NAS Upgrade Time - Stick with Synology or go QNAP?

Credo

Credo

Credo

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My RAID 1 DS213air with 2x WD Red 3Tb drives has almost run out of space, so it's upgrade time. I definitely need a more powerful unit, the DS213air was a bit lacking, but has done OK for the two years or so I've had it. I have another spare WD Red 3Tb drive, so a 4-bay unit with RAID 5 is where I want to go.
We use the NAS to back up all PC's and Laptops and Smartphones, and also store a couple of hundred Movies and Hundreds of home video's from Digital Cameras, all in various formats.
I've actually just bought a DS415+ from OCUK, but in typical style I have done some more reading after buying something and now wonder if I made the right decision...The DS415+ is a powerful NAS, and knocks my DS213air for six, but having re-read the Synology comparison between the DS415+ and the DS415Play, I'm not sure what to do.

I initially saw the Synology specs for video playback and thought that the DS415+ out-performed the DS415Play by virtue of it's better CPU:

Total FPS (H.264)*
DS415Play
450 FPS @ 720p (1280x800)
150 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
100 FPS @ 3M (2048x1536)
80 FPS @ 5M (2591x1944)
DS415+
1200 FPS @ 720p (1280x800)
480 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
250 FPS @ 3M (2048x1536)
200 FPS @ 5M (2591x1944)

Total FPS (MJPEG)*
DS415Play
210 FPS @ 720p (1280x800)
50 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
40 FPS @ 3M (2048x1536)
30 FPS @ 5M (2591x1944)
DS415+
300 FPS @ 720p (1280x800)
150 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
100 FPS @ 3M (2048x1536)
60 FPS @ 5M (2591x1944)

However further reading seems to say that the Hardware Transcoder in the Play is still better for media streaming most of the time, so the figures above are just CPU comparison I think... There doesn't seem to be a direct apples-to apples comparison for media playback.

This is where I get confused... Do I actually need Transcoding? We have a mixed bag of media players, a Panansonic Blu-ray that doesn't play all formats, and a Chromecast that also doesn't play all formats. I assume the Hardware transcoding in the Play would allow these to play all video formats? Or do I have to initiate playback via DS Video to take advantage of the transcoder?
To further complicate things, the DS415+ will Transcode by pure CPU grunt, definitely supporting 720p and maybe doing 1080p, but with high CPU and therefore heat etc.

This whole streaming transcoding thing is a right pain to unpick. Putting it simply, I'm not bothered about streaming to phones etc, and if I do I browse to the NAS via ES File Explorer, and play using VLC... 95% of NAS media viewing is via our non-DLNA Panasonic TV via the afore-mentioned Blu ray and Chromecast. I'm tempted to just get a WD TV Media player, stick with the DS415+ and forget the whole transcoding thing!

To top everything off, I've just strayed away from Synology, and spotted the QNAP TS-453 PRO, which is cheaper than the DS415+, and looks like a right beast, with a beefy CPU and hardware transcoding. But is QNAP as good as Synology? Will I miss DSM?

Help...!
 
I now have a Qnap TS 451 and I like it more then the sinology I had. It also has HDMI out with 7.1 sound pass through.

I mainly got the Qnap because it has Kodi built in so no more messing about with players or hoping it works on the TV.

The only thing I do miss from sinology is their SHR and that's about it.
 
Thanks for your reply. I've Googled Kodi - looks interesting. Can you tell me how this works to your TV? Do you use the Qnap's HDMI connection? The idea that a NAS can be a set top box is quite appealing. My TV is non-dlna unfortunately.
Hardware wise, the Qnap's look better than Synology, I'm concerned that I'd miss stuff like Quickconnect and some of the features of SDM - or is QNAP up there with Synology in terms of its UI?
 
QNAP have a pretty decent UI - I think the Synology is better designed UI for most general users but personally I find QNAP's more intuitive.

Try the live demo of the QNAP UI as mentioned above.
 
I've been having a play - it looks very much like DSM, no less intuitive (maybe even better in some areas). Decisions! This purchase has to last a long time, I'm tempted by the QNAP now, it looks better than the Synology to be honest, for the same money... Never thought I'd say that!
 
Synology / QNAP is pretty much personal choice. You're not really missing anything by picking one platform over the other, any OS features introduced by one of the two tends to be copied not long after.

It comes down to budget and performance really.
 
deuse said:
I now have a Qnap TS 451 and I like it more then the sinology I had. It also has HDMI out with 7.1 sound pass through.

I mainly got the Qnap because it has Kodi built in so no more messing about with players or hoping it works on the TV.

The only thing I do miss from sinology is their SHR and that's about it.
Click to expand...

Pretty neat having Kodi built in :)

Personally, I wouldn't want any hard drives in the same room that I'm watching films.
 
QNAP TS-453 PRO in the post. This looks like a really well-featured bit of kit compared to the DS415+ for exactly the same money. More powerful CPU, user upgradeable RAM (£55.00 for 8Gb from Kingston), HDMI out, hardware transcoding, front LCD display, front USB 3 port, metal casing... Hope it's as good as it seems. Quite an upgrade from a DS213air anyway. First impressions coming up next week.
 
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