Kaleidescape Strato K: first 8K-certified movie player launches at $4,995
Kaleidescape has launched the Strato K, the world's first 8K-certified movie player, priced at $4,995 (about £3,777). It is certified by the 8K Association and introduces a new "Cinematic 4K" format promising higher fidelity than standard 4K Blu-rays. CEO Tayloe Stansbury calls it "the world's highest-fidelity movie player." However, the lack of widely available 8K content means buying it now is like owning a fax machine with no one to call.
Kaleidescape launches the first 8K movie player certified by the 8K AssociationBut the new 4K Cinematic format for higher-quality 4K is the exciting bit$4,995 (about £3,777 / AU$7,180)Kaleidescape makes some truly spectacular 4K video players, and now there's an 8K version. It's "the world's highest-fidelity movie player," says chairman and CEO Tayloe Stansbury. "It brings movie lovers closer to the filmmaker's intent, with cleaner detail, true-to-life color, and a more natural presentation that dramatically improves the viewing experience of any display."It's also a world first. The Kaleidescape Strato K is the first 8K movie player that's been certified for 8K by the 8K Association. That's good, but the fact that it's the first such accreditation points to the problem with 8K. Buying 8K hardware right now is a bit like being the first person in the world to buy a fax machine: who are you going to send faxes to? Similarly, with 8K movie players and 8K TVs, what 8K movies are actually there for you to watch?That means the Strato K, while impressive, is a bit of a gamble: you're buying hardware in the hope that the 8K movie trickle will become a flood, and I'm just not sure that rain is ever coming.So the most important new feature might not be the 8K support, but instead a new format that Kaleidescape calls "4K Cinematic".Here's Kaleidescape's graphic showing how 'Cinematic 4K' compares to other 4K options (Image credit: Kaleidescape)Kaleidescape Strato K: key features and priceKaleidescape's 4K Cinematic is a format designed to deliver even better 4K picture quality, and it does that by using less compression. Movies are encoded at around 110Mbps using the HEVC codec. Kaleidescape says that's compared to around 60Mbps for 4K Blu-Ray, and around 17Mbps for standard 4K streaming services.It's worth noting that those figures aren't the maximum bitrates for the formats — for example Blu-Ray can go up to 144Mbps, though 80Mbps is a more standard ceiling — but are the bitrates typically used in commercial releases. In addition to the higher bitrate, 4K Cinematic uses 4:4:4 chroma sampling rather than the 4:2:0 of most commercial movie releases, meaning more accurate colors and less 'banding' or other color artefacts.The downside of those higher bitrates is that you'll need a lot of storage: as FlatpanelsHD notes, the player only has 1TB of storage – equivalent to around seven 4K Cinematic titles, as those are 1.5x the size of normal 4K movies. Like other Strato players it's really intended to be teamed up with the firm's Terra servers.Kaleidescape will label the higher-quality movies as 4K Cinematic in its movie store and on the Stratos K interface to differentiate them from standard 4K versions. Prices will be from around $10 to $30, and the initial raft of titles includes Top Gun: Maverick, F1: The Movie, Superman, Project Hail Mary, Dune: Part Two; Sinners, Predator: Badlands, Mortal Kombat II, Avatar, Tron: Ares, Thunderbolts, and others. 4K Cinematic supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X — but Dolby Vision isn't supported by the Stratos K player in 8K movies, which are SDR or HDR10. The maximum frame rate for 8K is 30 fps via HDMI 2.1.The Strato K has a recommended retail price of $4,995, which is $1,000 more than the five-star 4K Strato V. We are really looking forward to seeing what the new movie format looks like…Thinking of buying a new TV?Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.
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