Hey guys, I am thinking of setting up my first NAS server for Plex. I will mostly be using this for a media server. I am thinking of getting the 918+. Would this be good enough for my needs?
Currently I do not have any 4k media, but will be hopefully during 2018. So would like the option for 1 4k stream and another 1080p steam at a time or more. I would be streaming to a 4k smart TV, PC & Mac book. The PC/Macbook won’t be used at the same time.
Where would the best how to set up Plex and my Synology 918+. I want to have it set up so I can expand with new drives once I get more money and more 4k media.
Currently I have just ripped DVDs with Make MKV, should I run these through handbreak to decrease the size, or leave them in MKV? Would anything help with trans coding once i get it set up?
If you want the beautiful image of 4K and are ripping them, why would you want to run them through HandBrake and reduce the quality?
Reducing the size = throwing away quality.
The best action here is to rip them to MKV and keep them AS-IS. You will be much happier for it in the long run.
Ok thanks, that is what I wasn’t sure about. I will leave them as the MKV, helps save a step too for chaning. Just wasn’t sure if MKV would play fine or if the 4/5 gig size would be overkill for dvd.
Sorry am referring to DVDs, not 4k. I do not have any 4k media yet. Need to get a blue ray drive before ripping them. Want to ensure I am good for the future with 4k.
I’m completely redoing the NAS compatibility list now. The DS918+ is brand new and works VERY well with hardware transcoding.
One small problem with older DVDs is most are MPEG2 encoded. PMS is still using software decoding (not for long) so that will put a heavy load on the CPU to decode. Encoding (to send to the TV) will be done in hardware and is trivial.
I just purchased a 918+ and migrated from a DS411+ii. All I can say at this point is that I’m well pleased with the function of the 918+ as server when compared to even the nvidia shield.
Not sure if this contributes much, but I just purchased a 918+ and installed the latest Plex release about a month ago. I was getting a bit tired of the old MakeMKV and Handbrake dance, so I decided to see just to see how well the NAS could handle the raw MKV for a DVD. I made sure the MKV was MPEG-2 encoded, as per MediaInfo. Single stream on local network, the CPU was at about 30% with no hiccups, buffering or sound synchronization issues. To say I’m happy with this little NAS is to seriously understate how good it is.
