Synology ds218play Question's

[chili]

Ok i am a novice in this area but am learning quick via youtube vids.

I am on the verge of buying a synology ds218play with 2x 3tb ironwolf drives. Currently i am using a wd my passport wireless pro to store stuff on and also to watch movies on my tv.

If i attach the synology to my router/network, will my tv be able to see and access the unit like it does with the western digital passport, basically i turn this on and my tv detects it and i see the movie list.

cheers

merry christmas when it arrives too

 

[Avalon]

If your TV is accessing media via the wireless network, then yes, assuming it’s DNLA or similar. Thing is, this is how people did things 20 years ago, now we have a range of front end applications to choose from that are a lot nicer and more user friendly to interact with. Have a look at the likes of Plex, Emby, Jellyfin etc. which can all do what you want/have now, but better. A big list of files doesn’t scale up well.

 

[chili]

cheers for the reply, my life is not that easy i am domesticated and married 28yrs my space is slowly reducing daily. i need a unit that is small ish to store everything on and play movies as a secondary option. Am going to guess emby jellyfin etc need to be installed on a pc
and the pc needs to be running in order for them to work?

 

[Ev0]

You can usually install the likes of Plex on the NAS and run it there.

https://www.synology.com/en-us/dsm/packages/Plex_Media_Server

 

[Avalon]

This isn't about WAF or space, this is the difference between a nice user friendly way to interact with your media and a list. The ds218play can run Plex, however it's using an ARMv8 CPU, personally i'd buy something else with an intel CPU to benefit from the added performance and potential hardware transcoding capabilities (DS218+ for example). I'd suggest at least watching a few youtube videos on Plex and seeing what it looks like vs what you have now, then consider what you want to spend and see what fits the bill.

 

[Ev0]

Also, if using Plex as an example, you’d need a Plex client for the TV somehow.

No idea if any modern smart TVs would have this built in, my preference has been to use Roku devices as they seem to direct play pretty much everything without transcoding, and are pretty cheap.

 

[Avalon]

Also, if using Plex as an example, you’d need a Plex client for the TV somehow.

No idea if any modern smart TVs would have this built in, my preference has been to use Roku devices as they seem to direct play pretty much everything without transcoding, and are pretty cheap.

LG WebOS, Samsung and some 'android' based sets run Plex, realistically a decent client is a better option as smart TV's are prone to abandonment by OEM's and tend to be poorly specified. Samsung for example have a number of issues regarding keeping iplayer working and annoying adverts from its own malware advertising platform with randomly turning off screens/slow channel changing, not the sort of thing that inspires confidence, but not quite as bad as the issue with back light's failing. Roku is a reasonable budget option, but it's a locked down ecosystem which is both god and bad. They're inexpensive, easy to use, can be centrally provisioned (handy for family who you don't really want to go round and set-up a Roku for - just get the pin and link it to your account) and tend to be stable, but no hardwired option on the low/medium range SKU's and those are also wifi only. FTV4K isn't bad, has a wider range of apps if you want dedicated IPTV for example, but I personally prefer the hardwired versions, a Shield is still the best option though, a Pi3 or newer can be an OK shout as well.

 

[chili]

thanks for all the replies, some i understand some i think wtf was that all about. My main primary use of the nas is for storage/backup i need to consolidate everything into 1 place and into some order. Secondary option is the easy access from wherever which will be handy for my son and myself to share files for work etc.
the option to watch/stream movies to my tv is an added bonus and would save me using the western digital passport to do that.
Money is an option i was initially going to buy a cheap wd my cloud for £150 now i am close to £400 price tag and would like to stay below that, this unit seems to be my brickwall price wise

 

[chili]

forgot to add, if the source file is already 1080p or 4k then i will not have to worry about any transcoding....and the ds218play will play the file without any issues, is that correct?

 

[Avalon]

forgot to add, if the source file is already 1080p or 4k then i will not have to worry about any transcoding....and the ds218play will play the file without any issues, is that correct?

The short version is if all the NAS is doing is sending data to the TV and the TV can play it, then in general, yes. Same with it running Plex/Emby/JellyFin.

A few variables to that... for your file to play your TV needs to support the file (audio video codec), be connected fast enough to reliably play it (NAS will have gigabit, TV’s not so much) and the NAS it’s stored on needs to be able to send the file fast enough (drive speed). It’s only if for example you had a 4K remux that you could run into issues as some titles can go over 120MB/s or you were using something like Wi-fi that can be variable.

 

[chili]

Now if i buy i am now thinking could i upgrade the ram? i have 2 sticks of laptop ram i no longer need
8gb in total

4GB DDR4 RAM 1Rx16 PC4-2400T-SC0-11 DDR4-2400 RAM

 

[chili]

opted for the 218+