Once bit and shy, will Synology 218+ work?

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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Server Version#: Synology 218+
Player Version#: Roku 3 wired ethernet

A few years ago I purchased a Synology 214 and discovered it did not have enough horsepower to stream tv files produced by HDHomeRun to anything. Wiser now, I wish to use the new Plex DVR feature with the HDHomeRun units, streaming to Roku 3 at 1080p.

There will only be one streaming watched and possibly two stations recording at the same time. Backups will also commence later at night, when none of the video services are running. I understand that hardware accelleration is required, and thus a Plex Pass.

Is this feasible? Will more memory in the 218+ be required? Are there any gotchas?

Kindly advise.

Thanks in advance.

mjclifford

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  1. Plex Pass will be required for both LiveTV/DVR.
  2. The DS218+ does not have Plex-accessible HW transcoding. (Syno proprietary and they aren’t sharing how)

If you have an x86_64 based unit, you will have HW transcoding (decode and encode) capability with the Plex Pass.

4GB is urged as minimum for HW transcoding. 8GB is recommendedd (2x 4GB sticks) for maximum performance.

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Now I have to admit I’m confused. There appeared to be anecdotal evidence that this model (with an Intel chip) did support accelleration. That would be a deal killer. The compatibility chart shows support, but it does not say how well it does.

Can anybody else confirm or dispute? Thanks.

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MY Mistake! Thank you. (crazy Monday here)

|DS218+|Intel Celeron J3355|Dual Core|2|Yes|Apollolake|DDR3L SO-DIMM 2GB|

The DS218+ does support HW transcoding. Bump it to its maximum 8GB (2x 4GB) and you’ll be all set.

My apologies.

ps: I should have looked at the NAS guide again. I’m the guy who maintains it :slight_smile:

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mjclifford - Did you ever get this up and running? I’m in the opposite situation you are (or were). I have the 218+ and am running Plex… I’m wondering if the HDHomeRun unit would be a good choice for OTA streaming and DVR. Do let me know if you made the leap and how it is working out. Thanks in advance!

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I’m currently in the process of wrestling with a Linux mint version of Plex Server on a spare PC at home and finally (finally) have the permissions partially working. I still can’t get a share to the NAS. Needless to say, I’m evaluating again doing this on a Linux platform. I also have not sprung for a Plex Pass until convinced that it doesn’t take an Einstein to get to square one.

Windows is looking better and better…

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