I plan to get a NAS so I will be able to stream my movies etc.
I want to be able to within my Wifi and also when I’m not at home. Want to be able to stream 3 movies at same time. So the NAS have to be able to transcode. Will use the plex app on apple TV.
Want to be stream 4k, hd etc. And the NAS to be online 24/7
When I have done some googling people suggest
Synology ds918+
Or qnap ts 453be
Should I go for one of those or do you have a better suggestion ? Want one that I can have for a couple of years so I dont need to upgrade next year.
I also want to be able to have an VPN on it if it’s possible
Either should work, really up to personal preference. The conventional wisdom says the Synology software is more user friendly but the QNAP is a little better hardware option wise.
I have had 9 1080p streams (3 transcoding) with 2 of them remote all at the same time on my QNAP 453Be as a point of reference.
4k may prove a bit of an issue regardless of who you use, 4k can become BW limited over Ethernet (TV limited to 100 Mbps) or WiFi (WifFi issues in general such as number of current devices in use) and storage for 4k can be a problem even with a NAS. 1080p on average is 13 to 20 GB (16 GB being most common) 4k will be 45 to 80 GB (60-ish being most common) per movie plus you will not get tone mapping on transcodes.
As a side note, 4k will be difficult to rip, 4k protections are not currently crack-able without special equipment such as older UHD compliant model burner with older firmware that forces the 4k to play using and older decryption.
Over the past 3-4 years I have run Plex on a Western Digital PR2100, Synology DS916+, and currently a Synology DS918+. Synology has been the best experience for me. The Western Digital is VERY limited in scope of what it can do. Yes it works fine for storing files, and running Plex, but it is a pain when it comes to firmware updates, app updates, managing it’s limited settings etc. Anything else is better.
I Switched to the Synolody DS916+ (which has the same processor as the WD), and it could do so much more! Virtual Machines, Docker, Mail hosting, VPN, DNS, the sky is the limit. I gave the 916 to my dad, and I now run the newer 918+ (which has a better processor, and two M.2 slots for SSD caching)
I recommend the Synology DS718+, DS918+, or DS1019+ (just depends on how many drive bays you want.) How much storage are you planning to need/want?
Here is a post I made on another thread (take note of my first point for a comparison between the 918+ and the 1019+, and the fourth point for 4K media):
If you use a lot of subtitles, especially image based ones (PGS, VOBSUB, DVDRIP), you need a stronger CPU that the J3455. You need something in the i3, i5, i7 class CPU which has ‘crunch’ power.
For those usage cases, I recommend QNAP. They offer NAS products with those processors.
As comparative reference, the DS918+ and TS-453Be both use the J3455 CPU which will yield the same video transcoding performance.
If you would suggest an NAS that us better than does 2 I wrote but maybe about the same price tag, little higher (in Sweden stores often sell things cheaper after Christmas so if I’m lucky) which one would you suggest?
I think most subtitles are .srt (?)
How much data I need ain’t that much. Will do fine with 16 TB but always good to have more for the future
Edit;
Is it any difference between 453b, 453be, 453bt3? If so, which one should I go for ?
Streaming 4k is possible, with a decent quality experience for many of us. Transcoding it is possible with the right hardware, but is just plain bad on all solutions available today. Even when you have the back-end muscle to do it, the visual quality sucks because of HDR>SDR tone mapping. If you want transcoded 4K I suggest building something around 1080P today, with the intention to augment it later with a PMS NUC once the hw and sw to support it via QSV is done.
The ds918+ or the ds1019+ units are excellent for 1080p in my experience. There is going to be the odd case where it might stuggle (True HD-Audio, some subtitles perhaps) but for the most part it is excellent. in the future, you can point a PMS on NUC at it and have great over all experience.
VPN shouldn’t terminate to your NAS IMO. That job belongs to your edge device, your firewall/router. only very specific connections firewalled and NAT’ed connections should reach your NAS from the Internet, and ideally nothing that is not inside that VPN.
Just to state: I disagree, imo. Properly curated media and knowing the capabilities of the players is key. Knowing those two will allow even 30 Mbps to stream to a little Roku 3 without issue as one example.
Understanding the tech and the requirements is fundamental.
Are you sure you are talking about transcoded HDR 4k video? Direct streamed 4k HDR works a treat, but I am not aware of anthing that will allow transcoding to 4k without the associated problem of HDR to SDR and thus the completely flat dynamic range because the tone mapping is not performed.
There are players which exist (infuse for one) which does excellent tone mapping of HDR -> SDR. I have it and use it. In only 3 cases was I able to see the tone mapping deficiency but I was also looking for it.
The 918+ is not sold in a variant with 8GB of RAM, though you can easily upgrade it. The 1019+ does come with 8GB of RAM (and an extra drive bay.)
The guide @ChuckPa linked to is a good one to follow. However, the article (Synoguide) has some incorrect information and one thing I disagree with.
Synoguide states that the 918+ comes with two 2GB chips of RAM. This is incorrect, it comes with one 4GB chip. If you want to upgrade it to 8GB total, you just need to install a second 4GB chip.
I use this one from Crucial: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01775JF9M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
What I disagree with is Synoguides recommendation to use 16GB of RAM. This has been a heavily debated topic with no real right or wrong side. My stance, regardless of what the system reports, Synology states the 918+ only supports 8GB of RAM, Intel states that CPU only supports two channels of 4GB (8GB of RAM.)
Technical arguments aside, If you are only going to use this for Plex, 8GB of RAM is more than enough.
And… $25 (USD) for another 4GB chip is a cheaper upgrade than $105 for 16GB that you may or may not see the full benefit of. Otherwise, if you are going to pay $100 for a RAM upgrade, that money would be better spent on the Synology 1019+ to increase your drive count (and you get 8GB of RAM.)
If @mackan1110 just wants to set up a NAS for Plex, then 16GB of RAM will not benefit in any way. No need to waste money that would be better spent on storage.
$1500 is a generous budget to work with. Let’s make the most of it
Yes. Iron Wolf is noisy. The “clack” (head stepper) is very loud. I just helped someone here in the forums setup a QNAP. He opted for IronWolf over Red Pro. He’s sorry he did.
The IronWolf drives are 5900rpm up to 4TB, 6TB and above they are 7200rpm.
I run WD Reds in my RAID with no issues.
At a high level I look at drives from three points: Power, Speed, Heat.
The faster a drive is, the more heat it generates and power it consumes. It also has faster read speeds. The slower a drive is, the less heat it generates and consumes less power. Also has a slower read speed.
If you have the money, WD Red Pro drives are great (I would also recommend the WD Ultrastar drives [previously under the HGST name])
If you are just focused on the most storage for your dollar, you cannot go wrong with the WD Red drives.
This is just from my experience, your millage may vary.
Don’t forget to consider the recurring 20% discount to the Western Digital store you get thanks to your Plex Pass Perks
There is not one at this moment, but shows up quite frequently (I’ve used several)
