Strato is a high-performance movie player, capable of playing 4K Ultra HD, high dynamic range (HDR) content encoded at data rates of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) or higher. Strato V movie players additionally support playback and display of Dolby Vision content. Taking full advantage of Strato’s capabilities requires careful attention to HDMI connections, cabling, and configuration.
This section discusses background information on HDMI and HDCP, and best practices that will help you to maximize Strato’s performance within the larger A/V system.
In particular, we discuss cases where using the second HDMI port (not available on Strato V) will allow you to achieve maximum video and audio quality, even when audio equipment does not support HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, or higher.
.This article also includes some information on ensuring your installation is set up properly for HDR. We conclude with a brief tutorial covering the use of Strato’s HDMI Capabilities tool in the Browser Interface.
Achieving Strato’s highest video output quality requires a 4K Ultra HD display capable of receiving and displaying an 18 Gbps HDMI 2.0a signal with HDCP 2.2. For HDR playback, at a minimum the display must support HDR content in HDR10 (SMPTE ST-2084 and ST-2086) format. For output of Dolby Vision on Strato V, the display will additionally need to support Dolby Vision.
If Strato is connected to the display via intermediate devices (such as an audio processor, an A/V matrix switch, an active HDMI cable, or an HDMI extender), every device in that chain must support these minimum HDMI and HDCP versions and features to display 4K HDR and 4K Ultra HD at full fidelity.
The earliest 4K displays may not be able to display 4K Ultra HD content from Strato at all, and other displays may be able to display 4K Ultra HD content, but unable to handle all the latest features, like HDR. This section describes the features present in different 4K displays, and how Strato will interoperate with those displays.
First and foremost, HDCP 2.2 copy protection is required to play 4K Ultra HD content with Strato. Some early 4K display devices, including some early HDMI 2.0 devices, do not support HDCP 2.2 and will not be able to display 4K Ultra HD content when used with Strato. Consult with the display’s manufacturer to see if an upgrade is available.
If a display does not support HDCP 2.2 copy protection, but does support HDCP 1.x, Strato will down-scale the 4K Ultra HD content and output it at up to 1080p resolution.
Strato requires HDMI 2.0 to properly display 4K Ultra HD content (2.0a for HDR content). For the best possible experience, the display and all devices in the HDMI chain —including cables— should support transmission rates of 18 gigabits per second (Gbps) or higher.
Some HDMI 2.x displays and devices are limited to 10.2 Gbps operation on one or more of their ports. Even in cases when a device supports 18 Gbps operation, certain settings may limit the throughput to 10.2 Gbps. The lower speed places some limits on how Strato displays 4K HDR and 4K Ultra HD content. Please ensure that the proper ports and settings are being used for 18 Gbps operation.
Note that some equipment describes HDMI bandwidth in terms of frequency rather than data rate. A 10.2 Gbps connection or cable may also be called 340 MHz, and an 18 Gbps connection may also be called 600 MHz.
The chart below summarizes how HDMI and HDCP capabilities affect Strato playback.
| HDCP 1.x | HDCP 2.2 | |
| HDMI 1.3 and below | 1080p 24/30/60 | N/A |
| HDMI 1.4 | 1080p 24/30/60 | 2160p 24/30 Not recommended. OSD performance will be degraded, and some content will display poorly. |
| HDMI 2.0 @ 10.2 Gbps | 1080p 24/30/60 | 2160p 24/30 10-bit color 2160p 60 8-bit color |
| HDMI 2.0 @ 18 Gbps | 1080p 24/30/60 | 2160p 24/30/60 10-bit color Kaleidescape OSD can be rendered with 4:4:4 chroma |
| HDMI 2.0a @ 10.2 Gbps | 1080p 24/30/60 | 2160p 24/30 10-bit color HDR possible with HDR display 2160p 60 8-bit color |
| HDMI 2.0a @ 18 Gbps | 1080p 24/30/60 | 2160p 24/30/60 10-bit color HDR possible with HDR display Kaleidescape OSD can be rendered with 4:4:4 chroma |
Strato V can play back and display video in Dolby Vision HDR format. To output in Dolby Vision format, the display and all devices in the HDMI chain should support the distribution and display of Dolby Vision.
