{"product_id":"kaleidescape-open-box-strato-v-movie-player-server-a-grade","title":"Kaleidescape OPEN BOX Strato V Movie Player\/Server - A Grade","description":"\u003cdiv data-content-type=\"html\" data-appearance=\"default\" data-element=\"main\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_narrow\"\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003eIn this article, we are going to be taking a look at the brand-new Kaleidescape Strato V. If you’re planning on attending \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/live.audioadvice.com\/\"\u003eAudio Advice Live\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/shop-by-brand\/kaleidescape\"\u003eKaleidescape\u003c\/a\u003e will be showing the Strato V for the first time to consumers. We’ll go over the advantages of using a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/videos-reviews\/kaleidescape-movie-systems-overview\"\u003eKaleidescape system\u003c\/a\u003e and then get into the details of the new Strato V.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_full\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/wordpress2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StratoV_OldHero_Close188.jpg\" alt=\"Kaleidescape Strato V Movie Player\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_narrow\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"hp-title\"\u003eWhy Kaleidescape?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst, we think it’s important to discuss some of the key features and benefits of having any Kaleidescape system in your home theater or media room. When planning your \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/home-theater-design\/\"\u003ehome theater\u003c\/a\u003e or media room system, it’s important not to understand the value of the source content. While streaming services are now offering content in 4K with \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/videos-reviews\/what-is-dolby-atmos\"\u003eDolby Atmos\u003c\/a\u003e, streamed content is still substantially compressed and in a lossy format. The leading streaming services encode video at an average of 8 megabits per second, whereas Kaleidescape, which rapidly downloads the entire movie or show, delivers the original bit-for-bit video, which can be at a whopping rate of over 65 Mbps! The same holds true on the audio side. The \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/videos-reviews\/best-platforms-to-experience-dolby-atmos-movies\"\u003etop streaming service's\u003c\/a\u003e audio throughput is around 1 Mbps, while Kaleidescape delivers fully lossless audio with 6 times as much data, so you don’t lose the incredible audio experience. If you have invested in a great theater or media room, or you just want to experience movies and shows in the best way possible, there is nothing better than Kaleidescape. Movie soundtracks, compared to streaming services, come to life with Kaleidescape with finer details, improved surround effects, and deeper, more impactful bass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_full\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/wordpress2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/mbps_graphics.jpg\" alt=\"Kaleidescape Strato V Movie Player Mbps graphics\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_narrow\"\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003eIf you’ve seen our full\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/videos-reviews\/kaleidescape-movie-systems-overview\"\u003e Kaleidescape line overview\u003c\/a\u003e or some of our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/blog\"\u003ehome theater tours\u003c\/a\u003e, you know just how good the movie store and the entire interface of this system are. This is another key factor that sets it apart from streaming or any other way of watching content. You can easily browse their extensive store, where you can buy or rent movies, TV shows and concerts that download to your Kaleidescape for playback. Plus, the way you can browse titles in their store or in your library is just second to none. They make it incredibly easy and fun to browse the catalogs of content with tons of sorting features that make it a breeze to find anything you’re looking for. And once it’s downloaded, you don’t even need internet access to play it and never have to worry about internet bandwidth issues that could cause buffering or low quality playback.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_full\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/wordpress2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cinemascape-covers-view-darkest-hour.jpg\" alt=\"Cinemascape covers image\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_narrow\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce you’ve decided to take the step into upgrading to a Kaleidescape, you must consider your use case to determine which model of player will be best for you. Historically, their systems included a movie player that does all of the processing and a movie server that stores the content. There are a few options here depending on how much storage and speed of downloads you wish to have. However, we often had people tell us that they would love to get into the Kaleidescape system, but the cost was just over their budget. We kept pushing our friends at Kaleidescape to produce a less expensive model that would reach a larger audience. Well, they’ve delivered on our requests. The new Strato V comes with a much more affordable price tag that makes this system intriguing to a lot more people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_narrow\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"hp-title\"\u003eNew Strato V All-In-One Movie Player\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe just-released Strato V is an all-in-one movie player and server inside one box that is about the size of the Strato C movie player. It features lossless multichannel audio, including Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, and DTS-HD Master Audio. It plays back true 4K Ultra HD, with bitrates up to 100 Mbps and frame rates up to 60 fps! It also supports SDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision. In fact, this is the only Kaleidescape that supports Dolby Vision. In addition, it can upscale both SD and HD content into 4K for an improved image on legacy movies or shows. It also works with universal remotes and popular control systems like Control4, so you can program your system so that when you hit play on your movie, your lights can dim and shades go down, or you can set up any other automation you wish that will be integrated right into your Kaleidescape system. I will include a couple of our home theater showcase videos in the description that show off this type of automation with Kaleidescape.