NAS solution and watching videos on the TV suggestions

dude777 on 27/01/2016 - 13:12

Hi there,

I was looking into getting a NAS solution and have all my videos placed there (no 4k needed) and backup files like steam games and documents. I was looking at getting a Synology NAS and was keeping an eye on the DS216/416. On top of this, I wanted to also play the content on a TV wirelessly. I am specifically looking at Synology and QNAP as I can get the product cheaper.

I currently have a WD Digital Live TV to it to watch stuff off my portable HDD though I have to consistently update my HDD to watch all my videos. It may be easier to purchase a play version of the NAS though I feel that the WD live TV has a very slow interface and would be looking to upgrade it to a PC for speed and functionality. I was looking at an Intel Compute stick or an Intel NUC but there may be a better solution out there.

I want to spend a maximum of $450 on the NAS (HDD I will purchase separately) but the lower the better and and 4 bays would be ideal but can manage with 2.
For the PC I would want it as low as possible though it must support windows and have decent performance and snappy enough to navigate and play 1080p videos.

Kind Regards

Computing

Comments

  • Voldox on 27/01/2016 - 13:57
    +3

    Hey

    I recently did this although my budget was a bit bigger.

    I purchased at Synology 1815+, put 2 x x4 4tb and 2x2tb and a 3tb in it. Then I set it all up and installed PLEX (manually) and copied my files accross from my pc. I use Tronsmart Meta's (Android Media Players) on each TV to play the content. My systems are hard wired but you could just as easily do it aslong as you have wireless on your router/modem or a wireless access point and they are all on the same network.

    The main point of this was so that I can leave my PC off at home and just run the NAS and have redundancy. I still perform backups externally aswell.

    If you are going to get a synology I would recommend getting a + model such as the 215+ or the 415+ as the CPU is much better. Feel free to ask any other questions around this.

    I also have put all my family photos' on there and sync them up to the cloud automatically in case of disaster.

    The NAS is one of the best things I have ever done.

    Now looking at setting up some security camera's and making use of the Surveillance station aswell I have installed a new Drive in the Diskstation ready to store footage.

    • dude777 on 27/01/2016 - 14:31

      Hi Voldox,

      Thanks for your reply! With the PLEX installation, is it installed on the NAS itself? The android TV solution seems like an excellent suggestion though is there a player which supports any video format? I previously ripped some Seinfeld so that I could watch it on the go on my Sony Xperia Z3 compact tablet and it didn't work, so I had to re-rip them again in a different format to playback on VLC. I have since moved on to MX player and never looked back. I am currently using a Netgear R8000 nighthawk router though the TV is at the other side of the house.

      I see that the Synology DS215+ has the same CPU as the DS416 (Annapurna Labs Alpine AL-212), so in that regard would the performance between both be identical where one has larger storage? The DS415+ seems to be the better option by the looks of it.

      That seems like an interesting prospect and I hope that it turns out well for you!

      EDIT:
      WIth the Tronsmart, is it the Tronsmart Orion R68?

      • Voldox on 27/01/2016 - 15:07
        +2

        Hi Yes Plex is installed on the Synology Nas.

        I haven't had many problems playing back content with Plex, in plex you can specify to play back with MX player or another External player if you want (Or you can re-encode with Handbrake or similiar)

        Wireless just depends on distance and no of walls etc and how patient you are:)

        I have the Tronsmart Orion R68 but it has had a few bugs especially with optical out and wireless performance. I would consider some other brands like Ugoos or Zidoo (Still with that Chipset) and read reviews etc. Freaktab.com is regarded as the home of resources for Android Media Players.

        I also have a Beelink X2 Android Media Player as a cheap alternative but not all things play in Plex Natively so I do use plex but when movies/shows play it uses MX player - this is still seamless though.

        If you can stretch your budget a bit then yes the DS415+ will future proof you with the Intel Atom CPU. If you build your array with SHR you can just add different drive sizes initally when you set it up and after that point I think you have to add drives equal as

        • dude777 on 28/01/2016 - 10:52

          I've taken a look at Ugoos and they seem quite expensive, though the Zidoo seem to be a bit cheaper. I would probably like to take advantage of wireless AC so the Zidoo X6 pro might be a good option floating around the $200 mark.

          Yep I think I've made my decision on getting the DS415+ now. That is a good thing to know so perhaps I'll purchase more value drives in the future.

        • Voldox on 28/01/2016 - 11:19

          @dude777:

          If you know someone with a Chromecast borrow it and try it as long as you are not playing 1080p content it may work ok once you have it setup.

        • here2rock on 29/01/2016 - 11:41

          Beelink X2, what kind of files doesn't it play natively?

        • Voldox on 29/01/2016 - 15:20

          @here2rock:

          Using MX Player with it, its played everything I've thrown at it (Via Plex) MKV, AVI, MP4 etc.

          I have upgraded the firmware on my box as there is a known issue with it as per here - http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/allwinner-tv-pla…

          But for the price its cheaper than getting a Rasperry PI with Power supply, case et IMHO. Just depends on what you want to use it for

        • here2rock on 29/01/2016 - 17:02

          @Voldox:

          I am looking to play all kind of videos files with DTS sound. I know a lot of the applications out there don't support DTS sound.

