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Hello, I'm new to this, and I'm looking to buy my first NAS device. The synology products interest me a ton because of the out of the box solution without having to configure a ton with my own custom server. I love their app / docker capability. So, I'm leaning towards those.
I'm mainly using this NAS as a media server that I'd like to get the highest possible quality of video / audio from. I'd also like to use it for some data storage and running of game servers. I'm running into some confusion / uncertainty.
I am seeing a lot of info about probably needing to buy a mini PC to server the data. Are there any synology solutions that would allow me to just get the NAS? If I do need a mini PC to server the media, do I just connect that device through HDMI to my tv, then connect to the NAS from it? Would I not be able to use a remote?
Thanks for the help!
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If you’re looking for 4K transcoding, a NAS with a dedicated hardware transcoding chip is essential. At a bare minimum, an Intel Celeron-based NAS, like the Synology DS423+ or QNAP TS-464, will handle hardware-accelerated transcoding using Intel Quick Sync. However, for higher quality and smoother playback, a NAS with an Intel i5, i7, or i9 CPU, like the QNAP TVS-h74 series (TVS-h874, TVS-h674), would be a much better long-term investment.
That said, if you’re primarily direct playing media (without transcoding), you can connect any NAS to a Nvidia Shield TV, Apple TV, or a NUC PC running Plex/Kodi, which will handle the decoding on the client side. This setup eliminates the need for a high-power NAS and allows you to use a more affordable option while still getting high-quality video/audio.
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04-10-2025, 04:43 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-14-2025, 01:19 AM by AlvinMonroe.)
(02-14-2025, 05:20 PM)ed Wrote: If you’re looking for 4K transcoding, a NAS with a dedicated hardware transcoding chip is essential. At a bare minimum, an Intel Celeron-based NAS, like the Synology DS423+ or QNAP TS-464, will handle hardware-accelerated transcoding using Intel Quick Sync. However, for higher quality and smoother playback, a NAS with an Intel i5, i7, or i9 CPU Drift Boss, like the QNAP TVS-h74 series (TVS-h874, TVS-h674), would be a much better long-term investment.
That said, if you’re primarily direct playing media (without transcoding), you can connect any NAS to a Nvidia Shield TV, Apple TV, or a NUC PC running Plex/Kodi, which will handle the decoding on the client side. This setup eliminates the need for a high-power NAS and allows you to use a more affordable option while still getting high-quality video/audio.
Yes, a NAS with a dedicated hardware transcoding chip is required, to be able to overcome this problem!
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(02-14-2025, 05:20 PM)ed Wrote: If you’re looking for 4K transcoding, a NAS with a dedicated hardware transcoding chip is essential. At a bare minimum, an Intel Celeron-based NAS, like the Synology DS423+ or QNAP TS-464, will handle hardware-accelerated transcoding using Intel Quick Sync. However, for higher quality and smoother subway surfers playback, a NAS with an Intel i5, i7, or i9 CPU, like the QNAP TVS-h74 series (TVS-h874, TVS-h674), would be a much better long-term investment.
That said, if you’re primarily direct playing media (without transcoding), you can connect any NAS to a Nvidia Shield TV, Apple TV, or a NUC PC running Plex/Kodi, which will handle the decoding on the client side. This setup eliminates the need for a high-power NAS and allows you to use a more affordable option while still getting high-quality video/audio. I got it, thanks for sharing!
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(02-14-2025, 05:20 PM)ed Wrote: If you’re looking for 4K transcoding, a NAS with a dedicated hardware transcoding chip is essential. At a bare minimum, an Intel Celeron-based NAS, like the Synology DS423+ or QNAP TS-464, will handle hardware-accelerated transcoding using Intel Quick Sync. However, for higher quality and smoother Incredibox playback, a NAS with an Intel i5, i7, or i9 CPU, like the QNAP TVS-h74 series (TVS-h874, TVS-h674), would be a much better long-term investment.
That said, if you’re primarily direct playing media (without transcoding), you can connect any NAS to a Nvidia Shield TV, Apple TV, or a NUC PC running Plex/Kodi, which will handle the decoding on the client side. This setup eliminates the need for a high-power NAS and allows you to use a more affordable option while still getting high-quality video/audio.
It helped me better understand NAS options that fit my needs!
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