NAS or Similar for Plex

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  killabob on 11/01/2017 - 22:28

  +1

  F ☺
  In the same boat

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  Rumbaar on 11/01/2017 - 22:49

  $250 isn't going to get you much in regards to a PLEX capable NAS.

  Laptop and a WdCload NAS (could get a 2GB for around $250) would work though, and minor UPS capabilities with a backup battery for the laptop. But also could have USB connected drives (cheaper) attached to your laptop. Though not much saving on running costs, if power an issue.

  Slightly related, have you been running PLEX long and have you looked at the likes of EMBY? When I compared, EMBY had most of the options you need a PLex Pass for included in their free version. Just a suggestion.

  Currently I'm looking at a QNAP TS-453A-4G with 4 x 4TB drives, but you're looking at at least $1700 for that setup. But you can run the EMBY server from the NAS itself, but I have a dedicated Media PC for that.

  • 

    CyberMurning on 11/01/2017 - 23:13

    Correct. Nas isn't cheap especially synology and qnap. Cheaper options are the micro server I think from HP, quite popular here.

    • 

      Rumbaar on 12/01/2017 - 08:20

      You're still looking at around $200-250 just for the HP Micro server, then you'll need to built it with the missing hardware.

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  CyberMurning on 11/01/2017 - 23:07

  Emby never heard thank you I will Google it.
  I have synology and plex but didn't pay for plex pass yet.

  Edit
  OK looks like I can install emby server into synology, but how to install the emby player into my LG TV? For comparison, Lg TV has plex player built in.

  By the way I have chromecast.

  • 

    Rumbaar on 12/01/2017 - 08:22

    Yes, that's one of the only issues with current TV's no native EMBY apps. You can caste to it, or use the built in web browsers to access the app.emby.media interface. That is a HTML5 interface.

    • 

      CyberMurning on 12/01/2017 - 08:33

      i see. actually by googling i found some reading about someone starting to build playz, emby client for LG tvs. or i will just cast
      if the features are just like plex with pass, then i might switch over

      • 

        Rumbaar on 12/01/2017 - 08:36

        I've been using EMBY (was previously called MediaBrowser) for years, and I too miss the app integration PLEX has in a lot of legacy devices. But when I looked, all the features I currently take for granted in EMBY you need a Plex pass for. So if you're not too invested in PLEX, give it a look.

        I've gotten a 'lifetime' license for EMBY, which adds access to addition addons and features. But it's not a must for most users.

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        CyberMurning on 12/01/2017 - 08:40

        @Rumbaar: my only issue with plex is i cant watch contents on my ipad (only the first 10 sec or so) without paying plexpass

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        Rumbaar on 12/01/2017 - 08:43

        @dragonindespair: I have the EMBY player on my iPad, and I'm sure it was free, and not limited in playback functionality. But it is the worse EMBY experience of all the devices I use to play EMBY on. I think Apple iOS and codec support is the issue there.

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  shrek4 on 11/01/2017 - 23:17

  With a NAS you need to watch out for specifications so that a NAS does what you want.
  I found the cheaper ones couldn't transcode on the fly which meant steaming to an iPad would be an issue.

  The more expensive ones with a good processor and memory were ok.

  At the moment I'm sticking to my PC as the server.

  On a side note I bought a WD Passport Pro which is a 3TB Wireless HDD which has a plex server built in. Works well. We recently took it to Japan with us on a 3 week holiday. Was great on the high speed train myself and both kids streaming to their iPads. Only issue is before we left we had to optimise the content for mobile devices which was easy but a bit time consuming.

  This is where I bought mine, although didn't realise it would be a grey import.
  https://www.camerasky.com.au/wd-my-passport-wireless-pro-3tb…

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  trustnoone on 12/01/2017 - 05:10

  I got the HP Microserver Gen8 G1610T (from information here) which has gone down to about 260ish on sale I think, you will probably have to wait for a sale again though:
  https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/hp-microserver-gen8-g16…

  Works perfect for me, get about a single 1080p transcode I'm pretty sure, has space for 4 harddrives (I think 12tb max?) anyway might be worth checking out, might be more flexible then most NAS though of course you probably won't get as much energy saving.

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  elcheapodeniro on 12/01/2017 - 07:44

  If you dont need to transcode, then this could be the cheapest option with a Seagate Personal Cloud. Runs Plex, comes in various sizes & available jb hifi & office works etc.

  Just be wary of 1080 to chromecast ver1 on wifi is pushing its limits of bandwidth.

  Check out Lon's video review :-)
  https://youtu.be/rqfAnH-5xcE

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  abb on 12/01/2017 - 08:14

  Do you need to transcode?
  If not, your old laptop is probably fine, and likely to use less power than a desktop.

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  Ryanek on 12/01/2017 - 09:52

  Find yourself a Synology DS214 PLAY. Transcodes files and has Plex support. I have mine on 24x7 and has never skipped a beat.

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  TimApple on 13/01/2017 - 11:15

  Just a note that your PC does not even amount up to $20 of electricity per year (unless you have a very big honking server using 150 Watt CPU).

  Laptops, especially ultraportables are only $10 or less.

  iPhones or iPads, only $2-5 to power them the entire year.

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  looks on 19/02/2017 - 17:51

  Looking for a microserver deal but these ebay deals recently don't seem to cover them..

  Best deal seems to be https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/270596 but warehouse1 rep doesn't seem to reply to my messages asking for a repeat of this deal :\