This Blu-ray rival could save 8K TVs from oblivion
Kaleidescape, a company offers a wide selection of movies and shows that “match or surpass” UHD Blu-ray quality, just joined the 8K Association and it could be a huge win for owners of the best 8K TVs.
Joining the 8K Association will give Kaleidescape a huge leg up in terms of quality and selection for home cinemas (especially those with much larger screens) while also allowing 8K TVs to live on in the face of near-extinction.
The company has not yet announced any plans of making a new 8K player to service the higher resolution, but it does seem like it would be the next big step in “the advancement and standardization of 8K technology.”
What is Kaleidescape?
Kaleidescape is home to a massive catalogue of movies and shows that you can buy and download via its various players, like its recently announced Strato V or the Strato M. The company claims its downloads “match or surpass” UHD Blu-ray quality, with support for HDR10, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X.
Content is lossless, high-bitrate, and doesn’t restrict file sizes
The big draw is that its content is lossless, high-bitrate, and doesn’t restrict file sizes, which isn’t the case for Netflix or even Blu-ray discs. Even UHD Blu-rays are host to anywhere from 66Gb to 100GB of storage, and Netflix is limited by its low bitrate that hits a peak of 16Mbps.
Kaleidescape has none of these constraints. But these incredible leaps over the best streaming services and even Blu-ray content comes at a hefty premium, with the Strato V, its 4K movie player, priced at $4,000. For perspective, that’s more than a 75-inch Samsung QN900D Neo QLED 8K TV.
A major win for 8K enthusiasts
It’s no secret that 8K TVs have been limping along in a world that seemingly has no need for the future-proofed technology. Several of the most prominent TV manufacturers have stopped making them entirely, with Sony discontinuing its Z9K 8K TV earlier this month.
But Kaleidescape sees the potential in the higher resolution, as it wouldn’t join the 8K Association if the writing was on the wall.
In a press release announcing the collaboration, Kaleidescape CEO and Chairman Tayloe Stansbury said, “Joining the 8KA positions Kaleidescape alongside other industry leaders, committed to fostering a collaborative environment, and dedicated to the advancement and standardization of 8K technology.”
This could take shape in a number of ways. For starters, Kaleidescape will most likely soon begin to offer a broader range of 8K movies and shows in lossless quality, but it could even lead to the creation of its own 8K movie player. Who knows how much that might cost, though.
With Samsung offering not one but two 8K TVs this year — the QN990F and QN900F — it’s clear there’s still hope for the higher resolution, even with minimal native content and much fewer games available in 8K. But the ball is in Kaleidescape’s court.
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