        • DrDollar on 29/01/2016 - 17:46

          @here2rock: Kodi will decode dts-hd and TrueHD to PCM just fine. It will also bitstream if the hardware supports it. RPi2 is not capable of bitstreaming due to the hardware.

          If you want to bitstream hd audio then RPi2 is not an option. Unsure about the Beelink X2 Voldox is referring to.

    • ozkiwi75 on 28/01/2016 - 13:09

      I'm looking at getting the Synology 1815+ at the moment with a very similar setup to yours. Just wondering whether you have experienced any transcoding lag with 1080p HD videos.

      • Voldox on 28/01/2016 - 15:30
        +1

        All my Android boxes can decode 1080p and are gigabit hardwired (RK3386 based or AllwinnerH3 chipsets) so I have the streams set to original on the client and the highest setting. I do notice the CPU working hard when streaming hi def content to one of my TV's which only supports stereo when the original is DTS or Dolby. I would be a little concerned if you want to stream 1080p streams to a mobile device or similiar. I also run an SSD for Read Cache to speed up menu's and commonly played files aswell an advantage in having 8 bays:) In plex on the NAS i Have it set to fastest transcoding aswell in the server settings. The 1815+ itself is also running Link Aggregation 1gb + 1gb to a Netgear 108T with the 2 clients connecting to the same switch to assist with bandwith.

        Basically the specs show that you can have 1 stream of 1080p transcoding. I imagine if you have something like LOTR 15GB version it may lag a little. I'll see if I can try it tonight and watch my CPU on the NAS hurt:)

        Hope this helps.

        • ozkiwi75 on 28/01/2016 - 18:27

          Thanks for all that info! Much appreciated.

          I'm trying to get away from having another box at the other end for transcoding by getting a NAS that does the job. I don't think I'll be streaming HD to mobile devices, but to a Chromecast or direct to smart tvs running Plex, one of which will also be hooked into an amp for surround sounds. Yes, I'm also trying to do away with building a htpc, so I don't mind spending more on the NAS if I have to.

        • UltimateAI on 28/01/2016 - 18:35
          +1

          @ozkiwi75:
          Don't rule out decoding on the Clients, personally I use a mix.
          Transcoding at the NAS for portable devices, but for the TV's just use SMB or NFS, find the quality so much better, especially for True-HD and high definition audio. Transcoding is just like a good Netflix 1080p stream.

          Client devices don't tend to matter, just hardwire for 1080p, Plex (can play without transcoding) or Kodi. The cheap android devices (gigabit) are actually quite good.

          Celeron, NUC with open elec, but check out the androids.

          Biggest recommendation, is go gigabit hard wired.
          Also if you don't transcode you don't require a high-end NAS, but personally spend the extra for the performance.

  • CLoSeR on 27/01/2016 - 13:57

    I run a Synology DS413, media is served via network shares to my Raspberry Pi 2 running Openelec using a Mini USB wireless (802.11n).

    No problem with playback in Full HD; very fast no lag when skipping.

    The Raspberry Pi setup will cost:

    Rpi2 - $48
    Mini Wireless NIC - $14
    MicroSD Class10 16GB - $20
    Power Supply - $20

    With the Synology as long as you avoid the J (Budget) models it will easily meet your requirements.

    • dude777 on 27/01/2016 - 14:40

      Hi CLoSeR,

      I was thinking about the Raspberry Pi 2 at one point though didn't do enough research on it. It is priced significantly lower than the Intel compute stick so I'll look more into it. With the Mini USB wireless (802.11n) how is the range on those? I have the TV setup on the other side of the house and would like to be able to stream without any lag or stuttering.

      Thanks for your input! I will definitely avoid the J series.

      • CLoSeR on 27/01/2016 - 14:48

        It's N standard so increased range than G but like all wireless setups your internal walls and access point location all affect wireless coverage.

        For true performance you want a wired connection.

        • dude777 on 27/01/2016 - 15:05

          I previously had a EoP connection though I sold it off as we purchased a nighthawk. Probably should've kept it for media!

    • Grubsy on 17/02/2016 - 12:13

      @CLoSeR which WiFi NIC did you get and where from?

      I had one with one of my previous Pi's (B+) and it was terrible even at about 4m from the router

      Can you play 1080p content with it? (Everything works flawlessly with my hard wired wired Pi2)

  • Scumbag on 27/01/2016 - 14:01

    Running a Synology DS1511+, with Kodi on a Nexus Player. Recently added PVR functionality to the NAS.

    • CyberMurning on 27/01/2016 - 14:15

      hmm any reason why you need kodi? maybe because your tv is not smart and dont have plex client built in?

      • CLoSeR on 27/01/2016 - 14:28
        +2

        For me my TV is not SMART Apps enabled so I need Kodi; dare I say Kodi is probably the best media library client around so when I upgrade to a Smart TV I'll prob only use the TV for something like Netflix which will not work on Kodi.

