@ChuckPA said:
At this point, only software decoding of MPEG2 for anyone.
This is where Plex fails for me on any Synology and trying to watch live tv or playback any recorded shows. I’ve switched over to using Channels DVR and Infuse for any playback on my Apple TV 4k because they can play those files with ease. Plex client has always struggled for whatever reason, even with direct playback.
I can confirm,
I have an DS1817+ and plexserver cant handle 4K wich is a shame but i did find the INFUSE in the app store a KODI look-alike and did an upgrade to the Pro version and it can play 4k hdr material like a charm from the NAS.
Infuse is a great player. I bought the ‘pro’ version (best $12.99 I’ve spent in a while). The Syno can push data like crazy… just don’t ask it to be anything other than a NAS.
Hi All
I have a DS218+ running latest Plex Docker PMS Version 1.10.1.4602, Official PMS docker from plexinc/pms-docker
HW Acceleration is enabled. But so far, it seems to be still doing SW Transcoding. High CPU when transcoding to 720p.
CPU is a INTEL Celeron J3355 which supports Quick Sync. Does HW Acceleration work in a docker ?
Is there a guide to show if it is doing HW vs SW and also what transcodes are available in HW?
Also … is there a way to use the HW Transcoder for generating preview thumbnails? That takes forever on these little NAS CPU… seems like HW Accel would be useful here.
Let’s say you just bought a 418play but hadn’t opened it yet.
You aren’t going to be streaming to more than one device at a time.
Would you (after reading this thread) send your 418play back and upgrade to a 918+ so you had the ability to upgrade in the future?
Or is the difference between the two minimal and you’d send up upgrading this in the future if the need arose?
Can’t tell from reading this if I’m an idiot for buying the 418play or not.
That said though, you are better off managing your media and avoiding transcoding altogether. In the long run it will save you money (power bill) and it will provide a much better experience with Plex. You will always be confident that file x will play and very rarely will you have any issues watching your favorite Movie, TV Show or home video.
Your DS418Play will be more than up to the task of streaming your media, so long as you are prepared to manage your media.
From what I understand, if your media doesn’t have subtitles burned in, transcoding will be needed when playing back with subtitles. I don’t burn in subtitles since I may or may not use subtitles with a given show.
So I have the same question about the DS418Play vs the DS918+. I’ve read through this whole thread and I can’t tell (yet) whether the DS418play can do the job when transcoding is needed. I see lots of good data for the DS918+. How about the DS418play?
@lukecro said:
Currently I’m running both Plex Server and OpenPHT on a 2012 Mac Mini (which is always on) … I just got a Synology DS918+. I keep all my media files on the NAS… It all works great.
But I’m wondering if there’d be any benefits / performance improvements if I switched to running Plex Server on the DS918+ (while continuing to use OpenPHT on the Mac Mini for playback on my TV)… Or if I’m better off just keeping Plex Server on the Mac Mini.
Thoughts?
Same situation here… Looking at getting a 418play or 918+… Any thoughts?
I would go for the 918+ if possible. I had a 218+ which has the CPU as the 418play, and it could not handle the software transcoding of mpeg2video. I switched to a 918+ and I’m only seeing about 50% CPU usage now. When Plex does mpeg2video in hardware this might not be an issue anymore though.
@jrbarnard05 said:
Reading the thread… deleted what I had added as it added nothing.
I think I will just swap out with an Intel / qnap or WD.
If you’re going to make a change, I recommend QNAP. There are a lot more of us with the better QNAP boxes and, imho, it’s the better product. I started with Syno as well. I gave up. Now it’s “Just a NAS” that I use to backup my data to. Everything is on the QNAP. WD carries its own set of issues.
I’ve been following this thread since last year, kicking around the idea of investing in a NAS for my Plex server, currently running on a Mac. Lots of good info in this thread, thanks to everyone that’s contributed, especially ChuckPA. Most of my library is H.264, but I’ve recently started processing new media in H.265 for space savings. My house is all Apple, and I prepare my media to be compatible for Direct Play on iOS devices, so I don’t need transcoding during playback. However, I do sync media to iOS devices for offline playback, which requires transcoding. Would there be any difference between the 418play and 918+ for this use case?
