Transcoding depends what the device your sending the video/audio to and what it supports and is handled by the PMS which would be the shield if that is what your using for the PMS. Also video/audio sent to remote devices are usually transcoded unless you have very high upload internet speeds.
Don’t exaggerate, I said a thousand. I was trying to make sure he gets something with enough horsepower to handle the transcoding he could potentially be doing. You’re going to make a stink over a difference of $300 from your homebrew setup? Give me a break. You could probably build a $500 setup that could work too.
This is not a price contest, it’s about making sure he has the right tools for the job.
Even though I’m a NAS guy, for me the switching to the Shield was a revelation in my Plex endeavors and made the transcoding and experience easier. I realized this moves more data over the network, Everyone will have their preferences, YMMV.
Hm. Be wary of negative advice when there is no reason given for the why, no links, and no explanation.
I can vouch for my positive experience using this setup for over a year now, with the only issue having been created by myself having changed network credentials on the NAS which broke the connection. Other than that, everything has been great.
It depends where you have the Plex Media Server installed - the PMS is doing the transcoding. If you have the server installed on the Shield, the Shield will handle the transcoding. If you have it installed on the NAS, the NAS will handle it.
You will manage the PMS from your Plex web app dashboard, and you can have multiple plex media server instances running. For example, I have PMS running on my Shield and my NAS. When I’m in Plex, I select which server I want (Shield or NAS) and that will basically pick what will handle the transcoding.
Get a cheap NAS to backup the data like a WD NAS. I run a Synology for hosting the data and use the older i7 to run the server, hard wired on the network. Runs great and data is protected.
I used to run PMS on an old windows i3 and it’s worked, not perfectly but it worked. Moved from there to NAS WD, I regret it. NAS has to many limitations and glitches than I care for. This has been my experience. I was actually contemplating investing in a shield pro and kill two birds (NAS and ATV) with one stone. So buyer beware. Note, this has just been MY experience before the internet jumps down my through.
Most NAS are not good for much else but there are a few that have enough power to do some transcoding. If you want a NAS that has enough power to do multiple transcods and run multiple application, it is best to build your own and run FreeNAS or Unraid.
I will second FreeNAS/TrueNAS Core. If you have an old PC or laptop that has an i5 or an AMD A8 or better they will do fine as a NAS or PMS. The $$$ will be spent in HDD. There are a lot of options if you build a home-brew NAS and/or PMS. You can even use an old slow PC as the NAS and use a separate faster PC for the PMS so long as you have good internal LAN speeds (1G not 10/100M). Take your time, do your research and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
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