone, internal solid-state storage at 480GBs, which allows the product to store approximately six movies. Like other Kaleidescape source products or players, the Strato E’s storage capabilities can be augmented through the selection of one of the company’s Terra Prime server products.
Kaleidescape offers a choice of solid state and hard drive versions of the Terra Prime servers that can support whole-house video applications for as many as 10 player products. Depending on the model, the Terra Prime servers can hold anywhere from approximately 200 4K movies to 2,000 4K movies.
Kaleidescape also points out the product line uses its proprietary software, including its GUI interface that allows homeowners to navigate the companion Kaleidescape Store to download movies and other content, as well as to choose the way they navigate their private content libraries.
The store offers the ability to rent or own movies, and in the case of the Strato E, the company says that to manage the storage of the player, a piece of content becomes a candidate for deletion 48 hours after it has been watched. A key component of this process is the movie will then reside in the cloud where homeowners can access the deleted content to watch it later. Any deleted content is not lost stresses Kaleidescape.
Strato E in Summary
- Supports 4K content, as well as HDR content, including HDR10 and Dolby Vison
- Supports immersive audio such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
- Small footprint allows for placement behind TVs, within equipment racks and AV furniture
- Access to the Kaleidescape Store allows users to rent or own movies via download
- Internally, the Strato E incorporates a 480GB solid-state hard drive that holds approximately six movies
- Retail price is $2,995
Here is a closer look at the rear panel of the Kaleidescape Strato E. (photo credit: Bob Archer CE Pro)
Setup
Setting up the Strato E does not take long, and for the most part it’s no different than connecting a disc player or streaming product.
In my case I simply plugged in a network cable from my Access Networks system, I then plugged in a FBBR HDMI cable into my AVR, and lastly, I plugged power in. With the unit powered up, Kaleidescape asks for an email address and credit card information to access the Kaleidescape Store and that is pretty much the entire setup.
I will point out the Strato E does not come with a remote control. The unit can be controlled with the company’s Kaleidescape App however.
The Kaleidescape App includes a title bar at the bottom of the page to access options such as the Kaleidescape Store and the remote control. (photo credit: Bob Archer CE Pro)
System Performance
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Kaleidescape content matches the quality level of physical media and specifically UltraHD 4K discs in terms of picture quality and audio performance, but it’s much more convenient than grabbing a disc and loading the disc into a disc player.
Speaking of convenience, as convenient as streaming media is and admittedly, and as good as the quality of streaming media has become, the quality of streaming media cannot touch Kaleidescape content. In my case, and this may be true for homeowners opting for the Kaleidescape Strato E that also may not own state-of-the-art networks, download speeds are dependent on the quality of the network.
I’ll point out that my network is great, but it is five years old and obviously newer networks will deliver better levels of performance, but I did not experience any network issues downloading content during my time with the product.
During the period in which I had the Strato E in my system I downloaded three movies: “Thunderbolts,” “Deadpool vs Wolverine,” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”
The first movie I downloaded was “Thunderbolts,” which was downloaded earlier in the day while I was working. While watching this movie I proceeded to download the new “Deadpool” movie. I then followed up and did the same thing by downloading the “Mad Max” movie while watching “Deadpool vs Wolverine.”
I did not have any problem with the downloads or home theater experience throughout my time. The important thing to remember is that the download time of content will vary depending on the network. I should point out that while I was doing all of this with the Kaleidescape system—watching movies and downloading movies simultaneously—my family was doing all their typical things, which means consuming streaming media.
All this underscores to me is the user experience will be tied to network performance, and having a quality network is essential to maximize the Kaleidescape ownership experience.
Final Thoughts on the Strato E
Considering the retail price of the new Kaleidescape player, it’s basically a no-brainer product for anyone that loves movies or calls themselves a home theater enthusiast. The Strato E delivers the highest levels of image and sound performance, it has a small footprint, which means it’s easy to hide within an AV rack or piece of AV furniture, and the cost of content is no more than buying physical media from your favorite retailer.
Another key point that makes that latest Kaleidescape product important as a gateway into performance AV is that like other solutions available in the smart home industry, homeowners can approach their Kaleidescape systems ala carte. This means they can buy the Strato E and when finances allow for example, they can purchase a Terra Prime server or another Strato E to add to another room within their home.
It’s my opinion the Strato E represents a huge moment for Kaleidescape and its dealers. It wasn’t all that long ago that Kaleidescape system ownership was exclusive to high-income households. Now with the release of the Strato E, nearly anyone interested in a high-performance entertainment system can now enter the Kaleidescape world of home entertainment fun.
Using the Strato E to watch uncompressed content like “Thunderbolts” it is easy to see the muted color palette and image “softness” Disney decided to use as artistic choices during the production of the movie. (photo credit: Bob Archer CE Pro)
