Media through Home Assistant

[Enquiries]

Currently have PLEX running through HomeAssistant as an Add-On , on a NUC testing it out as a proof of concept and seems to be working flawlessly. The NUC is capable of any hosting and transcoding necessary. My starter storage to run this test is quickly running out and looking to add either DAS or NAS for the media storage.
Pre-made systems are good but I am also not against building a system, but would need a recommended parts list. Any insight you guys have got would be greatly appreciated. Stumbled across your YouTube and have been slowly consuming all of it.

[ed]

It’s great to hear that your Plex setup running through Home Assistant on the NUC is working well! Now, as you’re running out of storage, you’ve got a few options when it comes to expanding: DAS (Direct Attached Storage) or NAS (Network Attached Storage). Let me walk you through both options to help you decide and offer some recommendations.

Option 1: NAS (Network Attached Storage)
A NAS is a more flexible solution if you're looking for centralized storage that can be accessed over your network. Since you’re running Plex through Home Assistant, a NAS will allow you to easily manage and stream your media across multiple devices.

Here are a few options you can consider:

Synology DS923+: A great option for Plex users. It has 4 bays, supports 12-16TB drives (expandable with DX517), and has hardware transcoding support for Plex. It’s a solid, reliable NAS with lots of apps and integrations available for media management, security, and automation.
QNAP TS-453D: This NAS also has 4 bays, supports up to 64GB RAM, and is powerful enough for Plex transcoding. The QTS operating system is user-friendly and offers lots of app support.
ASUSTOR AS5304T: A 4-bay NAS with a good balance of performance and cost, suitable for Plex media streaming and general storage.
For drives, I’d recommend starting with 12-16TB drives like Seagate IronWolf Pro or WD Red Plus for long-term reliability. You can get started with a couple of 12TB drives and expand as needed.

Option 2: DAS (Direct Attached Storage)
If you prefer something more straightforward and local to your NUC, DAS might be the right choice. This is essentially an external storage solution that connects directly to your computer (usually via USB or Thunderbolt).

You could look into something like:

OWC ThunderBay 4: A great DAS option that supports 4 drives (up to 16TB each). It’s a little more expensive but offers excellent speed, especially if you use Thunderbolt 3.
TerraMaster D5-300C: A more affordable DAS option, supporting up to 5 drives and offering decent performance for media storage.
While DAS won’t give you networked storage, it’s simpler to set up, and if your NUC can handle the throughput, it might be a good fit for media storage.

Building a Custom Storage Server
If you’re inclined to build your own storage solution, you could go for something like:

Case: Fractal Design Node 804 (good airflow and space for multiple drives).
Motherboard: ASUS TUF B450-Plus (or similar) for solid I/O and expansion.
CPU: Ryzen 5 5600G (powerful but efficient).
RAM: 16GB DDR4 (you can add more if needed).
Drives: Seagate IronWolf Pro or WD Red Plus for storage. Start with 12-16TB and scale up.
Power Supply: Corsair RM550x (for reliable power).
Cooling: Be quiet! Pure Rock 2 (low noise, solid performance).
This custom build will give you ultimate control and flexibility, especially if you want to expand beyond typical NAS systems.