Unlike SDR images, where most displays can replicate the transmitted picture with its full dynamic range, HDR images typically exceed the capabilities of the display. Consequentially, all HDR displays require processing to fit the image to the capabilities of the display. Dolby Vision supports two modes of operation, which impact where that processing is carried out,
Strato V supports both modes of operation and will select the appropriate mode of operation automatically given the capabilities of the display. Strato V also supports converting Dolby Vision source material to HDR10 for playback on displays that do not support Dolby Vision.
Some Dolby Vision capable displays do not support processing Dolby Vision at 2160p 60. This may limit the output to 2160p 24/30, or to 1080p 60 in certain cases. If required, this may be alleviated by changing to Dolby Vision low-latency encoding or disabling Dolby Vision output and using HDR10 instead.
| Display Dolby Vision Capabilities | HDMI Bandwidth | Dolby Vision Sink-led Processing | Dolby Vision Source-led Processing | HDR10 |
| Processing up to 2160p60 Low latency encoding | 18 Gbps | 2160p 24/30/60 | 2160p 24/30/60 | 2160p 24/30/60 |
| Processing up to 2160p30 | 2160p 24/30 1080p 60 | 2160p 24/30/60 | ||
| Processing up to 2160p60 Low latency encoding | 2160p 24/30 1080p 60 | |||
| Low latency encoding only Low latency encoding | 2160p 24/30/60 | |||
| Processing up to 2160p30 Low latency encoding | < 18 Gbps | 2160p 24/30 1080p 60 | 2160p 24/30 1080p 60 | 13.5 Gbps: 2160p 24/30/60 |
| Processing up to 2160p30 | 2160p 24/30 1080p 60 | 10.2 Gbps: | ||
| Low latency encoding only | 2160p 24/30 1080p 60 | 2160p 24/30 1080p 60 |
Digital images represent each pixel in an image as a series of bits (ones and zeroes). The number of bits used for each pixel is referred to as the "bit depth," and is often expressed in terms of the number of bits used for each signal component. For example, an "8-bit" RGB image uses eight bits of data for red, eight bits for green, and eight for blue, for a total of 24 bits per pixel.
DVD and Blu-ray discs are examples of formats that use 8-bit color.
When more bits are used for each pixel, the digital information can represent more subtle differences between the colors. Kaleidescape’s 4K Ultra HD downloads in SDR, HDR10, or Dolby Vision use 10-bit color (30 bits total), which produces images with fewer artifacts, like stair-stepped bands of color visible in images of a blue sky.
10-bit color output is required for the display of HDR video.
High dynamic range (HDR) is the ability to record, transmit, and display a higher range of brightness than was traditionally possible with standard dynamic range (SDR) cinematic format. This allows very bright and very dark images to be displayed simultaneously. Kaleidescape HDR content is also delivered in concert with the wider BT. 2020 color gamut, delivering more vivid and lifelike colors. This combination produces remarkably realistic images.
HDR format represents a much wider volume of brightness and color than a display device can typically display. Hence, HDR video is transmitted with metadata which assists the display with rendering the image within its capabilities.
There are several formats for the transmission of HDR video. All Strato movie players support the playback and display of HDR video in HDR10 format. Strato V movie players additionally support HDR video in Dolby Vision format.
Refer to the Supported 4K Ultra HD Modes section to learn how Strato can help you discover the capabilities of the connected display.
In addition to bit depth, another factor in how images are displayed is how the color information is represented. This is usually expressed in terms of three numbers separated by colons, like 4:4:4, 4:2:2, or 4:2:0.
The details of this notation are beyond the scope of this document, but in summary, 4:4:4 has discrete luma (brightness) and chroma (color) information for every pixel in an image. 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 has discrete luma for every pixel, but the chroma is averaged across 2x1 and 2x2 clusters of pixels, respectively.
4:2:0 significantly reduces the amount of data required for each frame, so a 4:2:0 signal requires less bandwidth than a 4:4:4 signal. In a moving image, the difference in chroma resolution is not perceptible to most viewers.
4K Ultra HD movie content is encoded as 4:2:0 (as are Blu-ray and DVD discs and Blu-ray quality and DVD quality downloads), so a 4:2:0 connection does not compromise video playback quality.
The Kaleidescape onscreen display can be rendered with 4:4:4 color sampling on displays that support it, if the HDMI connection supports 18 Gbps. This will produce the most detail when looking at images in the onscreen display, such as the Movie Covers view.