        • pformag on 28/01/2016 - 12:46

          you can get the Netflix Addon for KODI btw, but why would you even use Netflix on KODI when there are Addons like SALTS and Phoenix?

        • CLoSeR on 28/01/2016 - 12:52

          @pformagg: Is that a web browser based addon, i.e Chrome Browser?

        • pformag on 28/01/2016 - 13:05

          @CLoSeR: I just looked it up, seems to be a huge workaround to get Netflix on KODI in 2016, but if you want a better online streaming addon, I would really recommend SALT's Addon. It replaces the non work Genesis addon and gives you more control.

      • Scumbag on 27/01/2016 - 14:49
        +2

        My (older) Smart TV (Panasonic) and Smart Blu-ray (Sony) are pretty dumb, they have DLNA but can't play most formats.

        I've got Plex too, but it's lacking functionality I want - such as ISO playback. Plus the AndroidTV version does not (at this point) switch refresh rates - so I don't get 23.976Hz playback. I also find the media indexing clunky and prone to issues.

        Kodi is just an awesome media player, and has allowed me to retire my WDTV Live Streaming. Now with my BeyonWiz PVR starting to play up, I'm making the switch to using Kodi/DVBLink as my PVR.

  • CyberMurning on 27/01/2016 - 14:12
    +1

    i have old ds1511+.
    better get 4 bays as you can have more flexibility for the raid configurations, and goes slowly on the HDD ie with 4 bays you can have 2 first, then increase to 3, and 4, replace one at one time, etc etc. no need to have same size hdd with syno.
    get one with intel (most new ones are anyway)
    syno has plex (qnap and few other as well). this plex is very good. free as well.

    this is what happen in my NAS at home:
    install plex media server and sickbeard, enter your favourite tv show for example game of throne.
    when new episode is available on torrent, the sickbeard will instruct syno download manager to download,
    once finish, (my NAS will send me pushbullet notification that new episode has been downloaded)
    sickbeard then later renames it, get subtitle if you want, move it to specific location on NAS, from there, PLEX takes over.
    Plex will pull the poster, synopsis, actors, etc etc from internet
    when you go home the movie is ready for you to watch.
    the file is neatly put in the correct folder, with nice uniformed name convention.
    my tv is LG which has plex client built in

    • dude777 on 27/01/2016 - 14:51

      Hi eisniwre!

      It sounds like I'll get a 4 bay one as that makes perfect sense.

      Holy crap that sounds like an intricate set up! That sounds like its awesome thing to set up though it must take some time to do.

      Thanks for your input! I'll definitely check them out :D

      • Voldox on 27/01/2016 - 14:55

        You can setup the DS Download app on Android which allows you to set downloads going remotely like on the way home on the train or on your lunch break etc so its ready when you get home (Plex detects the new file and as per abolve automatically downloads the details)

        • dude777 on 27/01/2016 - 15:07

          Wow! all these things I didnt know existed! Will definitely look into them later. Thanks!!

        • CyberMurning on 27/01/2016 - 16:08

          @dude777: please double check but as far as i know only syno has their own raid system where you dont lose a lot space when combining different size of hdd.
          for example you can put 1tb 2tb 3tb in raid on syno and still get decent spaces, compare if you put the same hdds on qnap, you will get much much less available spaces.

          this explains better: https://www.synology.com/en-us/support/RAID_calculator

  • CyberMurning on 27/01/2016 - 14:16
    +1

    the annoying fact is my syno (ds1511+) can NOT play hevc x265 files :(
    confirmed by syno staff, only ds216play can…

    • Scumbag on 27/01/2016 - 15:40

      ds216play can perform transcoding - but this assumes you have media that is not playable on your media player. I'd rather have a fully functional media player rather than have to perform transcoding.

      I guess you'd have a different perspective if you also stream to mobile devices, and not just your home theatre.

      • CyberMurning on 27/01/2016 - 16:11

        oh you mean i can play hevc file saved on my syno on my android mobile using vlc player for example? yeah probably can but i will need to check again later.
        what i meant is i cant watch hevc files saved on my syno on my LG tv (lg tv has plex client, pulls hevc from plex server on syno)

    • LFPg on 27/01/2016 - 20:25

      But I gather the ds216play doesn't do transcoding with Plex, according to everything I can find on it…

  • pointless martyr on 27/01/2016 - 16:07

    Plex on nas. Get cheap xbox 360/ps3 or chromecast + iPhone/ipad for tv's and ur sorted

    • dude777 on 28/01/2016 - 01:09

      I actually still have both my xbox 360 and ps3 sitting around though the xbox 360 is old enough to not have a wifi adapter. Do they support streaming through a network? (no point checking xbox and ps3 is at gfs house)

      • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 08:35

        PS3 yes, but its hardware decoding is rather limited, so you need to have a transcoder somewhere in the house, either a NAS or a full blown PC

        • dude777 on 28/01/2016 - 10:59

          :/ Then I guess the PS3 remains as a blu ray player. I just read about transcoding with a DS415+ NAS and they said that it was possible but not a really supported well so I'll probably need something else. Also there will probably be others accessing the NAS besides me so performance might be affected.

