TL;DR:
I am in need of a NAS-server that can stream 4K content, such as movies and TV-shows to my LG OLED 4K smart-TV and also while I am on the go or watching movies at a friends house (mainly using the X-play app for webOS). What are the best alternatives in the price range of 600-900 USD?
I am what you would call a noob in the world of NAS-servers and Plex. Transcoding is a word that makes no sense to me, and that is one of the reasons I enjoyed using a NAS-server from Synology. It allowed for easy downloads and file managing, as well as easy connectivity to PMS. Unfortunately after the recent updates, both from Synology and Plex, the easy downloading and streaming has disappeared, and they no longer support each other like they once did. I can now only stream content that has already been downloaded and uploaded to PMS, and not remove or add new content. Therefore I need to buy a new NAS-server, as the ease of use and ability to stream my content directly from my smart-tv has become a luxury I can’t live without. (I am using X-Play on my LG OLED 4K TV.)
All I need is a decent NAS-server that is not too difficult to set up, and is not too far from what I have been using in the past. It would be nice to be able to transfer the files from my old server, although this is not of importance. My process has been to download torrents through the Synology software, and later adding these to PMS. I mainly use my smart-TV for streaming movies, but I also like the ability to stream to my phone or even a smart-TV at a friends house.
I intend to stream content that take up a lot of space, such as 4k video, which I also assume will require some power in order to stream. In terms of pricing I would want it to be somewhere between 600-900 USD, or 500-800 Euros, but I might go a little bit higher.
My recommendation is to have your file server just serve files and have Plex run on another machine entirely. You can easily build a crazy powerful box for the Plex Media server that fits your budget and have it also be an HTPC or casual workstation using your preferred OS.
I have an RN516 that is a crazy fast file server, but it can only do so much in terms of transcoding. So, when one of my desktops died, I built a new one with a 2400G processor that can easily handle anything I throw at it while also acting as a workstation for the family.
Running a synology 918 as media server and main PMS. I have had no issues so far and it’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it. Also have PMS running on my nvidia shield as backup.
I wanted to use only 2 HDDs with 2TB of storage, but I don’t know if that is possible. Do I need to fill up the slots? If so, what HDD are you currently using, and how many?
I’m using a DS218+, so low end compared to what your budget allows. It runs an INTEL Celeron J3355, 2 GHz, 10 GB RAM. The 10GB is a waste of time, as trumpy81 has mentioned above, the correct way is two matched 4GB sticks. I simply added a single 8GB stick to the as supplied 2GB it comes with. I’ll correct that when funds allow. I have been able to adequately stream 4K files internal to my network, the only issue is with larger bitrate (above 40Mbps) HDR files but I’m pretty sure its the TV’s NIC causing the bottleneck.
Regards the hard-drives, you can certainly run with your two drives, it will even work fine with just a single drive in there. Personally, I have a 4TB (backups, an IPcam) and a 6TB (movies and tv) in mine.
Can the OP update us? I’m shopping now for the right NAS for a PMS. I’ll mainly be watching on a 65 inch OLED and will use a 10/100 LAN with cat 5 cables. I’m hoping I can do some 4k.
I’ve never owned a NAS before and I’m not too geeky, so ease of use is helpful too. Thanks in advance.