Carrying an 18 Gbps HDMI signal reliably requires a high-quality cable. Kaleidescape recommends cables that meet the following specifications:
Several passive cables in lengths up to 15 feet have worked well in our testing. This includes cables that carry Premium HDMI Cable Certification, and cables that have been given 4K-18G-DC certification by DPL Labs.
For cables longer than 15 feet, it may be necessary to use an active cable (including fiber optic cables) or an extender system. However, in our testing, many active cables and extenders have been unable to reliably support 18 Gbps signals in all situations, despite how they are labeled. When using an active cable, or balun, ensure that it can reach 18 Gbps bandwidth without compression. Obey the bend radius for the fiber cable.
To achieve the best possible audio and video performance in each installation, the approach you take will depend upon the capabilities of the display and any intermediate devices like switches or audio processors.
To achieve maximum image quality, Strato must be connected to a display that supports HDMI 2.0a at 18 Gbps with HDCP 2.2. If the signal is routed through an audio receiver, it must also support both HDMI 2.0a at 18 Gbps and HDCP 2.2. Similarly, in order to support display of HDR in Dolby Vision format, both the display and any receivers must support Dolby Vision. Such an installation allows for maximum video quality at all 4K Ultra HD frame rates, and fully supports 4K HDR at up to 60 frames per second.
A common situation is one in which the display supports HDMI 2.0 or 2.0a at 18 Gbps with HDCP 2.2, but the audio receiver either does not support HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 or supports HDMI 2.0 at only 10.2 Gbps. With a Strato S or Strato C movie player, you can still achieve maximum video quality in such a system by using the second (audio-only) HDMI port on these players.
When the display supports HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, but the audio equipment does not, connect the display directly to Strato’s primary (VIDEO) HDMI port, and connect the receiver or audio processor to the secondary (DIGITAL AUDIO) HDMI port (not available on Strato V). This dual connection allows the full video capability of Strato to be delivered to the display, while still providing full fidelity audio to the receiver.
If the display supports HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, but at 10.2 Gbps, Strato can still output 4K Ultra HD, including 4K Ultra HD at 60 frames per second. However, playback of 60 fps HDR content will be limited to 1080p output.
With such a display, configuring Strato to "Allow Display Mode Changes" in the Video tab of the browser interface’s Settings dialog will allow Strato to switch to 24 frames per second for film content. At 24 fps, Strato can output 10-bit color and HDR content even over a 10.2 Gbps link for displays that support it, so the image for film content is identical to what you would see on an 18 Gbps connection.
As with the 18 Gbps connection options described above, you can connect the audio equipment to the second HDMI port if the audio equipment has HDMI or HDCP limitations that the display does not.
Even if the display only supports a maximum of 10.2 Gbps, consider choosing cables that are tested to work at 18 Gbps or higher, especially when cables are run in-wall or in other difficult to replace installations. This will help to ensure a smoother upgrade path to a new display in the future.
Strato provides a great experience with a 1080p display. 4K Ultra HD content is downscaled for display at 1080p, and the Kaleidescape onscreen display runs at a full 60 fps. Using Strato with a 1080p display is a good choice in an installation that has a mix of 4K and 1080p displays, especially if the 1080p displays may be upgraded over time. If you can use 18 Gbps-capable cables, a later upgrade should also go more smoothly.
Note that while 4K Ultra HD content can be downscaled, in many cases 4K HDR content cannot. This is because the majority of 1080p displays do not support HDR, and Strato cannot convert HDR content for playback on non-HDR displays.
Once your Strato has been connected and configured, you should verify that you are seeing the expected video resolution and frame rate.
Strato includes a new tool to help you ensure that things are working as expected. Go to the system’s browser Interface, and click on the Settings tab. You should see the Components page.
In the section for your Strato, click the Settings button:
In the window that opens, click the "Show video capabilities and status" button:
You will see a new "Video Capabilities" view, divided into four sections:
These sections are described below.
The Video Ports section at the top of this page shows a visual representation of the rear ports of the player. It will show when a video port is active or in standby. The state of the port is important as the reported capabilities of the port may be dependent on its current state. This is useful for knowing the state of the port when the video output may not be in direct line of sight, the display is set to the wrong input, or the display has gone into standby.
This section summarizes the 4K Ultra HD capabilities of the device(s) connected to the primary HDMI port, as detected by Strato. If Strato is connected directly to the display, then this shows the capabilities that the display is reporting. If Strato is connected to the display via an audio processor, an HDMI switch or matrix, or other intermediate equipment, then this section shows the capabilities of the combined display chain, including any limitations imposed by the intermediate devices.