        • Nightshade on 28/01/2016 - 11:03
          +1

          Good advice, also remember that NAS devices aren't always the best for transcoding. Plex has a good article on the limitations of running Plex on a NAS - see here. There's also a community-maintained Google spreadsheet with a list of tested NAS devices.

  • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2016 - 19:05

    Most of the NUC/TV Stick/Chinese Windows Box has hardware decoding, so it'll handle pretty much everything you throw at it, unless you happen to watch Chinese Cartoons, since 10bit CPU decode can be a bit icky at 1080p with those specs. My current setup is:

    Synology NAS - Storage only -> Universal Media Sever (PS3 Media Server fork) -> "Smart" TV with DLNA client.

    I'd suggest getting an Android box, they're quite a bit cheaper, and will handle your needs just fine. Throw Kodi or Plex on it, install Plex on the NAS or just set up a network share, and you're good.

    • dude777 on 28/01/2016 - 01:14

      I think some anime have moved on to 10bit, though I don't find the need to actually have 1080p anime so i've been getting 720p content.

      I have a ps3 and my smart tv does support DLNA though it has a very sluggish interface. I would like something that is a bit smoother, so probably an android box might do the trick :D

      • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 08:34

        Most releases are still 720p upscale, but there are the occasional true 1080p releases. There was an Android box here a few days ago that claimed to have native 10 bit decoding, and its like $50 with shipping (cheapest I've ever seen), so even if it doesn't it'll still play just about everything else

  • AdrianW on 27/01/2016 - 20:33

    I don't think you'll get a better solution than a NUC. You'll get cheaper solutions for sure, but not better.

    A decent NUC can play absolutely everything now and into the future. Plug it into a receiver and it'll output all the latest audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD, Atmos, DTS-MA, etc.) The latest NUCs can do 4K if you're interested.

    For software I'd recommend emby - IMO it's much better than Plex and Kodi.

    • CyberMurning on 27/01/2016 - 22:45
      +1

      but with NUC you will end up with multiple portable HDDS and doesnt look pretty and tidy.
      NAS can house 4 hdds in one box and you see it as one drive (easier to search etc)

      • AdrianW on 27/01/2016 - 22:48
        +2

        Well, I meant a NUC is great for playback. I'd still use a NAS for storage.

    • dude777 on 28/01/2016 - 01:22
      +1

      A decent NUC would be nice and one of the things that was on my mind before as it has much more horsepower and would be snappier than any device I purchase though it might seem overkill when a cheap android TV could do the job. My TV isn't 4K ready nor is any monitor I have at home so I'm not really investing into 4K now.

  • theHMASfriendship on 28/01/2016 - 09:54

    Another option for you… I'm about to build a small PC to act as a media server/NAS to run Plex or equivalent (I have been using Serviio off my gaming PC).

    PC without storage hard drives ends up being $445; which is

    Mini ITX Case - Coolermaster 110 ($52)
    Asus S1151 Mini-ITX H110I DDR3 motherboard ($132)
    i3-6100 ($173)
    Patriot Signature DDR3 1600 4Gb RAM ($28)
    Sandisk 120GB SSD ($60)

    I already have a spare power supply to juice it all up.

    Plan to put in 3x 3Tb hard drives and run some form of Linux. Brings the total to $832 including hard drives.

    • dude777 on 28/01/2016 - 11:10

      How cost effective are these units to run? I see that Synology says they can get their power usage to about 20W when in usage.

      • Stoz on 28/01/2016 - 12:55

        I am not an expert, but I think a desktop like that might be using at least 100W

        The Synology might use ~20W while operating and <5W when it puts the disk to sleep (happens automatically if not in use).

        100W = 2.4KWH / day = 876 KWH / year = ~$200 per year @ 23cents kw/hour

        Running a Synology for a year would cost:

        • $40 to run it 24/7
        • $35 to run it 16 hours and let is sleep for 8 hours
        • $20 to run it 8 hours a day and let it sleep at night and while you're at work

        Those calculations are why I ended up getting a Synology DS414 in 2014. They are also why I haven't installed a bunch of extra services on the Synology (I'm getting a Raspberry Pi 2 for that, which operates at ~2W)

        • DrDollar on 28/01/2016 - 14:02
          +1

          Motherboards and CPUs have much better power management features than they used to. Your estimate is a bit high.

          I did some testing on every appliance in the house a month ago, these are real stats:

          Two examples:

          1) SERVER: 24 months old - Custom built 16 slot RAID with i5 GPU and ASUS mobo. Currently 13 hard drives installed.

          This uses 58W of power when all hard drives (except one) are 'sleeping' - This is the state it is in 90% of the time unless I am pulling data off of it (watching a movie or similar). When I am watching something or pulling data, only 2 hard drives spin up in which case it uses around 65W power.

          I do not let this go into standby, it runs 24/7.

          On: 58W-65W
          SB: 1.5W

          2) HTPC: AMD - 18 months old - "low-end" (does everything a HTPC needs) - AMD APU, 1 SSD, Blu-Ray

          I don't remember the Mobo or CPU in it, if anyone needs to know I will take a look. Room for a gfx card if in future I need new hardware decoding that the APU cannot handle any more.

