I realize I’m probably opening up a hornets nest but I’ll give it a shot anyway. I am getting ready to buy a NAS. I have zeroed in on Synology. I originally was going to get something bargain basement and use it just for file storage and remote file access.
Then I came across this whole Plex thingy which has me very intrigued. I think I want Plex on the NAS but not sure why I would consider a standalone PC over the NAS or visa versa. Anyway, can anyone tip me on what might be the minimal Synology for my needs? I have a Samsung 46 inch HD TV and no plans for 4K anytime near, I am running a HD Home Run tuner across my network with an OTA rooftop antenna, I also have a TiVo OTA tuner, I have a 16 port switch, and a Asus RT-N66U router, 2 cell phones, 3 PC’s, 1 laptop, and 2 tablets. I would imagine I want a two bay NAS minimal. Not crazy about upping the cost factor by going 4 bays. I’ll probably start with two 3TB Seagate IronWolf or WD Red HDD drives. Do I have to have a 64bit Synology for PLEX to operate best? I can see now that I’ll be back to this forum because (like I said earlier) this PLEX thingy seems to be really cool. That said, I cannot see this post being a one time situation posting. Ahead of time - Thanks for helping me out.
I have 2 Synology NAS systems,
Have used Plex on most OS systems.
For Plex to work correctly it need to deliver the media to the user seamlessly
For that to happen the media file needs to be sent from the server to the client to be played, That can require the media file to be transcoded, that process is CPU/GPU intensive.
A NAS is best at storing data and supplying it.
My suggestion is that that you load Plex on an available PC and test it with the devices in your network, and see how it preforms. Once you familiarize yourself with Plex and its features and how you will use it, then you will have a better idea on what avenue is best for you.
I do not run Plex on my NAS devices. My main reason is it’s easier to upgrade and expand a PC that I run as a media server.
Hi nydave69. I guess you are kinda saying that a powerful PC is better for PLEX than a NAS box. That said here are my PC specs - i7 4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz, 16GB Ram, 64 Bit Windows 10 Pro, graphics is AMD Radeon HD 6670 2GB Direct X 12 (kinda weak but works fine).
I built the PC last year and built it strong for issues just like this that might arise. Wouldn’t you know it - Plex arrived. Anyway, the PC would need to run 24/7 . . . correct? No Sleep Mode . . . correct? If the PC handles things then that would mean a NAS strictly for file storage can be achieved at a lesser cost because of not needing high CPU/GPU . . . agreed?
Does the PC then serve all the other devices? Is that how PLEX works sort of? Thanks for continued input. This is helping me a lot.
Since you have a PC available, test it out, see if it’s something you want to do.
24/7 only if you what it on demand… other wise it’s boot it up when needed.
I can answer some of your questions.
Here is my setup. I have have a HD Homerun Prime and a Synology DS-918+ NAS attached directly to an Asus RT-AC5300 Router. Also attached to the router is a Vonage box, Windows PC with Media Center for Live TV and an Amazon Connect device. Over Wifi I have several devices (printers, tablets, phones, etc) on a 2.4 ghz channel. I have two other bands (5ghz) for other uses. one for pure data usage(my primary PC) and one for Media streaming with a couple of Roku devices on two TVs.
The NAS is using the 64-bit version of Plex (required for hardware encoding) with 3 8TB Iron Wolf drives and two M.2 SSD’s for a storage cache.
Right now, everything is working extremely well for me. Past versions of Plex seemed to have a few issues. Everything recorded well and things generally worked, but I found I had to lower the bitrate when viewing on the Roku devices. This hasn’t been the case since the last couple of versions for me. Everything, including 4K video has been streaming to the roku devices very well. I have had all three tuners recording simultaneously while streaming to one of the TV’s with no problems. I also stream the local cable news station to a PC at work through the internet frequently.
The biggest advice I can give is make sure to pick the right NAS. Be sure it has hardware encoding/decoding as a feature. You will be unhappy with it if you do not have it. You’ll need to install the 64bit version as well. Synology’s default install is the 32 bit server and it does not support HW encoding. I’m not convinced my storage cache was necessary, but the SSDs were cheap.
Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the set up. I just hope that they update the Roku to have grid view for TV sooner rather than later. Managing recordings and schedules on the Roku client isn’t great and it is a bit of a pain to have to log into the browser on the PC to manage the recording schedule.
Technically, a full PC could be better, but, I prefer the NAS setup. It uses less power and I am using it for more than just Plex. It’s my backup server as well.
Nice post Jbalcius. You covered allot of ground and I really appreciate it. I know what I’m going to say next sounds chintzy, but, the DS918 is a little steep for my pocket. I will take your post to heart and see which Synology, down the ladder, might work somewhat as well as your setup. I’m pretty sure my HD1080 Samsung has Plex on it; then I won’t have to go the Roku route.
I am the guy who has been down the plex server path many times.
Buy the DS918+ . If not now then save until you can cos it will save you money in the long run.
I have used i3,i5,i7 NUCS and Pc’s , Shield pros and Shield 16gb, Synology 215play, 415+, 1815+, 1817+ and now a Qnap tvs 1282 !
Don’t buy a 2 bay
Do buy a NAS with an intel CPU
Do buy the 918+
There is always a back up when using a NAS as your server - if it fails to do the job (the 918+ certainly should but) you just buy a I7 Nuc or Nvidia Shield Pro to be the server and use the NAS for your media storage. BTDT !
