Docker provides no additional benefit. (QTS and Docker present linux environments to Plex.)
On QNAP, it makes it more complicated because of how Container Station works.
Secondarily, I’ve never been able to export a QNAP docker container and take it anywhere else.
It lets me place the library data wherever I want to on the NAS, and have easy access to everything in the GUI (or even on a share if I wanted to). I don’t like how QNAP hides this data on shares only available through ssh, as I’m not that good at managing linux command line. It makes it a lot easier to move things around and restore the data if necessary.
Why would you really need to export a container? Just move the data and recreate the container on a new system? Isn’t that kinda the point? And how is that related to whether Plex will make it easier to support HW transcoding without going through unofficial means? 
Did you know?
Hardware transcoding on QNAP , whether CPU or Nvidia GPU, is automatic (I wrote it) when the QNAP supports it.
Did I just remove the reasons to use Docker? Looks like it 
This wasn’t an option when I started using Plex.
I’m not brave enough to test a preview at the moment, but I’ll add that thread to my watchlist. (And you haven’t completely removed all benefits from docker. I’ve limited the available resources slightly for Plex to have some headroom for the other services I run on my NAS as well.)
QNAP introduced “Migrate To” capability in QTS 4.3.
When I took over the packaging for QNAP and we upgraded the QDK (development toolkit), this was the first which was added.
The features I’ve added in the preview thread are my attempt to bring some much-needed flexibility and maturity to the QNAP installations.
It should also be noted that, when installing Plex from QNAP, versus a Manual Install, you have the option of installing Plex directly on the desired volume. I’m working with QNAP to see if it’s possible to make that “Graphical Installation” tool of theirs available for manual installations. If it is, then I think we’ll be in a good position on the platform in terms of supporting everyone’s needs.
I’ll keep an eye out for future development on this. I also appreciate that you take the time to participate in the forum discussions. It’s very much appreciated to get some actual discussions and reasoning from the developers of Plex on the choices you make.
If only the Android TV app was less likely to need a transcode (.ass/ssa subtitles is a pain in the ass … ), or the server admin had more control of what quality the remote users is allowed to trancode to (for example direct stream or no more than 720p transcode) I probably wouldn’t even care about it.
So I just tried it again on my TVS-873 with QTS 4.4.2.1270 and a Quadro P400 (latest NVIDIA drivers) and Plex does not see the GPU. I also tried with container station and adding the gpu to the container, but no dice.
the TVS-873 with the current qts version only allows to assign the GPU to the container station, so it seems that this will be a dead end. The only thing that really bothers me is that Emby is able to leverage the GPU in this same setting.
Did you use the github link process for GPU + Container station I gave you? There were some hoops he had to jump through to get it to work.
As far as I am aware, yes that is required for the new drivers and should be installed as part of the QTS 4.4.2 update (it was for me anyway).
I have just updated my firmware to 4.4.2.1302 and I can now associate my Quadro P400 to QTS Mode. With that change, the latest PMS can use my GPU for hardware transcoding. CPU usage is still rather high, so I don’t think one could get as many simultaneous transcodes as P2000 would be capable of.
Read so many threads now and I’m all confused… Is it possible to get hw transcoding on a TVS-873e? With or without an external gpu (if it’s even possible to install on this version)?
@jagjagjag. In Summary:
With iGPU (Radeon) --> You CANNOT use Hardware transcode
With an external GPU --> Hardware transcode WORKS, as long as you have the following:
Does that clear things out?
Thanks, what I though. As my model (TVS-873e) isn’t extendable by a gpu I think I’m screwed 
Guess I’ll have to set up a dedicated Plex server or hunt for another NAS.
The TVS873e has 2 PCI-e slots available, so you can plug a bus-powered GPU.
I have this exact model and have a Quadro P400 installed with all 8 drive slots and 2 M.2 slots filled and everything runs fine.
NAS are very expensive in comparisson when you look at the hardware inside. Building your own Plex server and then getting a solid operating system like Unraid for it will get you much more performance for the same/less money. A NAS is of course more convenient in many ways. It all depends. But getting an expensive NAS mostly for Plex is a waste of money in my eyes.
As an example, look at what he built here:
Hi, so if I install an MSI GTX1050 TI 4GT LP video card on my new TS-873, should I be able to use it as HW transcoding ?.
I’m using the MSI GTX1050 TI 4GT LP in my TS-473 for both encode and decode during transcoding. So should be fine with the bigger version
On TS-x73 and TVS-x73 and TVS-x73e, full transcoding support is available (but only in QTS.4.2.2.XXXX firmware for TVS-x73x).
In my own TVS-673e with MSI GTX1050Ti LP everything works.
It’s important that you must have PlexPASS.
Blockquote
I confirm, everything works great. Plex is fantastic.
question, do you know how you can do to remove the block of 2 encoding streams on nvidia?