          This uses 25w of power when watching a movie. However, I let this go into standby after 30 mins of no-use. Standby uses 1.5W.
          On: 25W
          SB: 1.5W

          Remember you can always let these things go into standby and use WOL to wake them up near-instantly whenever you need to use them. Power management on mobos and CPUs is pretty impressive.

        • doodo477 on 28/01/2016 - 14:57

          @DrDollar: What case did you purchase that had 16 Slots?

        • DrDollar on 28/01/2016 - 16:08

          @doodo477: It is actually 24 slots sorry, memory lapse - I intended to get a 16 but ended up getting 24 slots.

          Norco RPC-4224

          http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/149123/CASINGS_SERVER_-_4U/Norco…

          Great case for the price and the backplanes are working without issue. I have it sitting on it's side with all the fans turned down to low so it is dead quiet with a silent PSU also.

        • dude777 on 28/01/2016 - 17:28

          @DrDollar: Those figures look good enough for me. I've also seen other reports of something as low as 30W for a standard microserver.

          It's starting to look a lot better now

        • doodo477 on 28/01/2016 - 17:29

          @DrDollar: Nice case, though my NAS setup was about the same price as the case! Standard ATX case, 12 Bay's with 4TB drives in each. I use software raid (Raid 1) on FreeNas. Works out pretty good, though nothing compared to a 24 Bay's….

        • Stoz on 28/01/2016 - 20:21

          @DrDollar: Thanks for posting your real world testing results. It sounds like you've got a great setup there.

          For my use, 5W with drives sleeping vs 58W with drives sleeping is a big deal, but it's also not fair to compare my 4 drive NAS with your 13 drive NAS.

          Based on your post though I will configure my HTPC to go into standby after 30 mins (currently it just stays on until we bother to turn it off).

        • DrDollar on 28/01/2016 - 20:37

          @Stoz: No probs - My server is more than just a NAS hence the power usage, this thing runs 24/7 and serves a bunch of VMs for testing purposes.

          If I play with a few more settings, it would likely come down to around 45W. Checking again also, it is running 14 drives, not 12. And come to think of it, the stats I posted above are with 2 drives running constantly, might be able to tweak something there.

          Either way - Yep it uses more power, but minimal - About $120/yr but again it is acting as more than just a NAS 24/7.

          Definitely consider having all your PCs go into standby mode after 30 or so minutes of idle. This will save you a bunch of power and you can easily configure it to WOL (or simply mouse/keyboard). They should wake almost instantly unless quite old.

  • dogboy on 28/01/2016 - 10:21
    +5

    I don't really understand why people go for NAS solutions when you can get HP Microservers for cheaper with all the functionality and more. Saying that, your best options would be either a G8 Microserver + Roku 3/4 (running Plex) or simply a NUC as a HTPC (personally I hate keyboards in the living room so moved away from HTPC).

    I have tinkered with various solutions for years and find the Microserver running Windows as a File/Plex/Torrent server + Roku the most elegant solution. Remote into it with TeamViewer to setup your torrents which automatically get updated in Plex and stream them using the Roku (need to get Rokus from ebay now as Amazon has stopped shipping them to Aus).

    • CLoSeR on 28/01/2016 - 13:11
      +1

      One reason is costs to run and size; the Synology NAS will use significantly less power and generate less heat and noise than your HP Microserver.

      Another would be it's an easy out of the box true RAID solution.

      • dogboy on 28/01/2016 - 14:22

        Power consumption is fairly negligible with a DS413 at around 36 watts and the Microserver at 25-45 watts (idle vs peak load). As far as noise is concerned, I would imagine they again would be around the same as they usually only have the one fan (Not that this matters when it is sitting in a cupboard). I agree the NAS is an easier out of the box solution but I just find them very limited in their function. Depends what you want to get out of it I guess.

        • bradsmrbetty on 28/01/2016 - 20:38

          Agreed, you can undervolt the cpu in the Microserver gen 8 and I second that it runs at 45w with 4 hdd according to my power metre.

          FREENAS, NAS4FREE and/or xpenology would work with a little setup.

    • EnALup on 28/01/2016 - 15:20
      +1

      May be power usage and ease of use? I am sure you can configure RAID on both easily.
      Edit: realised that users have already answered with same answer.

    • askedforitback on 28/01/2016 - 16:30
      +1

      This is pretty much the best advice. The difference in power usage between a NAS and a microserver is negligible, probably $30-40 per year at most. I haven't look at NAS prices recently, but from what I remember the microservers were far, far cheaper, such that it would take ~10 years to make up the difference.

      The only changes I'd make to dogboy's recommendations is to install a Linux server distro (to save the cost of a Windows licence if nothing else, though I prefer Linux). I used Ubuntu Server, installed ZFS on Linux, Plex Media Server, Samba and Sickbeard/Couchpotato/Sabnzbd and it's been humming away ever since.

      I'd also get an AndroidTV device like the Nexus Player or nvidia Shield TV over the Roku for Plex, Kodi + other app support and built in Chromecast… This choice is largely subjective though.

