4K - 8K Resolution and/or Dolby Atmos/DTSX Content Reviews

[Danzilla31]

It was FRESH on my mind after the text.

And I love to give BIG SPENDERS a hard time.

So this is a quick write up on Kaleidascape. I own the Strato E

Setup is so easy it's a snap. Takes less than 15min and you are up and running

Hardware is very very good especially how it's implemented through software. The WEB UI is a breeze to use and the amount of information and control it gives is great. It even allows you to view the information and capabilities if your HDMI port in real time to make sure it's doing and outputting what's it's supposed to. Any adjustments you make can be done super easy and super quick

Both the store and OSD layout is great. It's such a smooth experience to organize your purchases and to purchase stuff yourself. I love it.

And for the audio and video. They aren't kidding. Is it better then a disc no. But it is every bit as good as a disc and it costs you 5 to 7 min of your time to click purchase and download. It blows AWAY streaming quality. I ordered the original 1980 Fright Night in 4k HDR10 Dolby Atmos. And it looked AMAZING. And the Atmos mix was very well done.

It's upscaling of older content due to higher lossless passthrough of both video and audio is amazing. I ordered Cat People and older movie I love in HD. I've ordered it streaming and it just looked and sounded like sh#$5t. The Kscape version looked so good one of the best renditions of this classic I've ever seen. And the DTS lossless master for audio was amazing

Once it downloaded there is no buffering no lag no drop outs like streaming can have. It just runs smooth.

And the fact that I can catalogue all my collection both DVD's and Blue Rays and they can convert them to a digital purchase from the store and they can catalogue each disc in a matter of seconds and they do all the work of converting them for me for a very reasonable price at my own pace heck I can do it over my phone at work is awesome.

If they don't have a title they will save my catoligue and if they eventually get it they will contact me to convert it to my system

Also I can buy new releases before they even get to digital purchase anywhere else

I don't have room in my rack for a NAS and it's too noisy to keep it cooled. Combine a NAS with a premium player like Zidoo and I'm already close enough to Strato E pricing that I'd just rather go in that direction

Anything I absolutely can't get I'll just rip to my Plex and Nvidia on some cheap Hard Drives

Yeah I absolutely love my Strato E the best purchase Ive made for my theater in a long time

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The price of their hardware does seem pretty egregious, but that's usually the case with a pre-built, company supported system. Their per movie pricing seems to be fairly reasonable, at least in relation to the cost of buying the UHD with comparable quality.

I rip all my 4k's and blu rays. It was a long process trying to rip over 800+ movies the last 5 months.

My only argument is that most movies aren't even worth buying or keeping.

So how much does it cost to stream (Rent) first to see if it's even worth buying? Then buy the hard disc.

For example, I would NOT even buy "Gladiator 2" and most movies after seeing them on streaming.

 

[Danzilla31]

My only argument is that most movies aren't even worth buying or keeping.

So how much does it cost to stream (Rent) first to see if it's even worth buying? Then buy the hard disc.

For example, I would NOT even buy "Gladiator 2" and most movies after seeing them on streaming.

Renting to me is even more for Kscape. The sound quality and visual quality is so much better than renting from a streamer

Renting is very reasonable 7 bucks. You get the rental in full quality same quality as if you'd purchased. Even more important if you decide to buy the movie later your rent cost is deducted off your buy price

So you get a discount from Kscape for buying the movie that you rented from them. Nobody else does that. Not Prime at least

 

[Danzilla31]

I'm telling you once I made the jump into Kscape I now understand the hype. The stato E or V are the way to go.

As one poster said the hardware prices for the hard drives are outrageous but I plan to use my E as a standalone player and just let Kaleidescapes cloud be my library which they do at a very high quality. When I want to rewatch something it's just a click on the button and a 5min download away

What's even better the E can hold about 5 4k movies and 2 HD movies that what's mine is holding now. So I can just load up 4 or 5 movies I want to watch over my days off and I'm good to go. Everything else stays organized on my cloud.

Even better I can do this when I'm away from home. Tommorow night my last night at work I can jump into the Kstore load up what I want to rent over the next few days off download it and when I wake up on my first day off it's all loaded up and ready to go.