This section is divided into NTSC, PAL and Film sections. The icons provide a quick summary of the display’s capabilities for each of these formats. The paragraphs in the right column give more detail.
Note that when you see "30 bit" or "24 bit", this refers to the number of total bits of color information. These same modes are often called "10 bit" and "8 bit", which refers to the number of bits for each color component. Since the signal has three color components, 10 bits per component equals 30 bits, etc.
This section details the copy protection, resolution, TV standard and color capabilities of the display, and indicates whether audio is accepted by the display. Note that it is normal for HDCP 1.x to be rendered with a line through it when HDCP 2.2 is supported, because of how Strato detects HDCP. When HDCP 2.2 is active, Strato cannot detect whether the display also supports HDCP 1.x.
This section shows the output status of the HDMI port, as of when the window was opened or refreshed. It works when displaying the onscreen display, and while playing content, so you can use it to confirm that 4K Ultra HD content is being displayed at full resolution, that 1080p content is being upscaled, and that the expected frame rates and color information are being output.
The colored indicators show whether content is being passed through in its native format, if it is being up- or downscaled, or if there is a problem. Hover over the symbol (or tap it if using a tablet) to get more details on the output status.
Click the Refresh button at the bottom of the window to easily update the status information, for example when trying different types of content.
The example above shows Strato connected to a 4K projector, displaying the onscreen display. This particular projector does not support 18 Gbps HDMI 2.0, so the onscreen display is being rendered at 60 frames per second with YUV 4:2:0 color sampling and 8-bit color.
Here is another example:
The example above shows Strato playing 4K Ultra HD film content on the same projector. Strato has been set to minimize display mode changes, so it is converting the 24 fps film content to 60 fps. At 60 fps, this projector is not able to accept deep color, so Strato is sending standard 24-bit (8 bits per component) color to the display. Note the yellow indicator indicating a reduction.
With this projector, the installer should consider configuring Strato to allow display mode changes when starting movie playback. This would allow Strato to switch to 24 frames per second on film content, which would in turn allow Deep Color information to be passed to the display.
Some final examples:
In the example above, Strato is taking full advantage of an 18 Gbps connection to play a 60 fps 4K HDR movie on a display that supports the maximum possible HDMI 2.0a connection. Note how HDR10 content shows differences in the Colorspace and Dynamic Range lines compared to the examples above.
And finally:
In this final example, Strato V is taking full advantage of an 18 Gbps connection to play a 24 fps 4K Dolby Vision movie on a display that supports the maximum possible HDMI 2.0a connection. Note how the Dynamic Range line indicates that the output is "DV" or Dolby Vision.
Strato supports advanced, lossless audio formats including Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X. Strato sends these formats as a bitstream over HDMI to a compatible audio processor.
In order to enjoy lossless audio output from your Strato, you should check that the HDMI audio decode mode is set to its default setting of Bitstream pass-through. This audio output is set in the player’s browser interface Settings page. Go to the system’s browser interface, and click on the Settings tab. You should see the Components page.
In the section for your Strato, click the Settings button:
In the window that opens, click the Audio tab, then select Bitstream pass-through. Click OK to save the setting.
Bitstream audio can be output from one HDMI port at a time. Strato sends the bitstream audio to the DIGITAL AUDIO HDMI port if it detects a connection on that port. Otherwise, it sends the bitstream audio to the VIDEO HDMI port.
For Strato V, in the window that opens, click the Audio tab, then select Bitstream (HDMI only). Click OK to save the setting.
Note that Strato V does not have a second, audio-only HDMI port and bitstream audio is only available on the HDMI port.
For Strato V, the audio output options are as follows:
Bitstream (HDMI only) (default)
As with HDMI video, there is also a way to view the capabilities and status of Strato’s audio connections. On the Settings – Audio page, click the Show audio capabilities and status button.
Note: this feature is not available on Strato V movie players at this time.
You will see a new "Audio Capabilities" view, divided into three sections:
These sections are described below.
The Audio Ports section at the top of this page shows a visual representation of the rear ports of the player. It will show when an audio port is active, in standby, or unplugged. In the cases of the coax and optical ports, they will always show as active regardless of whether connected to anything or not. The state of the port is important as the reported capabilities of the port may be dependent on its current state.
