Thanks again, ChuckPA. Some of this feedbak is Greek to me, as I am a newbie. So here’s are my main questions:
Using Plex on a TBD NAS, is it possible to watch home movies shot in 4k (via GoPro Hero 5 or Sony Handycam), either in 30fps or 60fps, over my Sony TV Plex app without experiencing the stuttering or dreaded “the server is not powerful enough…” message?
If so, which NAS do I need (specs… dual or quad core processor? RAM?)? I don’t mind sending back my DS418play if it doesn’t have the ideal horsepower.
If not, do I need to redo all my videos to a different codec or format to make it stream properly? Aside being a pain in the rear, would this degrade video quality from the native files?
The only way you can watch 4K on your TV right now, without a Plex Pass, is if the video you have on hand is in a format (audio & video) the TV accepts natively. I have a Synology DS1815+ (it’s a big box with no hardware capability. I must do the same for it. Perfect match and all is fine. This is unfortunately part of the learning curve: Codecs and formats… What do the files contain and does the TV accept those formats natively?
Were I to invest in a Synology, I would opt for the DS718+ or the DS918+. Both have the bigger processor which will do 4K in hardware with the PP.
4GB of memory at a minimum. They’re easy to expand and plug-in memory modules. Most of us take them up to 8GB
If you want to keep the unit you have, you’ll need to figure out , one at a time, what need converting. From experience, it’s a ROYAL P.I.T.A. Yes, it will degrade video quality because you’re converting. No conversions are lossless. The question is “Can you tolerate the losses?” Most can’t who are serious in any way. I don’t tolerate it either. All my media is a pure rip (no conversion… copy it right off the master and store as is)
I’m like you, I can’t tolerate the video quality losses just to make it work. I buy the latest and greatest devices so I can watch in the highest resolution possible.
I honestly don’t have time to learn about all the codecs, formats and then redo all the files (1000’s of them). I’d rather pay $1k more in hardware, if it’s available.
Is Plex Pass necessary to get my 4k home videos to play properly, or is a Plex free account sufficient?
Hardware-wise, is there any advantage over the QNAPs which have slightly faster chips (I think) than the Synology?
Can Plex play 4k home videos in 30fps and 60fps?
Do I need to upgrade my router/switch to gigabit?
When Plex transcodes, does the file play at a degraded video quality?
Thanks again for all your help. I think I’m almost there with building my own knowledge of what hardware/software can do vs what I’m trying to get done here.
If you’re of the same mindset as me, may I be bold?
QNAP.
TVS-871-i7 has a CPU capable of doing some good lifting for video
TVS-1282-i7 has 4K (8 bit) hardware capability. I have the 32 GB model (TVS-1282-i7-32GB which i use for video and all my support concurrently)
I playback with the AppleTV 4K (5th gen – new one). Between the two, picture quality is perfect.
I’ve also invested in a decent network. 10/100 isn’t going to cut it over the long haul. Again, if I may be bold, I’m using the HPE-1820-24G . It supports LACP (link aggregation) from the QNAP and Synology into the switch. The direct result is I can run 4 full 4K HDR movies concurrently with my workstation beating the wire (full gigabit) and nobody notices.
Before making ANY selection, Please do look around both the QNAP and the Syno forums.
QNAP is a more techy feel but gives you much bigger hardware.
Synology is known for their weaker processors but you get a really nice gui.
That’s the choice… Kick butt performance and largely bullet proof -or- mediocre performance but a great GUI which is absolute bullet proof.
My total HW investment is 16 HDs ( all WD Red Pro NAS drives) (about $350 each). The Syno ($900). The QNAP ($3000), Switch ($200). Add in the little extras for top notch cables and an APC UPS 1500 watts (a must-have where I live to avoid damaging the storage integrity when power blinks out).
Definitely a “Pay to Play” game but done right, as my friends tell will tell you, a heck of a lot nicer than going to the theater when the big screen is only 15 feet away
Thanks again ChuckPA. Let me get back to you with questions about your set up.
I’m understanding the hardware/software limitation in my search for way to stream my own home-made 4K home videos to the TV in a pretty app such as Plex.
Please confirm that Plex cannot stream homemade 4k home video.
Maybe no one can via a single app that can then consolidate, store files and stream to a device, particularly a TV.
Therefore, without a nice app such as Plex, and as you pointed out earlier, you can only watch homemade 4k content on the TV if and only if the TV accepts the format natively. This basically means in a bad case scenario, to watch homemade 4k home videos, I’ve got to physically connect the TV to a computer directly, a USB device, a camcorder, the GoPro, etc. Please confirm.
Again, I’m not so much interested in playing store-bought or ripped 4k movies or shows (which can be viewed on Plex)…just stuff that is home made via iPhones, camcorders, gopros, etc.
