Synology

[Enquiries]

Is the Synology 1221+ capable of transcoding? If not, what can I use to transcode with the 1221? I plan to use Plex and am running the UDM SE for my server.

[ed]

The Synology DS1221+ does not have hardware transcoding capabilities. However, it can still handle software transcoding, but it will rely heavily on the CPU. Software transcoding can work fine for lower resolutions or if you're only transcoding occasionally, but it may struggle with 4K content, especially if you need high-performance transcoding.

If transcoding is a critical feature for you, you might want to consider the Synology DS920+ or DS423+, both of which include hardware transcoding support via the Intel CPU and are more efficient for Plex media streaming.

Alternatively, if you're set on the DS1221+, you could offload the transcoding task to a more capable machine in your network (like a PC or dedicated server), or use a third-party transcoding solution.