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NAS RN212 - HD1080P streaming?
I am trying to decide between purchasing a NAS RNS202 and RN212. They seem to be very similar in lot of ways but one of the main differences I see on the netgear website is that the RN 212 has the c...
Nigelgf wrote:
Is 1080p streaming and real-time transcoding something different?
real-time transcoding is a variation on normal streaming.
With traditional streaming, the original HD content (audio and video) is simply sent to the client. If the audio isn't something the client can play, then there is no audio. If the network can't carry the 1080p video, the video stutters and stalls.
Real-time transcoding is something plex does to resolve those issues. If the client can't play the audio in the file, then plex will convert the audio to something it can play. And if the video takes too much bandwidth, then plex will convert it to a lower resolution and quality level. Converting the video in real-time puts a significant load on the CPU. The RN212's ability to do real-time transcoding is spec'ed at converting one 1080p stream to SD - which is generally ok if you are watching on a tablet or phone while away from home.
Commercial streaming handles bandwidth issues a different way. Multiple quality levels are saved in the same file, with regular points where the engine can downshift to lower quality or upshift to higher quality. Of course that takes more disk space.
Nigelgf wrote:
I am trying to decide between purchasing a NAS RNS202 and RN212.
Since streaming is your main interest, I'd go with the RN212. The RN202 has a dual-core processor, which is enough to give good performance as a file server. The RN212's quad-core processor is what lets it do the transcoding trick. Also look at the RN214, since it's likely that you will need to expand your media storage over time.
Another approach is that you can run plex on a PC, but keep the files on the ReadyNAS. Keeping the applications and the file storage separated costs a bit more (and requires that you keep both devices running), but gives you more flexibillity in upgrading components later. If you go that route, you can get an RN202 or RN204, since the NAS is simply acting as a file server.
I use my ready NAS as a plex server. some of my blue-ray movies that I uplowded to the nas are not available for me to view. Every time I play one of these movies, plex gives me a message telling me my CPU is not powerful enough to transcode to content. Since I have a Gigabit network. Do I have to upgrade my NAS to refolve this problem?
P-Dog wrote:
I use my ready NAS as a plex server. some of my blue-ray movies that I uplowded to the nas are not available for me to view. Every time I play one of these movies, plex gives me a message telling me my CPU is not powerful enough to transcode to content. Since I have a Gigabit network. Do I have to upgrade my NAS to refolve this problem?
First, the gigabit network is not the problem. Full BluRay has a max transfer rate around 54 mbits, so you are far below the network limit. If you have wifi on the path to the player, that could create some delivery issues.
More likely the player doesn't support something in the BluRay - for instance, it might not support the audio format. If you downloaded the BluRay content, it is possible that the video encoding isn't compliant to the right profile/level, or that its an unusual video codec. There is a free tool called MediaInfo that can give you a lot of information on exactly what formats, etc are used by the file. Though be careful - there is adware in the install that you'd want to opt-out of.
Whatever it is, you have a few options
(a) convert the few bluray movies that won't play to a format that will. There are several tools available that can do this, and it is your cheapest option.
(b) if the player is the limitation, then upgrading the player is likely cheaper than upgrading the NAS.
(c) You can run plex on a PC, and still keep the media on the RN314. That requires the PC be turned on of course.
(d) You could upgrade the NAS to something that is spec'd to transcode HD - for instance the RN626X. That's your most expensive option.
StephenB,
Thank you for your help, I use amazon FireTV as the player the conectiong to the network is wired not wifi.
I used mkv to convert the BluRay movies. I don't want to spend $1800 on a new NAS RN626X. Runing Plex on a PC won't work for me. I guess my only uption at the time is to look for a different format to convert too.
Do you recommend any?
MKV is a container format, what matters here is the compression formats of the video it is carrying.
-what tool are you using now?
-do you use a Windows PC or a Mac?
Also, is plex/FireTV refusing to play the files? Or is it trying to play them, but running into problems?
I use MakeMKV tool to rip my BluRays on a Windows PC. regarles of the player (plex/FireTV, PC, iPad) it buffers for a long time to play the movie. Once it starts playing it is only for a few secons, and then it stops. That's when I get the message "the server is not powerful enough to convert the video to smooth play back" acording to plex support my CPU is not able to transcode the content and I need to upgrade it.
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