NAS for media server

[voodoo7817]

I wish I had it too! If my order is cancelled (not anticipating it, but it's possible), I'm not quite sure what I would do.

The top chart on this page from Anandtech's review of the 415+ compares the HD Video playback performance of the 415+ and the TS-451: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8659/synology-ds415-review-dsm-on-intel-rangeley/3. The 415+ looks to have a slight edge on the 451, but it's really close and in real world performance I think the devices will stream very similarly. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a review that explicitly compares the transcoding abilities of the two machines.

Edited to add: FWIW, I found this quote in the conclusion of that 415+ review: "Pretty much the only downside from a home consumer perspective is the absence of a hardware transcoding engine for media-centric applications. Though many multimedia apps can be installed on the DS415+, media enthusiasts are advised to go for the Synology DS415play or QNAP TS-x51 if power-efficient media serving is a primary use-case." They don't elaborate as to the reason why, but one might imagine it's because they are better at transcoding. But I haven't been able to track down any explicit clear evidence of that.

My guess is that while each machine has small but real pros and cons, either machine is a good option for our needs (or is woefully inadequate), which is why it's a hard choice. I was able to use price as another factor, as the deal I got on the TS-451 was really good. Unfortunately, that deal isn't available which makes the decision a little harder. At the current ~$100 difference in price ($500 vs $600), the 415+ might be the better option.

 

[Spungo]

I was curious to see what it would cost to build a ghetto file server. I might as well post this instead of looking it up and not sharing it with anyone.

CPU and mobo: $50
-4 SATA slots
-1 PCIe slot so you can add 4 more SATA slots in the future
-2 RAM slots, 16GB max

I already have a spare case and spare RAM, so that would be the end of my costs! I would totally buy that if I needed a second file server.

Case with PSU: $40
Memory: $59 for 8gb

Total: $149 + shipping + tax

I'm not quite sure I understand this transcoding thing. Why would something need to be transcoded?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I was curious to see what it would cost to build a ghetto file server. I might as well post this instead of looking it up and not sharing it with anyone.

CPU and mobo: $50
-4 SATA slots
-1 PCIe slot so you can add 4 more SATA slots in the future
-2 RAM slots, 16GB max

I already have a spare case and spare RAM, so that would be the end of my costs! I would totally buy that if I needed a second file server.

Case with PSU: $40
Memory: $59 for 8gb

Total: $149 + shipping + tax

I'm not quite sure I understand this transcoding thing. Why would something need to be transcoded?

If the format/size as its stored is not compatible with or is too big for the playback device. (Say, you've got a server full of blu-ray rips and Flash videos, but your playback device is an iPhone.)

Transcoding allows you to store a single high quality version of the media (the disc rip) and feed your playback devices whatever they want.

 

[voodoo7817]

If you're comfortable with your file server being the size of an ATX case, then that is definitely an option. You'd also have to figure out and maintain a software solution for backups, mobile access, etc, which would take time and/or money. I think FreeNAS seems to be people's favorite cheap/free option but I think it's very fair to say the 'App ecosystem' isn't as developed as Synology or QNAP. To me, the small form factor of the COTS NAS devices along with their easy to use software packages are worth the $150-200 premium over using a self-build.

Transcoding comes into play when the display device you want to play your content on (let's say a Smart TV as an example) doesn't have the codec necessary to play a file on your server. The server will then have to transcode that content into a format that the display device can play. Depending on the bitrate of the video, it can take a fair amount of CPU power to transcode. For some, this isn't an issue, but it can become as issue if the bitrate on the streaming file is very large and/or multiple people are trying to stream videos at the same time. If your display device has the codec installed, no transcoding is needed. It's worth noting that I think most people stream videos with common codecs, but those who are interested in NAS with strong transcoding abilities want to make sure that all of their videos will be able to be streamed to all of their devices without any playback issues.

 

[Spungo]

If you're comfortable with your file server being the size of an ATX case

It needs to be that size if you want 8 hard drives in it

You'd also have to figure out and maintain a software solution for backups

My server uses a program called StableBit Drivepool. It's the best $20 you can spend. Apparently it does something that Windows Home Server could do, but MS mysteriously dropped this awesome feature despite it being awesome.
https://stablebit.com/
-Multiple drives are pooled together to look like 1 drive. I always hated trying to keep track of multiple drives.
-Folders or files can be set to have more than 1 copy floating around. For example, my documents and pictures are on at least 3 drives at one time. I won't stress out if one drive dies.

mobile access

Remote Desktop is the best :thumbsup:
I will never buy a Home version of Windows again. Remote Desktop is a killer app. If you don't have a Pro version of Windows, you can use VNC instead. VNC works, but it's a lot slower, it doesn't feel right, it doesn't support concurrent logins. Linux has some pretty good remote shell and remote X stuff, but you need to be a bit of a Linux pro to do it.

which would take time and/or money

Only $20, but yes it would require time.

but those who are interested in NAS with strong transcoding abilities want to make sure that all of their videos will be able to be streamed to all of their devices without any playback issues.

Fair enough. I don't fully appreciate the difficulty of transcoding. It probably won't work well on a $50 CPU/mobo.