
Kaleidescape Strato C – Movie Player
KaleidescapeKaleidescape Strato C is a premium 4K Ultra HD (4k UHD) movie player that was designed to provide an immersive home cinema experience with audio and video playback quality that exceeds that of which is found in most commercial theaters. Unlike streaming services, Strato C plays back movies through TV's or Projectors that are downloaded and directly stored on Kaleidescape Terra movie servers, Strato S, or Strato V movie players. Strato C supports high dynamic range (HDR), lossless multichannel audio including Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, DTS-HD Master Audio, and can play HD and SD digital movies back in 4K using its advanced upscaling algorithms. Strato C can also play HD and SD content from discontinued / legacy Kaliedescape Alto movie players. The Strato’s onscreen display provides access to the Kaleidescape movie store offering a library of the finest content from Hollywood’s major studios and the largest selection of 4K UHD titles with HDR. This on screen user interface (UI) is displayed in full 4K Ultra HD at 60 frames per second providing fluid animation and stunning visual impact during use.
- Plays "Mezzanine File" video sourced directly from the studio
- Provides reference lossless audio
- Superb upscaling of Blu-ray and DVD quality content to 4K resolution
- Compatible with popular control systems and universal remotes
- Bit rates up to 100 Mbps
- Frame rates up to 60 fps
- Rack mountable
- Wall mountable
- Made in the USA
Highlights & Key Technologies
Reference Video
Uncompromising picture quality. Strato V plays 4K movies in standard dynamic range, HDR10, and Dolby Vision with superb upscaling of HD and SD quality content to 4K resolution with movie bitrates up to 100 Mbps. Kaleidescape movies are high bitrate and downloaded to local storage for uninterrupted, flawless playback, unlike streaming services that are limited by internet infrastructure.
Lossless Audio
Lossless audio with passthrough and player-side decode maximizes sound quality with a range of downstream components. Supports multichannel and spatial audio codecs including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio.
Flexible Use
When standalone, Strato V stores approximately 10 reference 4K movies on an internal, solid-state drive. Featuring a new streamlined interface, Strato V is optimized for navigating a small movie library. Strato V can download a Kaleidescape 4K movie in as little as 10 minutes over gigabit Ethernet, during movie playback, without sacrificing performance. Downloads become a candidate for automatic deletion 48 hours after playback, making room for more movies.
Scalable
An investment that grows with you. Want room for more movies or players in additional rooms? Unlock the full Kaleidescape experience by grouping Strato V with Terra Prime movie servers. Any number of Strato V movie players can be grouped into a system, with up to four servers per system. Grouping with a server activates the iconic Kaleidescape covers view and list menus for navigating large movie libraries.
Compatibility
Use the Kaleidescape intuitive mobile app, IR remote, or your home automation system (e.g. Josh.ai, Crestron, Control4, Savant) to easily navigate the onscreen interface.
Incredible User Interface
The Strato V onscreen display provides access to the Kaleidescape movie store and is your ticket to access the thousands of movies from Hollywood’s major studios. The store library offers the finest content from the largest selection of 4K UHD titles with HDR. Its on screen user interface (UI) is displayed in full 4K Ultra HD at 60 frames per second providing fluid animation and stunning visual impact during use. Buy or Rent* movies from the mobile app on iOS and Android, or via web browser. Early Release* and Premium Rental* while still in theatres. *Subject to availability. Studio dependent.
Elevated Installation
Kaleidescape rack shelves and wall mount solutions are available for a custom installlation in an AV rack or behind a TV.
