Plex on ReadyNAS Pro

btaroli wrote:
...The only time I've used CIFS for doing media playback from NAS was when I was using Boxee. It's... OK. But if you're delving into DLNA or PLEX, you're doing far better already. ;)...

Maybe with PLEX, but I would certainly disagree on DLNA. The DLNA architecture has an inherent flaw - support for any codec, container, or feature has to implemented in both the player and the server in order for it to work. It has no real advantages, and results in a lot of compatibility issues. NFS/CIFS works out much better for me. In addition to handling the "normal" media formats (avi, mp4, mkv), I can also directly play dvd and bluray ISOs.

Another tradeoff is stored media vs internet video-on-demand. A lot of the newer players are focused on netflix, etc. and have weak or non-existent support for stored stuff.

Since we are sharing our approaches, here's a sketch of mine.

My current setup is that all my media is on my Pro-6. This includes music (MP3), photos (jpg), TV shows (mostly SD mp4, but some older xvid avi and some mkv), movies (lots of formats - mostly 720p MKV, with some 1080p mkv, m2ts, mpg, DVD ISO,...). I also have quite a few reference videos I keep (I developed my own conversion tool a few years ago, and they were handy for that).

I have 3 players set up for regular use - 2 EVA9150s and 1 NTV550. Both models are EOL, so I wouldn't recommend them for new users. I also have a Western Digital Live player (picked up for comparison purposes) and an Apple TV v3 (which I got mainly to display my iPad screen wirelessly). I do recommend the WD Live for people who want an inexpensive but versatile player. It handles a wide range of formats, and supports both DLNA and CIFS. I've had no trouble using it with the Pro. The Apple TV is more limited - you need to use iTunes (and the iTunes linux servers will not work).

For mobile, in my case that is an Android phone (Galaxy S4) and an iPad. So far I use AVplayerHD on the iPad, which reaches the Pro using FTP. Internet connection speed makes a difference of course, and you will get stuttering if you use it for high rate video. On the phone I use ES file Manager, which reaches the Pro using either CIFS (local) or FTP.

The main answer though is that I have a Seagate Wireless Plus (with non-standard firmware). That amounts to a wireless NAS in a 2.5' form factor. I maintain some media on that, for viewing when I travel, with some more on the devices themselves. The portable NAS also lets me overcome the limited device storage generally. Most of the stuff I watch on mobile is SD.

On converting media, I generally stick with 720p at around 5-6 mbits for HD material. That results in 5-6 GBs for a typical movie (comparable to a full DVD rip). For SD DVDs, I generally convert to H.264 high profile @ 1/2 the rate of the original. For most material, H.264 is 2x the performance of MPEG-2 (used in DVDs) - meaning that in subjective viewing tests, users generally can't distinguish between MPEG-2 at rate X and H.264 at rate X/2.

I agree that reducing resolution needs to be done thoughtfully, and that if you reduce the file size too much you end up with material with obvious defects/blurriness. Though I do reduce the file size - I'm unwilling to keep HD movies @ 35 GB each. Storage costs are just too high. Also, you don't want to retranscode multiple times, as that will certainly reduce subjective quality. Results also depend on your TV equipment - the bigger the TV screen, the more apparent the defects might be. Overall, I'd rather have a high-quality 720p or even 480p (SD) file than a low quality 1080p.

The NTV550 is connected to a surround sound system, and handles DTS, DTS-MA, TrueHD. The others aren't and don't handle DTS. So when I rip content, I've always added a dolby digital track (AC3) if it wasn't there already. I discard audio tracks I don't need (languages, sometimes formats (no need for multiple lossless encodings of the same soundtrack), and director commentary (which I don't listen to). You can save a surprising amount of space by getting rid of such tracks.

Jjnsgy wrote:
3. In regards to your 3 suggestions: How do you beef up a Pro 6?

Well, the main thing I was thinking there was choosing a more expensive NAS in order to get transcoding in the first place. For simple file serving, an ultra is enough, so choosing a Pro-6 is already spending more money to get the faster CPU. Upgrading memory is pretty easy, and could help overall (I added some to mine), personally I'd be nervous about messing with the CPU (being a software type).

You can get 2 WD Live players for < $200 US, the price gap between a diskless RN316 and a diskless RN516 (per Amazon at the moment) is ~$700 US. The players are obviously more cost effective, and should play the media you have (based on the mediainfo you posted). The pricing on the older stuff is more advantageous (more like ~$120 gap between an ultra-6 and a pro-6), though that is probably because they are clearing inventory.

The other option is to use a PC instead of a dedicated NAS - perhaps in addition to the Pro-6 (keeping the files on the NAS, and running Plex on the PC - mapping network drives to the Pro). Again, it works, and also provides a better solution for Mac folks (since you also can run standard iTunes home sharing), but investing in better players might be simpler.