    • derek324 on 29/01/2016 - 08:04

      To me this is pretty good reason not to go with the HP Microserver solution:
      "HP announced that effective February 19, 2014, we will provide firmware updates through the HP Support Center only to customers with a valid warranty, Care Pack Service or support agreement".
      http://community.hpe.com/t5/Technical-Support-Services/Custo…

  • gringo on 28/01/2016 - 12:19

    synology + shield TV

    works for me.

  • DrDollar on 28/01/2016 - 13:48

    My advice: Future-proof!

    Don't get something that 'just' does what you want as you will likely be dissapointed or shopping for something else in the next 2 or 3 years. For example a RPi2 is great however lacks the ability to bitstream dts-hdma and TrueHD. It will soon fall further behind. Get something that is upgradable.

    I would suggest you build your own HTPC over a NUC to allow for expansion later on. You can build yourself an intel based i3 HTPC for less than $450. No necessity for a graphics card, the on-board intel HD gfx is plenty to decode hd video and audio or passthrough. If in future standards change and you find you need hardware decoding that your current CPU does not handle, then just buy a cheap graphics card and/or audio card to do the job.

    For your NAS: I cannot really comment as I have a custom-built server instead. If you are planning RAID5 however, then I would definitely recommend no less than WD REDs. Don't bother with cheaper drives - It is not unheard of to lose 2 drives near the same time (your first drive goes, then your second drive whilst the array is rebuilding).

    Just my 2c.

    • CLoSeR on 28/01/2016 - 15:00

      I agree that a NUC is more powerful than RPi2 however it is more than enough for most users at a fraction of the cost.

      I run REDS in my NAS; reliable quiet drive.

      • DrDollar on 28/01/2016 - 16:19

        Agreed - RPi2 is a great little chip, I use one in my bedroom. Just using it as an example to outline how important future-proofing can be. Those little chips are great for the price and can handle almost anything.

        But if you are after something with a bit more grunt and want it to play anything today and into the future, ideally a HTPC is the way to go if the budget permits. Otherwise a RPi2 would be a great buy.

        Also loving the WD REDs, no issues so far!

  • liuzhen on 28/01/2016 - 16:53

    HP N54L with 5x3tb WD Red's is what I'm running.
    It's stored away in the office doing its thing with Sonarr, Couchpotato and Sabnzbd installed. They grab my media and sort it into correct folders.

    Plex monitors these folders is used to stream to my Chromecast.
    Parents have a PS3 in the living room if they ever want to watch anything.

    It's also connected to a UPS and I have backed up all media to an 8tb archive drive I keep elsewhere (although it's not full so I'm not sure what to do from here).

    Hasn't failed me yet.

  • Idlebrain29 on 28/01/2016 - 17:22

    Have you look at http://xpenology.me/, it is synology software forked to run on pc.

    I had it running for on amd e-350 build for 4 yrs 24/7 with no issues running Sickbeard/sonnar, couchpotato and Sabnzbd

    For players I recommend android boxes as you can have different app on one player netflix/kodi/plex/bbc iplayer.

    Fire tv is good for 1080 and Nvidia shield if you want 10 bit and hevc

  • Praeto on 28/01/2016 - 17:46

    I have a DS415+ at home, and use an AppleTV with Plex for the streaming. Previous to the AppleTV, I used Raspberry Pi devices running a Plex frontend, which also worked perfectly.

  • Herbse on 28/01/2016 - 21:02

    I don't know if this is the route that would work for you.

    But I decided to combine my "nas" and htpc and made a single htpc with all my hard drives inside it. Using a low power consumption i3.
    I keep my htpc running 24/7 with three hard drives and an ssd. has been for over 2 years now, calculated the cost to be around $70 a year in electricity.

    Saved me from having to deal with servers and can use any interface/programs I like. Currently using plex desktop app And running sab

    Doesn't tick everyone's boxes, but it did for me

  • Jo5228 on 28/01/2016 - 21:53
    +1

    Everyone getting caught up in such high end solutions but I personally think a WD My Cloud would be suffice I bought my 2tb my cloud for $150 second hand. The drive is only a single slot but it has very a reliable WD red drive in it, but the unit does have a 3.0 usb port so I bought a 2tb dumb external drive for back ups for $99, and the MyCloud backs up/syncs everything onto it every 3 days. You need to remember that there is a difference between raid and a back up, in a raid situation if a raid controller dies or if you get ransom-ware you may be in alot trouble unlike a backup which is totally independent. So I basically have a 2tb fully backed up nas for only $250 I get read speeds of 45mb/s and writes of 30mb/s over AC wifi, which is more than enough for streaming 20gb ripped blu rays to mutiple clients around the home at the same time.