I understand the cost concerns. There are a ton of NAS devices that you could use. I chose the DS918+ based on this compatability chart from Plex:
I wanted a 4 Bay that I could expand to more disk later, so the 918+ was the best choice for me.
Don’t pick anything that doesn’t support hardware transcoding. It just will not handle the job satisfactorally. I originally experimented with a Western Digital NAS and while it handled low end video and audio just fine, it was useless for anything 720p or better.
If you want to stick to Synology, take a look at the DS218+ it’s a two bay that’s about half the cost of the 918+.
Spikemixture - I appreciate your advice and emphasis. I really have practiced the way in life to always get the best. It’s just that right now in life we are so strapped. That said, I am going to scour the internet and see if I can come up with a good price for the DS918+ - new or used. I see others like you also relying on that model. I hope I can find one. Thanks.
Jbalcius, Yeah I kinda wanted a 4 bay also. But price may keep me at two. I do not understand redundancy/RAID in full yet. I am concerned how it operates. I though I heard or read that only 50% of a drive can be used in RAID structure. Maybe I just don’t understand the implication. So I guess I could get the 2 bays; maybe, but just with larger TB drives. i’m going to start with one drive only for cost matters just so that I can get the benefits going on a network data file storage system. Then add a second drive in a month or two.
The next thing I have to square away in my mind is the Synology offerings regarding VPN requirements. I have Tomato OpenVPN set up on my Asus router but would like to also have OpenVPN on the NAS. Then I have to learn if the Tomato OpenVPN will in any way conflict with the NAS OpenVPN. Once I get all these things solved then I think I can plunge into the Synology purchase and get Plex up and running. I have likewise studied QNAP but I think it is possibly a little weak regarding stability and standing up to internet network demands. Not real sure, but, that seems to be what I conclude.
What is your budget, I found a Net Gear ReadyNAS 516 which i found on Ebay for 500 dollars. The devices works so good and is very quite.
You are correct QNAP and synology are top of the line for PLEX but technically you can get anything to work with Plex. The only thing you need really is Processing, Ram and bandwidth speed.
A rought sketch of Redundancy is: With two disks you can do Mirroring. Basically,one disk is a duplicate of the other. Two 5TB drives in with this method only nets you 5TB of Storage. Raid 5 and other similar setups (like the synology system) uses “striping” to protect data. This configuration lets you lose a single disk without data loss. Min requirement are 3 disks. You essentially lose one disk of storage. For example. 3 5TB drives in Raid5 will net about 10TB of usable storage. 4 drives, about 15TB and so on up. Mirroring (also called Raid1) is the only option you would have with a two bay NAS and why a 4Bay is a much better sololution.
As for VPN… What is your goal? If you want file access you can use a VPN but it’s not required. A VPN will just create a connection between you and your network so you can access devices on your home network. If you have one set up on your router, you don’t need to use one on your NAS. You already have a connection to your network. I personally do not use a VPN. Synology has a remote connection function so I can access files and media remotely. My Plex installation doesn’t need or use a VPN either. I just log into Plex.tv and I have complete access to any plex server I have set up.
aaseef021 - I’m trying to stay at $300 or below. I forgot about Ebay. I’ll also go there and check out the offerings. I still would like to stay with Synology. I am a person that likes reliability and a format to always bank on being there for me when I call upon it. The QNAP seems to be more for people that like to play around with settings. I need to spend my time getting results rather than tweeking. In regards to NetGear - I have always had a sour taste with them because of having had bad router experiences.
Ok now we have budget to work with. Just remember 300 being your budget there maybe not a whole a lot things you maybe be able to accomplished. Also if you get a chance take a look at Plex compatibility, maybe give you an idea of what is compatible
Jbalcius, Another good thread post. This is the sort of interaction I was hoping for when I started the thread. The thread is getting down to some nitty gritty that really helps me determine where to spend money and what features are necessary. Now I have to reread your post a few times to get it to sink in.
As for my VPN goal? - I merely have been under the impression that it keeps my data safe from peering eyes. I also thought that a VPN would make my searches on the internet more add free. I also don’t like the sheer implication that my ISP can see everything I do. Even though I don’t have anything to hide - what I do do is mine and not for anyone else.
Even though I made mention that I have Tomato Open VPN on my network via the router I am only benefiting from it on one computer. Shibby Tomato instructions fell short of completely guiding me to correctly setting up clients on ALL the other 4 computers in my house. So, I’m hung not knowing how to complete the adventure. Plus, with the new IP address I still get pop ups that say my ISP can still see me. Yuk. Maybe I should scratch VPN all the way. Aggravating. Just two of us live here but 4 computers are in different locales.
aaseef021 — Cool. This thread is getting better and better. I’m getting ready to leave the house for errands this afternoon. Now I can’t wait to get back home tonight and really get into fine tuning this adventure. I’m a little scared about Ebay but I have purchased on there before and people say that the small stores on Ebay are safer than brick and mortar sometimes.
Correct, you really don’t need VPN unless you are hiding something, if you are downloading use private torrents site vs public. That way you do not have to worry much about your ISP flagging you.
You are correct, Ebay is a little scary, not knowing who or what you are getting. It is a risk too take, I brought my readynas from ebay and the guy i brought from turned out to be really cool. Just before buying read the review and see how many stars they have. Always happy to help. I used to be in this situation when I first started so I understand but if you do need help or have more questions just ask. By the way I am just a user not a plex employee lol
aaseef021 - thanks again. Yeah it is all daunting. When a person is so tight on money, but wants something to work better than new, , they want to make sure they don’t hijacked.
, they want to make sure they don’t hijacked.