NAs advice

[Enquiries]

Hello,

I'm looking for a cost effective NAS that will act as a 4k film server for a media player. The media player is powerful and no transcoding is needed, just the storage of the films on a networked server. I won't be using it for VMs or any other extensive uses, just a plain film server.
I'd like a 4 or 5 bay unit networked with ethernet rather than USB. My current library (on various external HDDs) is around 15TB or so. It seems 8TB is a good price/space region so I will need 4-5 disks for adequate storage. Any particular NAS HDD to go for? Would use RAID 5.
The Synology DS1522+ does tick all the boxes but is expensive and seems overkill for what I need. Terramaster looked less overkill but they seem to do more USB stuff than network. and generally are limited to a 4 bay. Not sure now much RAM I need for 4k streaming. Is 2GB enough? If so, the F4-210(2GB) looked cheap but can't upgrade the RAM. Basically looking for one step up from JBOD!

Thanks for any advice!

BW

Ryan

[ed]

Thanks for reaching out! Based on what you’ve shared, it sounds like you’re looking for a NAS that’s reliable and straightforward, perfect for 4K film storage and streaming without needing transcoding. Let’s break down your options.

1. TerraMaster NAS:
TerraMaster offers good hardware at a lower price point, which is why they can be appealing. However, one downside is that their software isn’t as polished or reliable as some of the more established brands like Synology or QNAP. If you're mainly looking for something that's going to run smoothly out of the box with minimal hassle, you might run into some frustrations with TerraMaster’s software.

2. Synology and QNAP:
Both Synology and QNAP are known for their reliability and strong software ecosystems. They have user-friendly interfaces and a wide range of features that make managing your media and other files easier. With either of these brands, you’ll get better support and more frequent updates, which means fewer headaches in the long run.

3. Hardware Considerations:
Since your media player doesn’t need transcoding, pretty much any modern NAS will do the job of streaming 4K films effectively. However, I’d recommend going for models with upgradable RAM. Starting with 2GB of RAM is fine for now, especially since your use case is straightforward. But having the option to upgrade in the future will give you more flexibility if your needs change or if you decide to run additional applications.

https://nascompares.com/nas-builder/