Can you stream from cloud service

General Discussions
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So I apologise in advance because I am not very clever with any of this stuff. Trying to understand it but hey ho… Okay so here is my simple question. Can I stream from a cloud service such as Google drive or others directly through Plex. I am very limited in my understanding of things so can there be a yes or no answer? I am trying to understand NAS but would much rather NOT have another piece of machinery hanging around? thanks in advance

2

You might not get a straight yes or no answer on this one.

Technically it’s possible to connect a cloud service into the file system of your Plex Media Server and letting Plex look at those files. You should be able to find some experience reports in the forum from users who did this for various services.
However, there’ll be a number of pitfalls – just listing some:

  1. with movies we’re talking about an excessive amount of data
    • you’ll experience it’l take a lot of time to upload your movies
    • cloud service providers usually don’t guarantee a continuous download speed (at least not in their end user packages) – so even if your own Internet speed is sufficient to access the files for a smooth playback, there could be playback issues or stuttering if the cloud service isn’t providing the content at the same speed.
  2. some cloud services have restrictions in their terms of service that might forbid uploading movies / tv shows – even if it’s legal to have those copies in your country, they might apply the laws applicable in the country where their service is hosted
    e.g. Google Drive’s Terms of Service (section 4: copyright protection)
3

I am looking into a NAS system, which i didn’t know existed yesterday… as i understand it, i could upload all i have to it, turn PC off and access it independently? Or would i need more than i think, ie enclosure and storage hard drives? I really appreciate your help, i am not the brightest button with this stuff but eager to learn lol. Thanks

4

That’s correct.
Plex is providing its server for a number of NAS platforms such as Synology, QNAP (others are Netgear, unRAID, Drobo, ASUSTOR, Thecus, Seagate, Western Digital, terramaster).

When selecting a NAS that’s right for you, keep in mind that the processors included in a NAS can be significantly less powerful than those of your everyday desktop/notebook. If you use a lot of media that requires transcoding (optimization of the video so it can be played on your Plex client) it can be worth to look into a NAS that has an Intel CPU – Plex can use the built-in graphics chip to do the transcoding much more efficient (w/o relying on the NAS’ pure computing power).

5

Okay. At least i am getting somewhere thanks to you. So a NAS system works from my internet at home meaning i dont need an extra service to add to the expense. I am trying to obviously get the best deal i can, i am a movie buff and that is what i am after. Playing something wherever i am. Thk u

6

SONOW mo re problems I cant understand… I enable remote access, it is fine for a while then reverts to no access… BUT I can still access files from outside my own wifi (on the road). Should I worry? or do something??? Sorry to be such a numbty

7

Don’t worry. It’s a known thing that the indicator could be off.
If you can still access your videos from outside your network, you’re good.

8

Tom80H you are an absolute star. Thank you. Bought a lifetime pass as i am so impressed. But i would love to get it right and not have pc running all the time so thanks to you i can sort of look more, though it is quite expensive and i am not sure i would ever know what to do in full.

9

Yes… With the pitfalls @tom80H already mentioned.

Check out this thread: Plex Cloud vs VPS - why we went with a VPS and my profile.

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