\u003c\/p\u003e  \n    \n\u003cp\u003eThe Strato V is an all-in-one player and server, so you only need this one product to get started in the Kaleidescape ecosystem. Inside, there is a 960 GB SSD hard drive that stores about 10 reference 4K movies at a time. They’ve even created a new streamlined interface just for this unit that is optimized for browsing a smaller library. Now, you might be thinking that 10 movies isn’t a whole lot to have on your system at a time. Well, this is where the speed and efficiency of this system come in. When you choose a movie to download or rent from the store, you can download it in as little as 10 minutes with a gigabit ethernet connection, even while watching a movie on your system at the same time! The idea is that you can purchase as many titles as you’d like and keep a few on your system at a time. When you want to browse your library to look for something to watch and find one that you’ve already purchased or want to purchase, simply start the download, go make yourself some popcorn and a drink, and by the time you’re back, that movie is ready to be played in its full lossless glory. You can even set it up to delete movies from your system after 48 hours to keep space clear for your next download. And any deleted movies still show up in your account so you can download them again at any time. You can also access the store from your phone or computer, so you can easily choose a movie before coming home from work or finishing up your round of golf and have it ready to play by the time you are home. While you might not be able to watch something as quickly as streaming if it’s not already downloaded, we’d argue that waiting that handful of minutes or simply planning ahead is worth the incredible quality increase you will get from a Kaleidescape movie.\u003c\/p\u003e  \n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_full\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/wordpress2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/iphone-main-image-updated-1.jpg\" alt=\"Kaleidescape iPhone screenshot\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_narrow\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Strato V is a much more affordable option than their other products. As of launch it will be starting under $4,000! The Strato V is ideal for someone who wants to get into the Kaleidescape ecosystem and have the best of the best when it comes to watching movies, TV shows, and concerts in their theater or media room but doesn’t currently have the budget for the other Kaleidescape products. One of the best parts is that when you are ready to take the next step and add one or more of their Terra Prime movie servers to store more movies at once, you can simply use the Strato V as your player and add the server directly to that system without purchasing a new or different player. Doing this will turn the interface back into the full Kaleidescape experience and let you scale your system to your needs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_full\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/wordpress2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/back_view_stratoV.jpg\" alt=\"Kaleidescape Strato V Movie Player back view\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_narrow\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is all housed in a modern black anodized aluminum and glass chassis roughly 8 inches by 1.5 inches by 10 inches. With their custom rack mount, you can fit two of these in one rack unit, or they offer a custom wall mount.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition, Kaleidescape has integrated all new electronics and grounding topology into the Strato V with the addition of player-side lossless decode for high-bitrate audio codecs. This provides flexibility to maximize sound quality with a range of downstream components.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_full\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/wordpress2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StratoV_WebTurned_Right169.jpg\" alt=\"Kaleidescape Strato V Movie Player top view\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"col_narrow\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"hp-title\"\u003eOverall Recommendation\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverall, we are very excited to see Kaleidescape continue to improve its offering, take our feedback to heart, and make an all-in-one player that is affordable yet extremely powerful. There is no doubt that if you’ve spent time creating an incredible theater or media room, a Kaleidescape will take it to the next level. If you want to purchase one, there are great stores like Audio Advice around the country that sell Kaleidescape. If you don’t have one near you, you can purchase directly from AudioAdvice.com. If you are considering purchasing a Kaleidescape or upgrading or building a theater, feel free to stop by one of our award-winning stores or call or chat with our experts and we would love to help you figure out the best solution for you.\u003c\/p\u003e \n    \n    \u003chr\u003e\n    \n    \u003ch2 class=\"subhead margin\"\u003eWe’re here to help!\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \n    \u003cp\u003eIf you have further questions, contact our experts via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/contact-us\"\u003echat, phone, or email\u003c\/a\u003e. Or simply visit one of our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/about\/locations\"\u003eworld-class showrooms\u003c\/a\u003e to experience speakers, projectors, TVs, and everything in between for yourself before you make a purchase!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n    \u003cp\u003eIf you’re planning your home theater or media room, check out our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/home-theater-design\"\u003eHome Theater Design page\u003c\/a\u003e, where we have everything Home Theater related, including our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/home-theater-design#designer\"\u003eFREE Home Theater Design Tool\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n    \u003cp\u003eWhen you buy from Audio Advice, you’re buying from a trusted seller since 1978. We offer \u003cstrong\u003eFree Shipping\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eLifetime Expert Support\u003c\/strong\u003e, and our \u003cstrong\u003ePrice Guarantee\u003c\/strong\u003e. We look forward to serving you!\u003c\/p\u003e    \n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Kaleidescape","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42262929342548,"sku":"KAL:STRATO-V-BSB","price":3495.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0572\/3281\/8260\/files\/stratov_oldhero_close.188.jpg?v=1726781436","url":"https:\/\/www.audioadvice.com\/products\/kaleidescape-open-box-strato-v-movie-player-server-a-grade","provider":"Audio Advice","version":"1.0","type":"link"}