Let me know if I’ve got this wrong…and that Plex can indeed play homemade 4k home videos.
Plex can stream 4K HDR. I’ve been doing it for 3 years now on a crappy NAS. It’s worked because a) the network is fast enough b) the formats were perfect.
I can do it now for more because my NAS has the horsepower to make small changes (like audio) which my TV doesn’t support. Video is never touched
I suspect one big problem you have right now is your movies are stored in the files… NOT the content itself. In video , there are two concepts.
The container. This is the represented by the file extension. MP4, MKV, MOV, etc.
The encoding (MPEG2VIDEO, H.264, H.265, etc) and the audio track which accompanies it. (DTS, DTS-HD, AC-3, AAC, etc)
I took a look at your TV’s specs. Although it can play ALL the formats (encodings), the specs do not say it can accept the ‘Container’ directly.
This is what’s biting you now. PMS is being forced to change the container format (HOW it sends the image and audio data) to the TV. 4K is too demanding to do that on your little NAS without hardware assistance. That’s all.
Thanks for correcting my misunderstanding. and thanks for taking the initiative to research my TV’s capabilities.
This entire dialogue has been informative for me.
So Plex can indeed do what I want it to (watch homemade 4k home videos)…I just need more horsepower in my NAS bc the DS418play ain’t cutting it with my 4k home vids or my 1080p home vids.
To that end, I don’t want to shell out $2500 for the Synology DS3617xs or the QNAP TVS-871T, if I can get the same performance in cheaper NAS (I’ll spend up to $1000. I’ve already got three 8TB WD Red Pro’s).
What device would you recommend? Again, this is for a home environment, where at max 1 or 2 devices might be streaming 4k content.
I’ve uploaded one 4k GoPro video to my DS418play. Strangely I cannot see the thumbnail for it when I can see the thumbnails for all the other 1080p GoPro videos in the same folder. When I try to open it, it doesn’t play either on the TV or on my computer. Is this due to any physical limitation of my NAS?
As first step, May I suggest subscribing in a Plex Pass? I’m not trying to sell you anything but do ask if the $5 is worth seeing what the NAS you have can do?
It’s a monthly subscription (at minimum)… you can cancel it if you don’t like it
Sure. I can try it out. At first glance, it looks like a bunch of stuff I already have via other services (Directv, Netflix, etc.) or via the free Plex.
@J_fo That NAS is not up to the challenge to HW transcode the codecs in your media using Plex. I believe the advertising by Synology is targeted at their video apps. You have two choices:
Add a recent NUC or something similar to host a PMS
Return the DS418play and upgrade to a model with a beefier late model Intel Core CPU.
The NUC option seems interesting bc I could play the files natively if all else fails. To use Plex, would I configure that to connect to the TV via HDMI (thus occupying an HDMI port on the TV), or would it simply host the PMS and work like the NAS by serving up video via network via the TV’s Plex app? This way the NAS could just be a NAS and not try to be a media server.
I can return the DS418 for the DS918+ (runs Intel Celeron J3455), and give that a try first. Or would a QNAP be a better option, spec-wise?
Thanks Achilles for the feedback. Not sure if you’ve read the entire post. In a nutshell I’m having problems with my new Synology DS418play and it’s ability to stream home videos in 4k (and 1080p) to my 4k TV. In asking this of a NAS, I might be asking too much. I don’t mind keeping the NAS to just be a NAS and simply store all the media and backup via an online storage service…and have a separate streaming device tucked away somewhere. In streaming my own contents, I just want it to work well, not stutter and not degrade the video. I really like the Plex interface. Whatever advice you can offer would be helpful. As an FYI, I already have an Amazon 4k Firestick, Apple TV (not 4k), DirecTV and a Sony Bravia OLED smartv, as well as a growing home video collection.
I’m at work until this evening (yesterday, I had the day off, which allowed me to hop on this issue). I’ll check that detail and get back with you late tonight.
I want to clarify with an embedded PMP that I’m not getting too far over my own head. I’m a novice user, but can follow directions to set things up and then use them. Troubleshooting-wise, I’ll rely on forums like these when things don’t work right. Therefore I have a concern with building my own Intel NUD unless someone can give me the exact spec or model number to build a PMP, and then step me through how to get it configured and running.
If I stay the course and try to get a NAS to run PMP to my liking, my question is would an upgrade to the Synology DS918+ give me enough horsepower to play my 4k home vids and other, older home videos?
Achilles and ChuckPA,
I was checking out some of the features on the Sony Bravia and found that it has its own built in media player that can search your network for content to play. And it plays my home videos in a much higher video quality than PMP. Not sure why that is. It does not however play my GoPro 4K 60fps file.
So let me reset my entire campaign here and ask these questions, seeking your professional advice:
