ReadyNAS Ultra 2 as Media Server

A full 2D BluRay rip is usually ~40GB. Some BluRays are created from older HDDVD masters, they tend to be around 25 GB.

If you have 10 GB titles, you are getting something already ripped and converted (likely MKV or MP4 format???) There's no need to reconvert those.

The ultra 4 is not silent, it has a fan. The typical noise is 31.5 dba (per here: http://www.netgear.com/images/ReadyNAS_ ... -57079.pdf) My guess is that is w/o disks, though I am not sure. I suspect it is loud enough to be clearly audible - but not really loud.

If you need something that is truly silent, you might check with Chirpa on this unit: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=67930 It is used (and custom, so there would be little support). But it would be a good choice for a media room location, since it is passively cooled.

A second option is to put the ultra in a different location. My pro is in my basement (where my ethernet switch is), the mediaplayers have their own ethernet connections to the switch.

In principle, you could also build a simple acoustic baffle to absorb the noise, though you would need to be careful not to obstruct the air flow. That is one idea you can find outlined here: http://www.readynas.com/?p=301#more-301 Note that article is measuring noise on the duo V1, not the ultra. The ultra is noisier.

Absolutely correct. Almost all of them are .mkv files, which seems to be supported on just about any mediaplayer (TV's etc). Will I have a problem with transcoding on the fly, with the Ultra 4? I mean, I don't know if it will happen enough to even consider changing the setup, but just to know.

I'm not sure where I should have it located, but I guess I can put it in the office or I'll make some kind of device if that's too much. The noise problem shouldn't be a huge prroblem, though of course it would be nice having a silent one. :)

Do you use Plex for the media center?

well, the readynas builtin media server does not trancode, you would need the plex server or some other addon that can transcode.

I'm not sure if the ultra 4 will be powerful enough to transcode bluray in real time, but I am doubting it.

You would only need transcode for media clients that can not already handle the mkv/bluray rips, for clients that do not need transcoding the u4 will be fine.

the ultra4 has this (or similar spec) cpu

53: None 00.0: 10103 CPU [Created at cpu.305] Unique ID: rdCR.j8NaKXDZtZ6 Hardware Class: cpu Arch: Intel Vendor: "GenuineIntel" Model: 6.28.10 "Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU D410 @ 1.66GHz" Features: fpu,vme,de,pse,tsc,msr,pae,mce,cx8,apic,sep,mtrr,pge,mca,cmov,pat,ps e36,clflush,dts,acpi,mmx,fxsr,sse,sse2,ss,ht,tm,pbe,syscall,nx,lm,constant_tsc,a rch_perfmon,pebs,bts,rep_good,nopl,aperfmperf,pni,dtes64,monitor,ds_cpl,tm2,ssse 3,cx16,xtpr,pdcm,movbe,lahf Clock: 1662 MHz BogoMips: 3324.66 Cache: 512 kb Units/Processor: 2 Config Status: cfg=new, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown

From other posters here, I think the general experience is that you need the pro to transcode 1080p.

Though I have a pro, I don't use (or need) real-time transcoding. I convert the files up front to something my players can handle. So far my newer players can handle everything the older ones could, so I haven't run into any issues with that strategy.

I see. Thanks for all the replies, I'm really grateful that you guys would answer all my questions. Thank you. Do you know how often they update these models, or if there is some place I can get this cheap? The reason is, I'm moving into my new house in about 8 months, and I frankly don't need the Media Center before that, but my fingers are tingeling a little bit to get started, so do you think it's a smarter choice to wait the 8 months, and check if something newer has hit the market, or would it be the same thing?

The V2 platforms were introduced about a year ago, the ultra 4 and ultra 6 were introduced in the fall of 2010. It's hard to guess when Netgear will launch something newer. If they do, I suggest watching the forums for a bit, so you can make sure the product is stable before you jump in.

At this point you might as well wait until after CES (next month!) at least, and see if there are any product announcements there.

Also, there are sometimes sales (or rebates), so if you are not in a hurry you might as well track the pricing for a while and see if you can get a deal.

I had wanted a Pro 6 for a long time and when reviewing the ReadyNAS models on Newegg one day, I noticed they have a very, very good price on them and with a bundled 1TB WD Red drive it was $10 less than without the drive. I pulled the trigger on it and a few days later it was back up to it's normal price. I saved about $300 by just watching the promos and waiting. Some of course don't have the luxury of waiting and watching.

About the only hardware changes I can think that they might change is a different processor on the Ultra/Pro line and maybe USB3 support.

I don't think the noise level is enough to bother you unless you get one with a very noisy fan. I have not had a loud one yet, and the Pro 6 above has three fans in it. When you first boot them and the fan comes on full speed you will hear them and you may hear them if you get a line of drives that are noisy (the WD Reds I have are whisper quiet).

I'm currently using my Ultra 4 (not Ultra 4+) in conjunction with XBMC. This serves as my media centre setup. I have a MySQL Db hosted on the NAS alongside all my media, and am now serving the lot over the house using Powerline AV200 units. It works VERY well. If I were in your shoes, I'd buy the 4 required drives as a single job lot NOW. Even if you don't need the space right now.

This way you'll avoid any future price hikes, discontinuation of the model you are using, the drives will all be using the same firmware, and you won't have any worries about future expansion plans working (or not) as the case may be. And as others have said, get the WD Red's. They weren't available when I put this system together, but were I doing the same thing again now, WD Reds are what I'd go with. Seagate have had a bit of a rocky ride of late with reliability and firmware issues, but the 2x WD drives I do own, have been stellar, so I see no reason why the Reds shouldn't be the same.

EDIT: With regards Fan noise from the NAS, I've heard various people say that their NAS is noisy. I know the fans used in these things aren't made by a notable manufacturer, but I've yet to see an aftermarket fan that does the RPM's the ones installed in the NAS can do either. Yet while at boot time, it's loud, it's running at max speed until the OS loads and the system can adjust the speed. Once that happens i can only just about hear it in a dead silent room, stood right next to it. You may get a good one, you may get a poor one. The one I have is nowhere near as noisy as my desktop powerhouse (8x90-120mm fans incl. PSU).

Best of luck m8.

Papabear, so you could recommend checking up on newegg a few times per week, to see if the price drops etc? I'm not in need to buy it right away, so I have all the time in the world. I'm just not really sure where to get it cheapest from, as I don't usually buy hardware from other than danish sites, and I did some calculations, that the whole setup will be like $1100. This will cover 3x 3TB WD Reds and the Ultra 4. Is that expensive?

Thanks for the comments gibxxi, really good to hear about the noise level and how well everything is working for you, makes me feel really good about this whole setup. Do you feel XBMC is better than Plex? From what I hear, most people go for Plex - what's your take on that? Also, these Powerline AV200, are those wireless solutions?

I'm overwhelmed by the support of everyone. Thank you.

Powerline networking uses your mains wiring as a network. So it is not wireless (radio). In my experience, performance is hit-or-miss. It can work very well on some circuits, and very poorly on others.

If you live in Denmark, would you need to pay import duty of some kind on stuff bought in the US?