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Forum Discussion
ReadyNAS Ultra 4 as Plex server: not enough CPU power
Generally speaking I'm very happy with my readyNAS 4 ultra. I want to use it as a plex media server, in combination with couch potato, SABnzbd and sickbeard. And to some extent, it works. The downloading part is all set up and working like a charm. The media serving part however, that's where the ReadyNAS starts to show its limitations. Since Plex transcodes the media files as it serves them, it occasionally buffers. And with occasionally I mean a lot. The network isn't the issue, but the CPU hits highs every time.
Now I know I'm not the only person who likes this setup (plex+couchpotato+sickbeard+sabnzbd) so I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing here. I realize the Ultra 4 doesn't have the fastest CPU, but does this mean that this combination is dead in the water?
Another option for me is that the downloaded media files are transcoded to an M4V format so I can add them to my iTunes library (I stream from the NAS to Apple devices), thus bypassing the live transcoding issue. But so far, I haven't been able to find any tools and scripts that do this automagically (even without adding it to an iTunes library).
Anyone got any tips?
Now I know I'm not the only person who likes this setup (plex+couchpotato+sickbeard+sabnzbd) so I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing here. I realize the Ultra 4 doesn't have the fastest CPU, but does this mean that this combination is dead in the water?
Another option for me is that the downloaded media files are transcoded to an M4V format so I can add them to my iTunes library (I stream from the NAS to Apple devices), thus bypassing the live transcoding issue. But so far, I haven't been able to find any tools and scripts that do this automagically (even without adding it to an iTunes library).
Anyone got any tips?
3 Replies
- What quality is the video?
The Ultra 6 has a single core Atom CPU. For transcoding 720p you need the Ultra 6 Plus and for transcoding 1080p you need the Pro 6. - 720p.
But that's not the point. I *have* an Ultra 4, not an Ultra 6 or Pro 6. My assumption is that I'm not the only Ultra 4 owner who'd like to run this setup and perhaps someone has found any alternatives or workarounds.
I've done some digging into this. Plex' live transcoding means that as soon as its transcoded a section of media, it sends it to the client for playback. This works, but too slow for the actual playback. For instance, it needs about 5 seconds to transcode a section and send it. But some sections are shorter then 5 seconds. So somewhere a log the line, this becomes a race between the transcoder and the playback: who runs out first? And the transcoder usually loses.
So, does ANYONE have any idea how to transcode *before* playback, *OR* have Plex Media Server transcode more sections before it starts playback (like a larger buffer). So far I ahevn't found a way to change the way Plex works... - I was wondering the same. I have the same setup as you do:
Plex Media Server 9.6.0.11 on a ReadyNas Ultra 4
Clients:
WP7 Plex client 1.4.0.0
Plex Media Center 9.5.2 (beta)
The Samsung SmartTV App
Only the SmartTV App doesn't constantly buffer. I think it doesn't do any transcoding. The other 2 client constantly do.
I was wondering if you found a solution to this problem
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