The mobile remote app is awesome as well

Also even though hardware prices suck the Kscape forum is awesome and members their sell their harddrives all the time as they expand storage and you can grab used gear with good warranty still on it for massive discounts. I don't plan on it yet but in the future I'll go that route if I do

 

[Danzilla31]

Also the video wall is awesome I'll post a picture of mine on my first day off

 

[Danzilla31]

Also the WEB UI gives you so much control I failed to mention you can even monitor the heat of the unit to make sure you are keeping it cooled sufficiently. Sorry guys I can't stop gushing about it it's that good.

My personal opinion and its just my personal opinion if you are on the fence about the E or V. Get off the fence and go for it. It's worth it.

You know me pretty well @AcuDefTechGuy I've bought quite a bit of gear from you over the years I'm not the type to just lean into something like this for no reason. Kscape is legit.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

You know me pretty well @AcuDefTechGuy I've bought quite a bit of gear from you over the years I'm not the type to just lean into something like this for no reason.

And you know I’m such a tight pharmacist my a$$ squeaks when I walk. So no way in hell I’m ever paying for Kscape.

 

[Danzilla31]

And you know I’m such a tight pharmacist my a$$ squeaks when I walk. So no way in hell I’m ever paying for Kscape.

The image you just gave me with your last comment LMFAO

 

[Trebdp83]

And you know I’m such a tight pharmacist my a$$ squeaks when I walk. So no way in hell I’m ever paying for Kscape.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The image you just gave me with your last comment LMFAO

Hehe.

Well, the truth is, there are things we are not willing to pay, and there are things we are willing to pay. So we’re all different.

How much did you pay for K-scape to start with? $3K?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I watched Into the Lost Lands last night. It was not not as bad as some of the IMDB reviews would have you believe. It's a post-apocalyptic fantasy western starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista. The story isn't as incoherent as some have claimed, it follows a logical path as it plays out. Most of the characters seem to be going for "cagey" in their interactions (which some might interpret as superficial or wooden), with hidden plans and agendas not stated until it's time for the big reveals. There is not a lot of world building and character development though. There are monsters, there are fanatical religious zealots, there are some magic powers. This is a movie where you just have to accept the premise and that the characters are doing what they do for their own various reasons. Not a thinking man's movie here, this one is just popcorn action.

Visually it was alright. It's overall a very dark movie with a lot of contrasting lighting. The whole world feels dim, gritty and oppressive. Picture quality was acceptable but there's heavy use of an overt bloom/glare on things that feels a little jarring, especially at the start until you get used to it. Nothing jumped out as being especially great or poor on the CGI front of the action, but I'd say that the world itself is the biggest visual star here. The broken, ruined and twisted remnants of the world stood out most to me.

Not a great movie, but it was an enjoyable enough watch for a fantasy/action distraction for an hour or two. 6 or 7 out of 10, although the latter might be a bit generous. I had lower expectations going in but was somewhat pleasantly surprised that things played out or were handled a little better than others had implied.

I just watched “In the Lost Lands” 4K Atmos UHD Blu-ray disc.

Based on short story by George RR Martin (Game of Thrones).

Screenplay and Directed by Paul Anderson (Resident Evil movie franchise, Alien vs Predator).

PQ. Awesome PQ as expected. Shot using RED Raptor 8K digital camera. Reminds me of 300 Rise of an Empire and Mad Max Fury Road.

SQ. Excellent Atmos. Great bass.

Story/Plot. I liked it a lot. I would say I like it a lot better than most “Best Picture Oscar” movies. It had a lot of action and eye candy. Wasted no time dragging on like many movies. Straight to the point. I would watch this movie again.

No, I wouldn’t give it a 7/10. I’ll give it a 8/10 for enjoyment/entertainment, eye candy, action, awesome PQ and SQ.

BTW, I also loved every Resident Evil movie and Alien vs Predator.

 

[Danzilla31]

Hehe.

Well, the truth is, there are things we are not willing to pay, and there are things we are willing to pay. So we’re all different.

How much did you pay for K-scape to start with? $3K?

Cmon bro you're one of my favorite dealers you know the drill. Although I will refer people to my favorite dealers I never discuss financial transactions to anyone but my dealer.

But I will say my dealer took good care of me and was a pleasure to work with

Now I don't want you getting jealous I still love you your my all time favorite but since your tight pharmacist a$$$_ is so wound up about Kscape your lack of them in your portfolio due to your principles forced me to seek out warmth and company elsewhere

 

[Danzilla31]

Hehe.

Well, the truth is, there are things we are not willing to pay, and there are things we are willing to pay. So we’re all different.

How much did you pay for K-scape to start with? $3K?

But I still love you the most bro