Transcoding on Synology NAS DS1815+

General Discussions
1

I am new to this forum so I’m not sure where this should be posted.

I have a collection of movies/TV shows/family video (mostly 1080i) stored on a Synology NAS DS1815+ (OS DMS 6.1-15047). Plex Media Server version 1.4.2.3400-ab906953b is installed on the DS1815. The NAS is networked using CAT 6 to 3 laptops (OS Win 10) each hosting Plex Media Player version 1.4.2.3400, and a Sony Android 4K TV (Bravia KD-65X8500C) also hosting Plex Media Player version 5.5.0.227.

A particular TV Series copied to the NAS from my original DVD and stored as MKV 576p plays perfectly on the three laptops, but on the Sony 4K TV the video freezes internittently; its just not watchable. I have done a factory re-set on the TV, and installed a fresh copy of the Plex Player. The Plex Player on the TV is set to “Direct Play” and “Direct Stream”. The “Video Quality” for a particular episode is set to “Original”. And so the playback freezes/jerks.

I have discovered that if I set the “Video Quality” to “4 Mbps 720p” it plays perfectly, but the video is transcoded by the DS1812. Why would that be?

I have some 4k TV Series on the NAS. When that was played on the 4K TV I used to get the "procesor not fast enough … " message, until I changed the settings to Direct Play, Direct Stream. Now that plays perfectly without any transcoding to the 4K TV.

I am of a mind to purchase a Synology DS916+ NAS because it is rated a being able to transcode 4K, however, when I think about it, the transcoding process is dependent on the capability of the viewing TV set. So currently, transcoding is all ablout making 4K video playable on a 1080p HD Smart TV. I’ve got a 4K TV so I should never need transcoding (subject to the compatiblity of the source file, which for me is always MKV). Therefore I do not need to purchase a DS916+ NAS. I hope that’s right! I invite comment, please.

Now also, when I play my 1080i family video (M2T file), I get the message on the 4K TV “the processor is not powerful enough …” so I’m assuming that the DA1812 is trying to transcode the M2T file and doesn’t have the capability. So do I actually need a DS916+ to do the ytranscoding. I have seen a posting comparing the benchmarking of the CPU in the DS1812 and that of the DS916. The 1812 has a better benchmark yet it can’t keep up with the M2T file’s needs. How do I fix that, please?

So the issue now is, (1) why won’t the DVD source (MKV 576p) “Direct Play” to the 4K TV at “original” video quality, and (2) when I chose “4Mbps 720p” it transcodes, and how do I fix these, please. Also, how do I deal with the transcodinbg of the M2T, and should I upgrade my NAS or even build one myself that is ultra-fast.

Thank you in anticipation.

2

I see mentioned DS1812 and DA1812. I meant Synology NAS DS1815+

3

Dont change your nas.real 4k is not again in thé time. Transcode yourself if its fast.

4

Your problem is relying on the Plex Player in the TV. If you used a Roku or similar decent Plex client then transcoding would not be necessary.

6

Plex uses profiles to decide when to transcode. A rip from a DVD will probably use codec MPEG-2 if you used MakeMKV, and 4K TV’s typically accept H.264 and H.265 codecs, forcing PMS to transcode other codecs (probably to high bitrates that your Syno can’t handle).

You have basically two alternatives:

  1. As @trumpy81 suggests you can recode videos
  2. You can create your own Profile stating whose codecs (and other parameters) your TV can play directly, and change TranscodeTargets so that encoding is done to 720p (change TV parameters so that DirectPlay is not enforced, with a “good profile” PMS will be able to decide that). User profiles should be put in Plex\Library\Application Support\Plex Media Server\Profiles so that they “survive” PMS updates. If/when you change your Syno to a more powerfull one you can increase the limits in TranscodeTargets

Recoding films does not requires technical skills but will often need more time (recoding can take more than one hour per film).

7

Many thanks for all your responses. I’m blown away and very appreciative. I’ll give all that a go.