FAQ
1. Does this feature change how movie browsing and playback work?
No. All of the movies on both systems appear in one unified interface, on the Strato. You can play any movie, scene, song, or extra, just as you do today. When you play content that is on the Premiere system, the switch to the Premiere player automatic.
2. Which Premiere players can be paired with Strato players?
The M300, M500 and M700 players can be paired with Strato. If the customer has older Premiere players, those players must be replaced with M-Class players in order to be paired with a Strato. Older players can still be used as part of the Premiere system in zones where no Strato is paired.
3. For a multi-zone Premiere system, can I upgrade every zone to Strato? Must I?
You can install a Strato player in any zone where the customer wants 4K. Strato is compatible with 1080p HD and even 720p displays, so you can install it in a zone where there is no 4K display. This will make the content downloaded to the Strato system available in the 1080p or 720p zone. Strato has considerably more processing power than previous-generation players, making Kaleidescape’s onscreen user interface more fluid, with animations running at a full 60 frames per second. Customers will see the difference, even at 1080p or 720p.
4. Can the customer still import discs onto the Premiere system after the upgrade?
Yes, the Premiere system will still be able to import discs as it does today.
5. How are discs imported after the upgrade?
Just as they are today. Discs can be imported onto the Premiere system using a Disc Vault, or an M500 player.
6. What about systems that play DVDs from the Disc Vault. Does that work with this feature?
Yes. Any movie that the Premiere player can play today can still be played when the Premiere player is paired with a Strato, including movies that play from the Disc Vault.
7. Can the Premiere system continue to store Movie Store downloads?
Yes. Any Movie Store downloads on the Premiere system can stay where they are. You have the option to configure future SD and HD downloads to go to either the Premiere system or the new Strato system, as described in the “Storage Planning” section above. 4K Ultra HD and 4K HDR movies must be stored on the Strato system.
8. If I don’t upgrade every zone with a Strato player, how do the un-paired Premiere players behave?
Exactly as they do today. They can play any content stored on the Premiere system.
9. What happens to favorite scenes, collections, customized metadata and scripts on the Premiere system?
Scenes, collections, and customized metadata are all presented through the Strato user interface. Scripts are currently supported on Strato only for dealer demo purposes, and you can continue to create scripts on Strato for this purpose. Scripts on the Premiere system are not shown in the Strato onscreen display. [Note: Support for user-created collections is not yet implemented. See here for more details.]
10. What about the music features of the Premiere system?
The music features of a Premiere player cannot be accessed once the player is paired with a Strato. If the customer wishes to continue using the music capabilities of their Premiere system, you will need to provide an un-paired Premiere player to access them.
11. Does this feature work with Cinema One?
Yes. Strato can be paired with a second-generation Cinema One player. The first-generation Cinema One cannot be paired with Strato. Consider upgrading to a second-generation Cinema One or to a Premiere system.
12. A customer has a system with Alto players and a Disc Server. Is this feature available for that system?
Yes. You can pair a Strato with an Alto player. Playback will switch automatically to the Alto when necessary (e.g., to play a Blu-ray disc from the Disc Server).
13. What modifications are necessary to the control system?
The feature is designed so that no control system changes are required in most installations, provided that the control system is using either IP or IR control. Serial control is not possible with Strato because it has no serial port. When the Premiere player is playing a movie, Strato relays control system commands to the Premiere player via IP so that the customer can control playback. All playback events (like screen masking changes, lighting cues, elapsed time, playback modes, etc.) are relayed back through the Strato to the control system. For IP-based control, the simplest thing to do is to give the Premiere player a new IP address, and assign its original IP address to the new Strato player. This way, the control system can continue sending commands to the same address it used before.
14. You mention a “small automatic video switch”. Can I just use the existing video switch that’s present in the installation?
No. You must use the Kaleidescape-supplied switch. If there is an existing video switch in the installation, then you can simply connect the output of the new switch to an input on that existing switch. Kaleidescape sells the switch to dealers as part of an upgrade kit, which includes a software license. One kit is needed for each player zone. The switch is rack-mountable, but does not need to be user-accessible. Kaleidescape has also developed a feature to support Co-Star with a Lumagen Radiance Pro video processor. The use of the Lumagen Radiance Pro for Co-Star requires a Kaleidescape Co-Star software license for Lumagen. Co-Star can also be used with Crestron DigitalMedia NVX devices, with Kaleidescape’s module for Crestron. The use of Crestron NVX for Co-Star requires a Kaleidescape Co-Star software license for Crestron.
15. Does this feature replace the Migration plan you previously announced?
Yes. We have chosen this approach because it allows us to bring the feature to market more quickly, and it has several advantages compared to the original plan.
16. Will you eventually support playback of DVD and Blu-ray discs from a Disc Server on Strato?
We have no plans to support this feature.
17. Are there any limitations in functionality while using Co-Star?
In order to deliver Co-Star in a timely fashion, some features were deferred from the initial software releases. We plan to address these limitations in future software updates. You can see a current list of these limitations here.
18. What is a Co-Star software license?
A Co-Star software license allows a Strato player to use the Co-Star feature. Co-Star configurations without a license are not supported. This approach allows Kaleidescape to support multiple solutions for HDMI switching.
19. Do I need to purchase a Co-Star software license in addition to the Co-Star HDMI switch?
No. A Co-Star software license is included in the price of a Co-Star HDMI switch, so no additional purchase is necessary.
20. What types of Co-Star licenses are available? Kaleidescape offers two types of Co-Star software licenses:
I. The standard Co-Star software license, which is included with the purchase of a Co-Star HDMI Switch Kit.
II. The Co-Star software license for Lumagen, which enables the use of a Lumagen Radiance Pro in place of the standard Co-Star HDMI Switch.
III. The Co-Star software license for Crestron, which enables the use of a Crestron NVX device in place of the standard Co-Star HDMI Switch.
Note that no other devices or configurations are supported for Co-Star.
21. Do I need a Co-Star software license to use the Lumagen Radiance Pro for Co-Star?
Yes. Kaleidescape has developed a special feature to provide the best Co-Star experience for the Lumagen Radiance Pro video processor, and the purchase of a “Co-Star for Lumagen” software license for Lumagen is required to configure a Strato to use this feature. The use of the Lumagen Radiance Pro is not supported as a solution for Co-Star HDMI switching without this license. If you are purchasing a Radiance Pro for use with Co-Star, please contact Lumagen sales for information about a potential discount.
22. What are the benefits of the Co-Star solution for the Lumagen Radiance Pro? The Lumagen Radiance Pro provides the following benefits for Co-Star:
I. The Radiance Pro supports discrete HDMI outputs for audio and video. This allows the use of audio processors and receivers which do not support HDMI 2.x features or HDCP 2.2.
II. For most installations, the Radiance Pro provides very fast audio and video switching times when starting and stopping playback.
III. The Radiance Pro can be configured to minimize video format changes. This can be particularly important if the projector or TV takes a long time to resynchronize when the video format changes
IV. The Radiance Pro can be configured to adapt 4K HDR content into 4K SDR content. This is important if the customer wishes to avoid all video format changes, and it enables support for 4K projectors and televisions that do not support HDR, or for which SDR video modes provide a better experience.
23. How do I configure the Lumagen Radiance Pro as an HDMI switch for Co-Star?
Please refer to the Co-Star Quick Start for Lumagen document for information on how to set up and configure the Kaleidescape Strato and the Lumagen Radiance Pro for Co-Star. Detailed installation instructions can be found in the Co-Star for Lumagen Installation Guide. Both documents are available here.