    I don't know how much power the drives use but the power adapters for both drives are rated at 1.5amps @ 12v and with some simple maths that means both drives (my cloud and back up drive) can draw a maximum of 32 watts but in reality the drives will never use close to that it'd be closer to 20w for both drives even during heavy use

    You could potentially have a 4tb fully backed up nas solution for under $500 with drives

    http://cplonline.com.au/wd-4tb-my-cloud-wdbctl0040hwt-aesn.h…

    My cloud 4tb $289
    +
    dumb 4tb back up drive $200 (obviously you can get a 4tb way cheaper if your tuned into ozbargain)

    4tb of fast, reliable, redundant, simple to set up storage for $489 including hard drives. Not bad

    As for media players, I would not suggest going the htpc route, Instead a smart blu ray player with multi codec support will automatically detect the my cloud and happily play just about anything. I have a modded Yamaha blu ray player that plays blu ray isos around (40gb) directly of the network, so i get full menus, audio and subtitle options as if playing a actual disc blu ray, very naughty but I own all the ripped content and this is for back up and convenience

    PLEASE NOTE. no matter how powerful your nas is, it wont matter if your router is crap or still the bundled shitbox ISP router, to get good speeds out of a nas you need a gigabit connection to it and to get decent WiFi transfers you need 802.11ac, many people shell out on a expensive nas and wonder why they have crap transfer speeds its because your still using the damn ISP router. sorry if this last bit came of as a rant but ive seen it way too much. Anyway good luck on your home media en devours!

  • leeroys_dad on 29/01/2016 - 05:05

    Haven't read all posts so sorry if this is unwanted, but I got fed up with nas or Android not working or WiFi dropping out so I use a laptop connected to TV via HDMI. Best thing ever. Serves as nas, easy to download movies to, it works, cheap, can take away on holidays easily. Food for thought

  • bowdo on 29/01/2016 - 08:47

    I am running a Buffalo Linkstation (4 bay), you can pick these up for $200-250.

    I have mine loaded with 4x3tb in raid 5, ends up with about 8TB usable. Transfer speeds are around 30Mb/s, plenty fast for my HD movies.

    No regrets, it's been humming away 24/7 for its third year now.

  • [Deactivated] on 29/01/2016 - 08:47

    Just sharing my experience. I have average technical knowledge (with some programming knowledge, good ability to google and execute terminal commands etc.). Using MacOS. I had Synology before and moved to Qnap recently. I miss synology now because of it's simpler interface and its compatibility with Mac. I think Qnap is better with windows but it has some annoying issues with Mac like having AFP and SMB connections that keep disconnecting, however it does have a good iScsi connection.

  • noramando on 29/01/2016 - 10:03

    Just a thought. Would it be best to have some objectives before making a decision on what hardware is required. Define and prioritise what you need most, then what other options you would like to have. Then select the hardware based on the list. It is the same as buying a house (4 bedrooms and 2 toilet is a must and swimming pool is an option). All discussions are about how powerful "my" system is rather than "is this what I need?"

    • Scumbag on 29/01/2016 - 12:05

      You don't need much grunt on a NAS to serve files to a media player (SMB/NFS/Plex/DLNA/Chromecast). Typically your dealing with < 10Mbps, unless you've got 4K or Blu-Ray rips.

      However it should be considered as a long term purchase. You're more likely to replace the disks to increase the storage capacity than replace a NAS.

      Also once you've got a NAS - some people will start taking advantage of other services it offers - for example IPCam recording, VPN server, DVR, iSCSI, Git repository, database, as opposed to the basic functions of file serving and backup.

      You also need to consider that when you're playing a video you don't want the stream to hiccough just because there's a backup running or that someone is copying files to/from the NAS.

      • noramando on 29/01/2016 - 15:23

        Agree 100%. Realistically more than 80% of functions are unused by standard users. With respect, may I say that all gurus in this forum are highly technical skilled. But then my misses is the kind that would not care or want to learn about this NAS things but be able to access the movies or TV shows from TV or any smart devices at her finger tip. Maybe an Android TV box and a hard disk is the best solution?

  • prinzw on 29/01/2016 - 11:51

    ok basically what I did is I "utilised" a old dell laptop, a old andorid phone and a chrome cast. Basically, i use the laptop as NAS and connect to the router with cable. then install the chrome cast to the TV (my one is not a smart TV), install the chrome cast and bs player free app on the android and connect both devices to the wifi. Then all you need to do is try to "streaming" your mobile displaying to the TV. All you need to pay is chrome cast ($49), a decent wireless router (N600+) if you dont have one and potentially a new harddrive if your old device does not have enough space….. I end up spent about $300 including all these three.

  • mmd on 29/01/2016 - 12:54

    Sorry to hijack this thread, but this looks like something I need.
    I don't understand terms such as Sickbeard, Kodi, FREENAS.
    Can someone kindly point me to the direction where I can learn more about NAS? (wikipedia was OK, but not in depth)

    I currently have a PC and a HDD connected that backsup through Windows 8 backup software.
    I screencast to my dumb TV via chromecast, but for videos that don't work, then I have to copy it over to a USB/ DVD (yeh real old school - lol)
    I got onto the free plex for PS3[https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/226298], but my main concern is there is no reliable backup option (if someone breaks in and swips both the PC and portable HDD then I'll be sad to lose the family photos)
    I would also like to take advantage of the off-peak data.

    cheers

    • Voldox on 29/01/2016 - 15:26

      First of all you should first off all backup your family photo's to the cloud with a website like OneDrive, Box.net, Google Drive, copy.com
      etc.