Details & Specifications
Physical
Dimensions (W×H×D): 7.87×1.52×10in / 20.0×3.9×25.4cm
Weight: 4.2lb (1.91kg)
General
Warranty: 5 years
Storage: No internal storage. Strato C accesses content stored on a Terra or Strato S or V (with internal storage) when connected via network
Mounts: Rack shelf with faceplates for mounting 1 or 2 (centered or side-by-side) Strato C players in a 19in rack, 1U space or a wall mount for mounting behind TV display (both sold separately)
Control: Kaleidescape remote included, Front-panel IR receiver window, Ethernet control from Crestron, AMX, Control4, Savant, or the Kaleidescape App for iPad
Power Adapter: External 100-240VAC to 12VDC @ 5A, 60W with detachable line cord
Power Consumption: 20W maximum / 17W typical / 12W high power standby / 0.5W low power stand by
Inputs / Outputs
Video Out: HDMI 2.0a (labelled “VIDEO”), HDCP 2.2 copy protection
Audio Out: HDMI 1.4, Digital Coaxial RCA, Toslink / Optical
USB In: USB 3.0
Network: Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Base-T)
Control: IR input (1/8in mini plug)
Service: Micro USB
Video
Display Resolutions: 2160p60/50/30/25/24, 1080p60/50/24, 1080i60/50, 720p60/50, 576i, 576p, 480i, 480p
Chroma Options: 4:4:4 8-bit up to 2160p60, 4:4:4 10/12-bit up to 2160p30, 4:2:2 12-bit up to 2160p60, 4:2:0 8/10/12-bit at 2160p50/60 only
Color Spaces: BT.2020, BT.709, BT.601
Aspect Ratios: 1.78:1 and 2.35:1 (CinemaScope), automatic or user interface selectable
HDR: HDMI 2.0a with support for SMPTE ST 2084 EOTF, SMPTE ST 2086 metadata
Supported Media: Kaleidescape movie store downloads and movies that precisely match the quality available on Kaleidescape Disc Server (including high-bit-rate 4K Ultra HD movies in 10-bit color, with and without HDR, Blu-ray Disc and DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
Audio
Supported Formats: Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS:X, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS Digital Surround, PCM, MPEG
Environmental
Operating Temperature: 41 to 95°F (5 to 35°C)
Storage Temperature: -4 to 140°F (-20 to 60°C)
Acceptable Humidity Range: 20 to 80% (operation), 5 to 90% (storage)
Maximum Operating Altitude: 10,000ft (3,048m)
Maximum Airflow: 3.5 CFM (6 m3/hr)
Maximum Heat Output: 69 BTU/hr (20W)
Minimum Ventilation Clearance: 1in (2.5cm) space at the front and 2in (5cm) space at the rear
Certifications: CSA 62368-1, CSA 60950-1, IEC 62368-1, IEC 60950-1, FCC CLASS B, CE, RoHS Compliant
Strato Comparison Chart
Strato / Strato S | Strato V (Stand-alone) | Strato E (Stand-alone) |
Strato M (Stand- |
Strato C (w/Terra Prime) |
Strato V (w/Terra Prime) |
Strato E (w/Terra Prime) |
Strato M (w/Terra Prime) |
|
Launch Date | Jan 2016 | Jul 2024 | May 2025 | Apr 2025 | Dec 2016 | Jul 2024 | May 2025 | Apr 2025 |
Chassis | 2U/1U silver aluminum | Compact black anodized aluminum | Compact black perforated steel | Compact black perforated steel | Compact silver aluminum | Compact black anodized aluminum | Compact black perforated steel | Compact black perforated steel |
Status | End of life | Current | New | New | Current | Current | New | New |
Capabilities | ||||||||
Movie storage | 6, 10, or 12TB | 960GB | 480GB | 480GB | Server dependent | Server dependent | Server dependent | Server dependent |
Maximum player components in system | 4 (Strato S) | 1 (itself) | 1 (itself) | 1 (itself) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Download time (2-hour, 4K movie) |
~45 mins | < 10 min (4x faster than Strato S) | < 10 min (4x faster than Strato S) |
< 10 min (4x faster than Strato S) | 4-8 min (to Terra Prime) | 4-8 min (to Terra Prime) | 4-8 min (to Terra Prime) | 4-8 min (to Terra Prime) |
Plays store 4K Dolby Vision content | No | Yes | Yes | Yes (output at 2K 4:2:2) |
No | Yes | Yes | Yes (output at 2K 4:2:2) |
Plays store 4K HDR10 & store 4K SDR content | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (output at 2K 4:2:2) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (output at 2K 4:2:2) |
