Plex: Hardware accelerated transcoding on the right NAS model
I made this video after someone asked about choosing between two different NAS models grom Qnap and Synology, and neither was suitable to use as a Plex server, if you wanted to have the power of hardware accelerated transcoding.
I neglected to mention that hardware transcoding is a feature of Plex Pass.
Here are the url’s referenced in the video.
Using Hardware-Accelerated Streaming
https://support.plex.tv/articles/1150...
NAS Compatibility List
https://support.plex.tv/articles/2013...
And the direct spreadsheet download link.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Synology’s RAID Calculator, and remember, you can’t mix and match drive sizes , unless you’re upgrading in size.
Start with a full rack of 4TB drives, and then if you replace one with a 12TB, that’s your new default drive size, unless you go larger, which then becomes the new default drive size.
I didn’t mention that without shutting the NAS down and your Plex server with it, you can swap out a drive to replace if a drive is failing or you simply want to upgrade your storage cpacity, and the process takes about 36 hours with the default settings.
This process can be speed up with a settings change, but the performance of your Plex server will most likely be affected.
I would not proceed with a drive upgrade if bad weather is on the way and you have a risk of losing power.
Also not mentioned, is the importance of buying a UPS to plug your NAS power cord in, along with a USB cable, so your new NAS can have a controlled shutdown instead of suddenly losing power, which can corrupt data.