Awesome videos! My first NAS, for home server for all important docs, family photos and videos from all sources - scanned, digital cameras and camcorders, cell phones, starting to digitize old VHS-C home videos. I assemble collections and slideshows of vacations, etc., just starting some simple video editing for this purpose. Needing HDMI capability to connect and watch on TV. Noise may be a consideration since it will be right there. Would want to be accessible to family members in other locations to view, would want to restrict access to invited people only, further restrict access to financial docs to my wife and self. Current data is about 1TB but expecting to grow, especially videos. I am thinking 2 bay in RAID 1 config, with some backup ability (external drive? not excited about cloud). $500 is NAS only, might stretch a little, realize I need disks also, would consider SSD. Thank you!
Based on your needs, a 2-bay NAS with RAID 1 configuration is a good choice. In terms of noise level, you can look for NAS models that have a "quiet mode" or "fan speed control" feature to reduce the noise level during low usage.
For your requirement of HDMI connectivity, you may want to consider the QNAP TS-253D or TS-251D, which both have HDMI outputs and support 4K video playback. However, they are slightly above your budget range, so you may want to consider the DS220+ or DS720+ from Synology, which are both solid options for your use case, but do not have HDMI output.
In terms of backup, you can consider setting up a backup schedule to an external hard drive connected to the NAS or using cloud backup services such as Synology C2, Backblaze, or Amazon S3.
For remote access, you can set up a VPN server on the NAS or use Synology's QuickConnect feature to access the NAS securely over the internet. To restrict access to certain folders, you can set up user accounts and assign permissions to specific folders.
In terms of storage, traditional hard drives are more cost-effective, but if you're willing to spend more, you can consider using SSDs for faster performance. However, keep in mind that SSDs have a higher cost per gigabyte compared to HDDs.
Overall, the DS220+ or DS720+ from Synology with traditional hard drives in RAID 1 configuration and an external backup drive can provide a reliable and efficient solution for your needs.