      Kodi you can watch files downloaded with a nice interface or stream shows and sports. I don't use sickbeard but I beleive it's a tool for letting you automatically download shows as they are released instead of manually.

      Freenas is software letting your PC/Server emulate a nas with redudancy via RAID.

      Feel free to correct me anyone:)

      If your using a PC / Laptop then I'd recommend at minumum buying an external drive and backuping important files to it inscase your hard drive dies. A NAS if setup correctly gives you a fault tolerence of 1 or 2 drives so if you have 5 hard drives and 1 dies you do not lose your data (But you have to replace the drive). A NAS with RAID is not a backup!!

      I was going to say that yes many of us have elaborate systems but a friend of mine just has an old laptop with 2 or 3 external drives as his plex server and streams via wireless to his tv and ipad. its a little slow but works fine for what he needs.

    • noramando on 29/01/2016 - 15:46
      -1

      NAS or similar will do all the things for you and more. BUT unless you are very technical skilled because one might be fiddling for 1 or 2 days and then call for technical support, back to forum to ask for help. Eventually either you hire a computer geek to setup for you OR regret and sell the NAS on eBay. My dumb idea is to get a good wifi modem router with a USB port (prefer USB 3.0). Get decent size of hard disc and plug it to the USB port. Bla, bla, bla… Now you have access to all files on your hard disc via your wifi modem router to computer, TV, smart devices and even PS3. Download a freeware backup software to your PC, and I suppose all your photos are stored in you local PC, and regulary backup your files/photos to another portable HDDs. The ONLY thing to remember is to take this HDD with you whenever you leave the house. Should there be anything I have missed or mistaken, I do not hold any responsibility. Any constructive comments are highly appreciated.

    • [Deactivated] on 29/01/2016 - 15:49

      Kodi - 10 feet interface program, similar to Windows Media Centre.

      FREENAS - A Linux (well BSD) based operating system designed to turn your PC into a NAS

      Sickbeard - Just as it describe itself, an Internet PVR. It update its database using a newsfeed, and download the latest episodes of subscribed shows when they're released automatically

    • Scumbag on 29/01/2016 - 15:59

      Just adding to Voldox's response.

      Having a NAS makes it easier to do backup. Effectively this is because it makes you organise your important files in one place, instead of being spread across multiple desktop/laptops and in a variety of directories.

      The "N" in NAS stands for Network, and basically networking means that multiple "users" can access the content. Even if there's just one person living in your house, each device (laptop, phone, TV) is potentially using the content. If your files are just on a non-networked computer, then you have to be in-front of that computer to access the files.

      Now there's no reason why you can't use a PC to share files over a network (or do any of the other functions) - and that is the route that many people take. Effectively a NAS is just a computer without a monitor attached.

  • MrFunSocks on 29/01/2016 - 16:38

    I have a Synology DS414j with 4x3TB drives, and use an Amazon Fire TV Stick with Kodi to stream all my media. Works absolutely brilliantly, and the FireTV Stick is powered by the TVs USB so doesn't need a power point spot. I've had a Raspberry Pi, Amazon FireTV, AppleTV, Celeron NUC, and Amazon FireTV Stick, and chose to stick with the FireTV Stick for its great compact remote, performance, and USB power.

    I also have an i5 NUC that runs Plex and manages SickBeard/Couch Potato/Headphones/SABNZBD (all but Couch Potato and Plex Server are installed on the NAS however) and that I can RDP into. I could just use this as my media player, but I find the FireTV Stick much easier and less prone to crashes etc.

  • mousie on 29/01/2016 - 19:20

    I'm just using my Samsung note 4 with bubble upnp, which transcodes fine to my fetch tv. Why do we insist on keeping large arrays of hard drives full of blu ray rips.. Do you go back to your content all the time?

  • jinkhaos on 09/02/2016 - 22:05

    I've got a Synology DS215 last year, don't really use it for streaming videos but its great for storing files and accessing them remotely! Love the VPN and file sharing links (saves me from getting a dropbox subscription). Still haven't quite figured out how the mail server works though..

  • Grubsy on 17/02/2016 - 12:32

    I got the Synology DS1515+ (5 bay) mid last year. Has been awesome! Was considering the DS1815+ (8 bay) but decided the 5 bay would force me to upgrade my hard drives more regularly instead of ending up really old drives with higher chance of failure. Would have ideally loved a 6 bay if they made one.

    I just run all single disks (no raid). Just want max capacity. 2 x WD Green 4TB, 1 x WD Red 4TB, 2 x Seagate Archive 8TB. Everything I care about is duplicated on my mates Synology and highly important things are backed on my PC and in the Cloud.

    Playback is via a Dell OptiPlex 9020 Micro on my main TV and Raspberry Pi 2's on the other TVs (all running Kodi/OpenElec with the MySQL database on the Synology)

    Also run Sonarr, SABnzbd+, CouchPotato, Transmission, & Surveillance Station on the Synology.

    Last time I checked my Telstra Cable Modem, Apple AirPort Extreme & the Synology with 5 drives was using 65W

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