Plays store HD content | Yes | Yes1 | Yes1 | Yes1 | Yes | Yes1 | Yes1 | Yes1 |
Plays store SD content | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Dolby TrueHD / Atmos (7.1.4) bitstream | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Dolby MAT 2.0 / Atmos (7.1.4) bitstream | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Lossless decoding of DTS:X / HD and Dolby TrueHD to PCM | No, lossy (up to 5.1) | Yes (up to 7.1, 96kHz) | Yes (up to 7.1, 96kHz) | Yes (up to 7.1, 96kHz) |
No, lossy (up to 5.1) | Yes (up to 7.1, 96kHz) | Yes (up to 7.1, 96kHz) | Yes (up to 7.1, 96kHz) |
HDMI | 2.0b | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.0b | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
HDMI CEC | No | Yes, not at launch | Yes, not at launch | Yes, not at launch | No | Yes, not at launch | Yes, not at launch | Yes, not at launch |
Onscreen user interface | 4K | 2k upscaled to 4K | 2k upscaled to 4K | 2k | 4K | 2k upscaled to 4K | 2k upscaled to 4K | 2K |
Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Ethernet | Gigabit | Gigabit | Gigabit | Gigabit | Gigabit | Gigabit | Gigabit | Gigabit |
Audio outputs | HDMI (main) HDMI (audio-only) S/PDIF Coax S/PDIF TOSLINK |
HDMI (multi-channel) S/PDIF Coax TOSLINK (PCM 2.0) |
HDMI (multi-channel) | HDMI (multi-channel) | HDMI (main) HDMI (audio-only) S/PDIF Coax S/PDIF TOSLINK |
HDMI (multi-channel) S/PDIF Coax TOSLINK (PCM 2.0) |
HDMI (multi-channel) | HDMI (multi-channel) |
Optical disc playback support | Direct playback of DVD from Disc Server | No | No | No | Direct playback of DVD from Disc Server | No | No | No |
Disc-to-Digital | Via Disc Server or external USB Blu-ray drive | Via external USB Blu-ray drive | Via external USB Blu-ray drive | Via external USB Blu-ray drive | Via Disc Server or external USB Blu-ray drive | Via external USB Blu-ray drive | Via external USB Blu-ray drive | Via external USB Blu-ray drive |
Co-star support | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes2 | No | No |
Software Features | ||||||||
Storage management | End-user controlled | Automatic and user controlled | Automatic and user controlled | Automatic and user controlled | End-user controlled | End-user controlled | End-user controlled | End-user controlled |
Pause movies and resume where you left off | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Purchase, watch, redownload, and rewatch movies | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rent movies to watch | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Kaleidescape curated scenes and songs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Control systems and lighting integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
User interface | Full | Simplified | Simplified | Simplified | Full | Full | Full | Full |
Collections view | Text | Cover images |
Cover images |
Cover images | Text | Cover images | Cover images | Cover images |
User scenes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
User collections | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Onscreen movie store | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Parental controls | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Child remote support | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Partner Features | ||||||||
Scripts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Dealer demo content | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1Strato V, Strato E, and Strato M players play a different HD movie format than earlier Kaleidescape players. Most but not all HD content in the store has been transcoded to be playable on these players. 2A Strato V in standalone mode does not support Co-Star pairing. Strato V supports Co-Staro pairing only when grouped with a Terra or Terra Prime server. Only system-level pairing with an M-Class Premiere player is supported. Player-pairing with an Alto is not supported.
IGNORE: kaleidescape, kaliedescape, kaleidescope, kaliedescope, kalidescape, kalidiscape, collidescape, kalidascape