Tax Time - I Want to Buy a NAS but Which One???

bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 01:56

Hey all as it's tax time I thought I'd invest in a NAS to store all my files, have a backup and I mainly want to be able to stream movies to my Panasonic smart TV via the Apple TV…The other problem is that there is a lag with the sound when using my Mac and Apple TV, which I haven't figured out yet. I've never had a NAS before and I've only done a little bit of research so go easy on me.

So I'm thinking a QNAP or Synology but for the price difference and the power of the QNAP I'm leaning that way.

I'm down to the QNAP TS-231 with 512mb RAM 1.2GHz for $289 or get the QNAP TS-251 1GB RAM 2.41GHz for $389. I can afford the 251 but the wife doesn't want me spending that unless it will definitely do what I want it to do. If the 231 will stream movies to the TV via the QNAP apps or even Plex, then that will do for me.

Where I am also confused is that the 231 does transcoding (don't understand that either) offline but the 251 does real-time transcoding? So do I need real-time transcoding to stream movies??

Thanks in advance to any advice you feel is appropriate :)

Computing

Comments

  • AdrianW on 12/06/2015 - 02:26

    For the real-time transcoding on a Qnap you'll have to use the Qnap apps, which you probably won't want to use.

    You only need transcoding if your TV can't play your content natively - try playing stuff from a USB stick, if it can play those then transcoding is not required (avoiding transcoding is always best when everything is in the home). If you're using your Apple TV then I'd expect that should be able of playing nearly all content natively.

    Don't forget to factor in the cost of drives (the bigger the better).

    • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 10:20

      Ahhhh good to know thanks. We use a USB now but it's a pain and I wanted to play the movies stored on the NAS using iPhone, iPad or Mac.

      I'm concerned that if the Mac can't stream movies to the TV via Apple TV then can the NAS do it better?

  • DaveB on 12/06/2015 - 08:33

    Synology is where it's at mate. For a home application you'd just need a 2 bay job.

    • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 10:12

      Yeah that's what I thought until I read this blog:

      The Best NAS for Most Home Users

      • DaveB on 12/06/2015 - 10:47

        Every QNAP I've come across has an issue where it fills up and then simply stops responding, the only way to clean it up is to get QNAP support involved. Even trying to clear files using the shell doesn't work.

        • Lord Fart Bucket on 14/06/2015 - 10:50

          This. I have had QNAP stall because the system log filled up… only way to fix it was telnet in delete it. If you're not an expert user, might be a bit daunting.

  • 01011010 on 12/06/2015 - 09:11
    +1

    +1 for the synology NAS devices, just make sure to get something that ends in 15 where possible to get the latest model.
    https://www.synology.com/en-global/products/DS215j

  • AdrianW on 12/06/2015 - 09:32
    +1

    I can see no reason to favour Synology over Qnap - they both provide the same features. And Qnap's build quality is generally higher (metal vs plastic on the higher end models).

    Two bays is a reasonable starting point - but with two bays using redundancy (to protect against data loss due to drive failure) you'll lose 50% of your drive space (e.g. use two 4TB drives and you'll only have 4TB of space available). With four bays you can use RAID 5 and you'll still have protected data and only lose 25% of the space (e.g. 4 x 4TB drives = 12TB of space).

    • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 10:16

      Glad I'm not the only one leaning to the QNAP. It also has more RAM on the models I compared.

      Yeah I know 4 bays would be better but we don't download that much and don't have time to watch that many movies anyway.

    • 01011010 on 12/06/2015 - 12:53

      how about price? is a $40 saving worth it? just looking at the Synology DS215j vs the QNAP TS-231?

      • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 13:10

        That's the part I'm not sure on…When you compare those 2 models the QNAP has dual core 1.2GHz and Synology is 800MHz (single core?) 512MB. So is it worth spending $50 more (looking at the best price locally) to get a faster NAS?

        When I compare the next models up the QNAP is definitely better value for money…QNAP TS-251 Intel Celeron Dual-core 2.41GHz 1GB RAM for $389 or pay more for less GHz for the Synology dual core DS214+ 1.33GHz 1GB RAM for $449. The other Synology that is more comparable but half the RAM of the QNAP is the Synology dual core DS214 1.066GHz 512MB RAM for $379.

        PS all these prices I'm getting are from Austin Computers which is the cheapest place I found locally.

        • 01011010 on 12/06/2015 - 13:49

          Nah, the Synology DS215j is a dual core MARVELL Armada 375.

          Static ice is your friend - just put your product into www.staticice.com.au and see what pops out, it will give you a good indication of price
          although if you can get the QNAP TS-251 for $389, then its a great deal. Obviously its just a pricing website and doesn't show stock.

        • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 14:13

          @01011010: Ah cheers, should have checked the Synology website for the correct information :)

          Thanks for that I had a look at Static Ice and yeah the TS-251 is a great price.

          Now the question is will the Synology DS215j play movies on the Panasonic TV??? If Apple TV is not working well via my Mac with the movie stored on the HDD, then I'm not sure how the NAS would improve that?? Ideally I'd like to connect the NAS to the Wifi as I would imagine transferring files would be faster.

          The only option that I know would work is plugging the NAS into the TV which would mean the TS-251 as it has HDMI.

        • 01011010 on 12/06/2015 - 14:26
          +1

          @billybob1978:

          i have a Panasonic TV and i use a Synology DS415+ to play via Plex. in fact the tv and the synology are connected via wifi, and it still works flawlessly.

        • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 14:32

          @01011010: Ah nice one good to know. I thought it would be a case of get the better model (usually safer to do that anyway). Do you use Apple TV to push it to the TV or does Plex do that for you?

        • 01011010 on 12/06/2015 - 16:22
          +1

          @billybob1978: no Apple TV, the Panasonic has smart tv functionality, and can play DLNA with Plex as the source.
          Its not the prettiest interface, but it works.

        • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 17:00

          @01011010: good to know, yeah I don't care what it looks like as long as it works. I forgot to mention that I did run Plex Server through the Mac and there was a delay in the audio. Same thing happened with the Apple TV…I'm starting to think it could be my wifi?!?!

  • roiboi123 on 12/06/2015 - 09:56

    i have this one Asustor 202-te which has 1gb Ram and an atom chip. I've run plex on it before but found it was better (snappier) to install the plex server on a PC and stream via that to get more transcoding power for FullHD movies. It also has HDMI output so you can connect it straight to your tv and run the XBMC app and not worry about transcoding. You can also attach a wifi adapter and wireless keyboard/mouse so it can live in the lounge. i chose to connect it directly to the router/switch though to get more throughput as my router is only wireless N. I run it in Raid-1 and also sync the drives to an external HDD monthly and leave at my in-laws house as disaster recovery.

    • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 10:17

      That looks and sounds good for the price too. Thanks just made my decision even harder :p

  • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 14:43
    +1

    Just came across this great deal but would it stream movies onto the Panasonic TV via Apply TV or Plex???

    Netgear 4 Bay ReadyNas 104 Gigabit NAS Unit PN RN10400 $229 FREE DELIVERY - a dream deal for an OzBargainer :)

    • 01011010 on 12/06/2015 - 16:23

      i haven't used the DLNA function on the Netgear, but if it says it does DLNA then it should work.

      • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 17:05

        Should being the key word :)

  • halfnhalf71 on 12/06/2015 - 15:06
    +1

    I bought a Syno 215j back in Feb after MUCH toing and froing between that the QNAP TS-251 and the Asustor 202-te.
    I am very happy and use it to stream HD movies to my DNLA Samsung TV via the Syno DS Video app on my phone and tablet. Sometimes when I can't stream direct to the TV (due to format) I just selct my Chromecast which is hooked up to the TV too and so far I have been able to play every format between the 2 of them.
    I can't comment on the other 2 options because I haven't used them but i'm happy with the myriad of features that are simple to use on my Syno.
    AdrianW makes a VERY good point about losing 50% of your storage. The same will happen with the Cloud backup option turned on so make sure to turn it OFF!

    • bobwokeup on 12/06/2015 - 15:44

      Oh no kidding that is what I wanted to hear. It's $150 cheaper than the TS-251 which is good. Although the Synology site says the 215j transcoding is N/A for Chromecast and AppleTV (for me), so how do you play HD movies?

      • halfnhalf71 on 15/06/2015 - 08:46

        I don't believe the cheaper Syno's or any cheap NAS for that matter will have decent or any transcoding worth anything which is why I use the chromecast or TV for that. So i use the DS Video app, find a movie or tv show i want to watch, then click on the stream over WI-Fi option and my DLNA TV, Chromecast and now my Tronsmart MK908ii (on a second tv) all come up as options to stream to. Has worked without fail so far…touch wood.

    • 01011010 on 12/06/2015 - 16:24

      how come you use the Syno DS Video app and not plex? Plex has some good functions like working out if you've watched the video or not (great when you want to watch a series over a period of time).

      • halfnhalf71 on 15/06/2015 - 08:43

        Plex isn't supported on the 215j (or it wasn't when i looked back in Feb) but since then i haven't bothered looking because the Synology DS Video app has worked just fine for me. It also shows if you've watched something or not or have only partially watched it, groups movies, tv-shows, auto-finds covers, etc so does what i need.

  • ficklelife on 13/06/2015 - 17:16

    +1 synology. I have ds412+ that I upgraded the ram on (just a new dimm) and its been great. Ds apps on iPhone are good and great safari and chrome extensions for download station. Docker support now too.

  • [Deactivated] on 13/06/2015 - 19:50

    +1 for Synology. However the older one which I have does not allow me to run a Plex server on it. The newer version would have the processing power to do so. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with it.

  • T1OOO on 13/06/2015 - 20:16

    Lol. This isn't how tax works mate ….. Unless it's under $300

  • lplau on 13/06/2015 - 22:28

    Surprised that nobody has mentioned MicroServer lol.

    Also it isn't how Tax works, if you buy it now, firstly you will need to depreciate it (unless its less than $300), and can only claim partial (if you depreciate over 4 yrs, you can only claim the first year).

    Also you can only claim like 2 weeks of the first year, since you can only claim the time you held ownership of the items.
    Most people won't even bother and just claim it for next FY…

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 14/06/2015 - 10:48

    I owned a QNAP TS-210 first, bought a Synology DS211j after. I found the synology more intuitive. QNAP development of their OS seem to have stalled quite a bit.
    A couple of years later i bought a Synology DS1812+. The DS211j went to my dad who is loving it. In contrast, the QNAPs power unit has failed. It is currently used as a door stop. I cannot recommend Synology enough. Good product, good support and frequent updates to their OS and apps.

    The apps exisit for Android, iOS and there are some apps for Samsung TV, etc.

  • droodle on 17/06/2015 - 11:07

    What do you mean .. Its tax time .. Can you write it off ??

    • bobwokeup on 18/06/2015 - 09:43

      Only because I store all my documents on there. Don't know what percentage I'll get back but I'll get something.

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