Kaleidescape's new Blu-ray quality movie streamer is half the price, but has a huge 4K catch – and maybe that's okay

(Image credit: Kaleidescape)

Kaleidescape Strato M costs $1,995, but is HD-only
Dolby Vision, HDR10, BT.2020 and 4:2:2 chroma
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound

Kaleidescape's new home, commercial and marine theater movie player comes with a really tempting price tag and one surprising omission.

At a time when even very cheap streaming devices generally come with 4K, this is a 2K player rather than a 4K one. But it's a very, very good 2K player delivering better than Blu-Ray quality with the need for all those discs.

That makes it a good upgrade for a theater setup that already boasts a premium HD or 2K projector with no interest in updating to 4K: we've reviewed the same firm's 4K Strato V and found it to be "outstanding" with superb software; this 2K option is half the price.

Kaleidescape says that the Strato M is best suited to viewing rooms where the viewing distance is at least 1.5x the size of the screen in inches. If you prefer to sit closer, the 4K Strato V may be more suitable.

Kaleidescape Strato M: key features and pricing

The Strato M is designed to work in two scenarios: on its own, or as part of a wider Kaleidescape system with Terra Prime movie servers.

It supports lossless multi-channel and spatial object-based audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and it also supports reference 2K video with higher bit depths than Blu-Ray, plus Dolby Vision, HDR10, BT.2020 and 4:2:2 chroma.

As a stand-alone system it delivers a single playback zone and can store up to a half dozen movies on its internal SSD, with movie downloads taking about 10 minutes over gigabit ethernet. Its interface has been optimized for smaller movie libraries, and it can automatically offload watched movies 48 hours after playback to make room for more.

In a wider Kaleidescape system the Strato M connects to Terra Prime movie servers and uses the same Kaleidescape interface as its siblings.

The Kaleidescape Strato M is available now through authorized dealers with an MSRP of $1,995 (about £1,553 / AU$3,208).

It's an interesting alternative to the best 4K Blu-ray players at this price – the HD requirement is obviously going to put off people indulging in 4K on the best TVs, but I could see a few home theater enthusiasts finding a home for this.

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.