The example above shows that a video device is active on the video HDMI port, but no device is detected on the audio HDMI port. If a device is expected on the audio HDMI port, check the cables and that power is on the connected device.
The Port Features and Capabilities section details the capabilities reported or inherent to the port. Select each port to see the codecs available for each port. The above example shows a connection directly to a commercial 4K TV with only PCM capabilities.
The second example above shows a connection to an audio receiver via the HDMI connection. This receiver has many more reported capabilities.
The Audio Output Status shows the original format of the playing media along with what is currently being output by each port. In the above example, the media is multichannel DTS-HD Master Audio but the player is directly connected to a display that is only capable of stereo PCM.
In the above example, the media contains Dolby Atmos encoding and the receiver is fully capable of taking advantage of it on the HDMI channel.
Hovering over the symbol (or tapping it if using a tablet) will display additional details regarding any element that is not performing at its optimum value.
If Strato is connected to a display using high quality cables that satisfy the specification given earlier in this document, and if all components support HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, problems should be rare. However, if they do occur, here are some things you can try.
Some display devices and A/V components do not support 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 on every port. This includes certain Sony displays. Ensure that you are using an HDMI port that supports 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2.
Some display devices modify their HDMI behavior based upon user settings. For example, some Samsung displays have an "HDMI UHD Color" setting that must be enabled before the display will accept an 18 Gbps signal, and some Sony displays have a similar "HDMI signal format" setting.
4K Ultra HD – especially at 18 Gbps data rates – is a demanding format. Some displays, audio processors, or other components may need software or firmware updates to handle it properly. Check with manufacturers to ensure that the software in all your components is up to date.
Use the Video Capabilities and Status tool described in the previous section. Verify that the "Supported 4K Ultra HD Modes" and the "Supported HDMI Features" match the published specifications of your display device. If they do not, the display may be incorrectly reporting its capabilities, or an intermediate device (audio processor, active HDMI cable, etc.) may not match the capabilities of your display. Double-check the intermediate devices and consider temporarily connecting Strato directly to the display to help isolate the problem. You can also consider using the Advanced Video Settings (described below) to override some features.
If the onscreen display works properly, but you get video dropouts or no picture at all when playing a movie, the problem may be related to HDCP copy protection. The onscreen display does not require HDCP, but movie playback does. The Video Capabilities and Status Tool should give you an indication of HDCP status during movie playback (click Refresh if necessary). Sometimes a marginal cable will pass a video signal but be unable to maintain the HDCP connection.
Problems with signal integrity, such as signal loss in a long cable, may also affect Strato’s ability to detect display capabilities and achieve an HDCP connection with the display. Try connecting Strato to the display using a different cable or try temporarily relocating Strato and using a shorter cable that meets the requirements in this document to see if the problem goes away.
Intermittent problems are almost always related to signal integrity. The display and intermediate devices may all support 18 Gbps connections, but the cable may be unable to carry that speed reliably. You can try temporarily forcing Strato to use 13.5 Gbps or 10.2 Gbps instead. This can help to identify whether the problem is related to signal transmission.
To force Strato to use a lower speed connection, go to the system’s browser interface, and click on the Settings tab. You should see the Components page. In the section for your Strato, click the Settings button:
In the window that opens, scroll to the bottom and click "Show Advanced Video Settings":
Scroll down to the "4K Ultra HD Support" section, click the drop-down selection box, and choose either Limit output to 13.5Gbps or Limit output to 10.2Gbps, then click the OK button at the bottom of the popup. Try 13.5 Gbps first, since this imposes fewer limitations on how content is displayed.
Once you’ve clicked OK to save the setting, your content will stop if it was playing. Try playing your content again.
The advanced settings can also be used to compensate for problems that arise when a display or intermediate device does not correctly report or pass EDID information.
In certain installations (typically involving an HDMI matrix switch), it is possible for an HDMI device to join the display chain while movie playback is occurring. For example, a second zone may select the same video source.
If the first zone supports HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 but the newly added zone does not, the addition of the second zone will cause the HDCP 2.2 link to become invalid. Video in the first zone will go blank, and the second zone will also see no video signal. If playback is stopped and then resumed, Strato will have an opportunity to reconfigure the HDMI output and playback may be able to proceed (although at reduced resolution for 4K Ultra HD content).
Try to avoid situations in which different HDCP and HDMI versions may come and go to avoid disruptions to the viewing experience.
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