I’m a little bit of a newbie when it comes to NAS drives. So I’d like to ask a simple question that can hopefully solve an issue I have with Plex on NAS drives.
I’ve had 2 NAS drives already (both Seagate) one which was just for storage, the other which had a limited cpu for streaming (but required to have all video files converted to MP4 to be streamed via direct play).
My question is, WHAT NAS DEVICE CAN I GET THAT WILL BOTH STORE VIDEO/MEDIA FILES, AND STREAM THEM WITHOUT THE NEED FOR ENCODING ALL FILES INTO MP4 FORMAT?
Sorry for the all caps, but I have looked through thousands of forum posts and Google searches to no success. I love Plex, and I’m sick and tired of spending months of encoding files just so they can be streamed from my NAS (and they always encode in terrible quality, without being able to use subtitles).
If someone could please provide a DEFINITIVE final answer that would be great, and I know there are heaps of people that would appreciate a simple answer as well, judging from some other forum posts.
My question is, WHAT NAS DEVICE CAN I GET THAT WILL BOTH STORE VIDEO/MEDIA FILES, AND STREAM THEM WITHOUT THE NEED FOR ENCODING ALL FILES INTO MP4 FORMAT?
Maybe your are looking at this from the wrong side ?
3 years ago when I started using Plex I decided then (after plenty of tests and research) to convert ALL my media to MP4.
So many issue I read about on this board are to do with transcoding, direct play AVI DIVX H264 sync DTS etc etc.
There is plenty of excellent software that can convert or just copy from MKV to Mp4 . Copying MKV to Mp4 takes say 30sec for an hour TV show
I can say pretty much (of course there will be exceptions) all my media works from all my servers to all my clients
I only encode the audio, ironically with handbrake. Then repackage using subler with original movie to get an mp4 with lossless video and compatible audio tracks. AAC first then any DTS track seconds. Nas wise a qnap x71 is what your looking for, asustor also makes an i3 based Nas but I don’t remember the number.
A much easier solution to all this is to not use clients which doesn’t support much codecs at all. The PS3 is, afaik, on of the worst in that case. Buy a Raspberry Pi for $30 or so and you’ll have it much easier (or any of the more expensive clients).
Why not use the NAS for storage and then use a laptop or computer in your home with more CPU power as your Plex Media Server. PMS runs in the background and uses very little RAM, so it does not hamper the use of that computer for other things.
I have slowly converted my videos to MP4 just so my local media will not always transcode, but I did not have to do it all at once, because I used a computer with an I3 or better for my PMS machine. And though Plex players that support more codec are great for your local library, they do not offer the native apps for the large content providers that cannot be offered through Plex due to hardware only agreements.
Even if you convert everything, there will always be the occasional media file whether a new local file, from a Plex channel/Watch Later, or using subtitles that will need to be transcoded. Having PMS on a system that has the CPU power to handle transcoding means Plex will just work.
Our two-year old Seagate Central (4TB) NAS drive is no longer visible to our home network. I followed Seagate’s recommended reset/recovery procedures but without success. I’m waiting to hear back from Seagate’s technical support group, although I’m assuming worst case and will not be able to recover any files.
I have a digital backup of HOME VIDEOS, PICTURES and MUSIC, but not MOVIES and DVD SHOWS. For those I have the original DVD’s which I will rip again over the next several decades. Given the amount of storage space required for MOVIES, I had not yet planned for a backup copy. Our media includes the following types and approximate number of files:
• MOVIES (250 DVD and Blu-ray)
• TV SHOWS (50 DVD)
• HOME VIDEO (75)
• PICTURES (15,000)
• MUSIC (500)
We will be accessing PLEX on three PC‘s, three iPads, three iPhones, and three HD TV’s (1080i, 1080p, and 2160p). The 1080p and 2160p each have a 5.1 home theater setup. We recently replaced three Time Warner Cable set-top boxes with Roku-4’s. Our Internet provider and basic TV service is Time Warner Cable. We plan to upgrade to Time Warner’s “TV Select and Spectrum Internet” which allows up to 60 Mbps download/5 Mbps upload. Our Roku Apps include NetFlix, Amazon, TWC-TV, others. Our Modem, switch, router, and PC’s are all rated Gigabit. All Ethernet cables are Cat-6. PLEX apps will include Xbox One, Roku, and iOS. For now, only local access, no remote.
The primary desktop PC managing the network is an:
• HP Envy Phoenix 860-180st
• 4.0 GHz Intel Quad Core i7-6700 processor
• 16 GB DDR4-2133 DIMM (2x8GB) RAM
• 64-bit Operating System
• Windows 10 Pro
• Liquid Cooling System
• 512 GB SATA 2.5 3D SSD
• Runs 24/7, but both monitors shut off after 20 minutes of no activity
I’m looking to keep a ‘mirror’ copy of all media on the NAS in the event a similar problem occurs again. This backup (about 4TB) does not need to be on the NAS. In the event of a device failure, the backup could be on a separate disk system. We also prefer to not implement anything too complex.
QUESTIONS:
Where is the best place for the PLEX Media Server (running 24/7)? NAS or the HP desktop (specs above)?
If PLEX Media Server on NAS, what models would you recommend?
Which NAS system(s) would you recommend for just storing media?
What backup configuration would you recommend? e.g. SnapRAID
Since I may have to rip all MOVIES and TV SHOWS again, which format is more efficient for PLEX? mkv, mp4, etc.
@TELEWIS said:
I’m looking to keep a ‘mirror’ copy of all media on the NAS in the event a similar problem occurs again. This backup (about 4TB) does not need to be on the NAS. In the event of a device failure, the backup could be on a separate disk system. We also prefer to not implement anything too complex.
QUESTIONS:
Where is the best place for the PLEX Media Server (running 24/7)? NAS or the HP desktop (specs above)?
If PLEX Media Server on NAS, what models would you recommend?
Which NAS system(s) would you recommend for just storing media?
What backup configuration would you recommend? e.g. SnapRAID
Since I may have to rip all MOVIES and TV SHOWS again, which format is more efficient for PLEX? mkv, mp4, etc.
If you only need to backup 4TB then the simplest & cheapest option is either a 4TB external USB 3.0 disk or backup to an internal 4TB disk in a disk dock & then as your library grows buy further internal disks.
It looks like all your clients are capable of Direct Play in Original Quality & as there is no remote access required then no transcoding will be necessary. The simplest option will be to run Plex Media Server on a NAS. The actual model depends on how much storage you need. If you want to dip your toes in the water of using a NAS then I suggest that you buy a 4TB Seagate Personal Cloud. It is barely more expensive than a simple 4TB external disk so if it doesn’t suit or you decide you want a more comprehensive NAS then it can be repurposed as your 4TB backup disk. It must be the lowest powered NAS available that will run PMS & I can stream at least four simultaneous 1080p streams to various devices (Amazon Fire TV 4K, Roku 3/Ultra, iPhone 6s Plus etc) & no transcoding is necessary. I rip Blu-ray to MKV with MakeMKV as it’s a simple one stage process & keeps the full quality.
