Dose the ReadyNAS NV+ v2's single core CPU powerful enough for 4K Vedio streaming?

[gzjeffrey]

I'm planning to buy  a  secondhand ReadyNAS NV+ v2 at a very low price. Considering that this is an older model, I wonder if its single-core CPU will work well for  heavy load as 4K video streaming service?

[Sandshark · Accepted solution]

In short:  very bad idea.  The NV+ V2 is not powerful enough and it's outdated operating system is not going to allow you to run the latest application for transcoding.  They can still make a good simple file server, including a backup to a newer, more powerful NAS used for transcoding.  Or, you can run the transcoding app on a PC and just use the NAS for storage of the video files.

[StephenB]

One warning here - a lot of NV+ v1 owners mistakenly think they have a v2.  The labels are a bit confusing.

An NV+ v1

• runs 4.1.x firmware
• says NV+ on the front panel
• might say v2 or v3 on the label on the bottom or back.
• uses a sparc CPU

An NV+ v2

• runs 5.3.x firmware
• says NV+ v2 on the front chassis
• uses an arm CPU

Netgear stopping shipping the NV+ v1 in 2011; they stopped shipping the NV+ v2 in 2013.

Both models use SMB 1.0, so if you are running Windows 10 you will need to make sure the SMB 1.0 client is installed on the PCs.

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@gzjeffrey wrote:

I wonder if its single-core CPU will work well for  heavy load as 4K video streaming service?

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4K streaming rates (from Netflix or Amazon) are about 15-25 mbps (2-3 MB/sec).  4K BluRay is no more than 128 mbps (16 MB/sec).  An NV+ v2 can deliver about 60 MB/sec, so it can easily stream 4K.  

However, the NV+ v2 can't transcode in real time (and new ReadyNAS can't transcode 4K in real-time either).  So your players will need to support the formats  - generally HEVC for video, and dts, dolby digital (ac3), or aac (mp4) for audio.  Plus your network will need to carry the traffic - not difficult for gigabit ethernet, but the BluRay rates could be a challenge for your wifi.

Also your options for the streaming server are limited.  In particular, Plex stopped support for the NV+ v2 some years ago.

Although I've never owned an NV+ v2, in my opinion the software never became fully mature.  So you should review the software manual, and make sure it has what you need.  http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/READYNAS%20ARM-PLATFORM%20(DUO%20V2,%20NV+%20V2)/RAIDiato...

[Sandshark · Accepted solution]

In short:  very bad idea.  The NV+ V2 is not powerful enough and it's outdated operating system is not going to allow you to run the latest application for transcoding.  They can still make a good simple file server, including a backup to a newer, more powerful NAS used for transcoding.  Or, you can run the transcoding app on a PC and just use the NAS for storage of the video files.

[gzjeffrey]

thanks a lot!