Synology DS1621XS+ for PMS?

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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Hello!

I have Synology DS1621XS+ with 32GB of RAM and NvMe cache. I prefer not to install PMS directly on NAS apart of built-in apps to avoid any unexpected issues in future.

I am thinking to install PMS on a VM running on this NAS. I do understand that doesn’t provide hardware transcoding, but I am hoping that would provide sufficient RAM and Xeon cores for better function. Since I have my media in MKV/H.264 container and my devices does support this format, I don’t have to worry about transcoding.

Ask:
How many no. of cores and RAM should I assign to a VM where PMS runs?

Is NViDIA Shield TV Pro a batter choice?

Any further help/advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

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Not sure why you are not simply installing PMS on the Synology itself. Creating a VM for it will only add overhead. What exact “unexpected issues” do you anticipate encountering?

I have a DS1019+ with only about 8G ram, no NvME cache, ~4000 movies and ~500 TV shows as well as 10 users and have no problems with my setup. Initially I had installed Plex as a Synology app but have since switched to using Docker to get hardware transcoding and because all my other apps were Docker containers anyway. No performance problems nor any “unexpected issues”.

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@azsg

The Xeon CPUs used by Synology do not have Hardware Transcoding capability.

Putting PMS in a VM on Synology would prevent you from using HW transcoding (even if the CPU did have the capability).

Your best choice here is to run the native application.

The PCIe slot in the Synology does not support Nvidia GPU cards.
If it did, you could a P2200 for GPU transcoding.

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@ChuckPa, could he not run PMS as a docker container similar to how I’m doing it and get HW transcoding? Ah, checked the specs. Mine has Celron processors and supports HW transcoding while his has Xeon processors and doesn’t support HW transcoding. I’m glad I decided to get the DS1019+:

Reference pages: DS1621XS+ vs. DS1019+.

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@adefaria

Your CPU has HW transcoding in the CPU.

The Xeon CPU used in his NAS has no such capability.
None of the Synology Xeon CPUs have QSV capability.

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Hi,

Thanks for sharing your advice. Initially, I was skeptical on installing applications outside of what Synology shows in the package center to avoid any unexpected stability issues and to receive support from Synology. Since I have the NAS up and running already, I will proceed with direct installation of PMS on Synology. If it meets my requirements for playback, I will stick with it as I don’t have to buy additional hardware for PMS.

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Glad to hear that PMS is working fine on your NAS. My NAS doesn’t have CPU transcoding unfortunately. I am going to give it a try first. Thanks!

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@azsg

If you look here, you will see the list of NAS systems I’ve assembled and show their capabilities.

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