QNAP NAS for plex / transcoding

[michelk]

Dear all,

I would like to buy a NAS that is suited for plex and transcoding.
The nas needs minimal 4 bays and 8gb ram.

What nas would you advice me ?

At the moment i'm looking at the following models:
* TVS-473 (8gb)
* TVS-471 (4gb)

Which device is better 473 or the 471 ?


Or should i wait unitil the TS-677 (8gb) comes out ?

Budget without HDD would be around 1200 €

[dolbyman]

Good starting point is using the forum search (that topic has been discussed a LOT)

viewtopic.php?f=177&t=134449

[michelk]

Thanks for you re feedback, i already checked the post in the forum and there is no clear answer.
Further i also checked the list on the flex site of NAS that they recommend.

But it is always nice to get feedback from the community so that i can form a better idea what Nas to buy.

Regards

[dolbyman]

you could supply some extra info

type of media files (codecs and res used)
number of simultaneous clients
type of clients (lan or wan)
etc

[CylonCenturion]

Thanks for you re feedback, i already checked the post in the forum and there is no clear answer.
Further i also checked the list on the flex site of NAS that they recommend.

But it is always nice to get feedback from the community so that i can form a better idea what Nas to buy.

Regards

TS-453 8Gb is sufficient enough to do the job.
https://www.amazon.com/QNAP-version-Pro ... B00MEVUL6G

equipe it with WD-red of hgst drives

[Trexx]

Dear all,

I would like to buy a NAS that is suited for plex and transcoding.
The nas needs minimal 4 bays and 8gb ram.

What nas would you advice me ?

At the moment i'm looking at the following models:
* TVS-473 (8gb)
* TVS-471 (4gb)

Which device is better 473 or the 471 ?


Or should i wait unitil the TS-677 (8gb) comes out ?

Budget without HDD would be around 1200 €

As others have said, depends on the need.

TVS-473 vs. 471 (you don't say which processor version), I would probably go with the TVS-473 due to greater expansion, cheaper price tag, newer model. Also with the potential for future support of HW transcoding, the x73 family just becomes that much better of a plex server if/when the happens.

As for x77 family, initial indications are that the price points will be quite a bit higher than the x73 family due to the higher performance CPU's as well as 6-drive model for starting config.

The other trade-off is that with the x77, there is no embedded GPU. You could add a video card to the x77 family, but since they haven't shipped yet, it is unknown if that would be picked up by Plex HW transcoding beta's currently in testing.

But again with no requirements in terms of HOW it would be used, these potentially all could be too small, just right, or too large.

[michelk]

Hey,

Thanks for the feedback.
I didn 't know That plex started to support hw transcoding-4k. Is There a list what NAS / processors support this.
I searched the internet but couldn 't find a list?
I want to be able to transcode 1080p max 2 streams.


Thanks in advanced

[dolbyman]

I want to be able to transcode 1080p max 2 streams.

VC-1,AVC or HEVC?
AAC,MP3 or AC3,DTS or HD codecs? (although afaik all HD codecs have a core SD base that could be used for quick downconversion)

The more modern the codec gets (e.g. HEVC, x265) the more demanding the transcoding , a system that can decode x264 with 100fps can decode x265 only with 60fps (a quick google)

[michelk]

Hey,

Hevc 264 & 265, ac3, dts, ect..
I have Various media files in my library.

[Trexx]

Plex HW transcoding is current classified as "experimental" and only available through PlexPass. As for HEVC, it appears support for it MAY have been added in the latest "test" release, but results seem to be somewhat inconclusive.

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

faq link covered some info about qnap transcoding options.

for more first hand experience on hw acceleration with plex, ask trexx.

As others have said, depends on the need.

TVS-473 vs. 471 (you don't say which processor version), I would probably go with the TVS-473 due to greater expansion, cheaper price tag, newer model. Also with the potential for future support of HW transcoding, the x73 family just becomes that much better of a plex server if/when the happens.

As far as i can see the TVS-473 ...TVSx73 series, will handle well even without HW/acceleration. X264 is preferable anyway from a quality standpoint.



For intel i3, i5, i7s there is the TVS-682 e.g. and the rest of the TVS-xx82 series .

TVS-x73 is better in terms of simply just working without issue, not to mention is the cheapest of these options for a fully capable plex transcoding model without any caveats.

As for x77 family, initial indications are that the price points will be quite a bit higher than the x73 family due to the higher performance CPU's as well as 6-drive model for starting config.

The other trade-off is that with the x77, there is no embedded GPU. You could add a video card to the x77 family, but since they haven't shipped yet, it is unknown if that would be picked up by Plex HW transcoding beta's currently in testing.

But again with no requirements in terms of HOW it would be used, these potentially all could be too small, just right, or too large.

x77 is extremely capable but will be quite costly for most people. i feel this unit is for people wanting to do plex and lots of other things at the same time, which is where this unit will excel. VM especially would probably benefit from the many cores/threads of the Amd ryzen series of cpus.

For example, right now i got a ts-x53a series. I would not be able to run so many intensive apps/operations at the same time without over stressing the celeron cpu. With a Ryzen 7 1700 with 8 cores and 16 threads, it will be more than capable in comparison.

Also unsure about the launch date. Anandtech falsely reported end of July. So could instead be a Q4 release at this point. You could check with sales if you want for clarification.


Keep in mind that X264 is currently the best in terms of quality, so if your model has a capable cpu and can handle, use that over any hw/acceleration.

[youtube=]BV5btdqQfu4[/youtube]


The only time i used NEVC was for my live stream from desktop if i felt my cpu and gaming at the same time would affect stream performance. So i would switch from x264 to NEVC and it would live stream without issue.

Speaking of which the X77 series was noted by reviewers able to do ultra quality gaming and live stream same time without significant drops in frame rate. Seems to me to be indicative of a good multi tasking platform for doing transcoding and other things at the same time. That would be the major difference between a tvs-x73 vs a TS-x77.

Thanks for you re feedback, i already checked the post in the forum and there is no clear answer.
Further i also checked the list on the flex site of NAS that they recommend.

But it is always nice to get feedback from the community so that i can form a better idea what Nas to buy.

Regards

TS-453 8Gb is sufficient enough to do the job.
https://www.amazon.com/QNAP-version-Pro ... B00MEVUL6G

equipe it with WD-red of hgst drives

yes however there is some limited transcoding for 1080p

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... =314388488


on x53a series specifically i ran into issue with 1080p HEVC 10bit, and 1080p H264 Hl5.1 (4.1 and below no issues though). Didn't test HW/acceleration though (but considering cpu doesn't have HW/A for 10bit hevc anyway not sure it will help).

653 pro vs 653a
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Celeron-N ... eron-J1900

if michelk doesn't mind some limitations, it may be fine.


But if he wants something that will just work no limitation, then my other suggestion the tvs-x73 (preferably since it's the cheapest out of the 3 options), tvs-xx82, or ts-x77 (best if you are expecting to multi task by running many apps, and possibly
even vm same time) is probably better.


I feel that HW/A will get the best value milleage for the kabylake series of celerons (low powered cpus using HW/a to be able play stuff they normally couldn't when using x264 encoder thus allowing you to stick to a lower end model for transcoding at expense of a slight video quality hit). Of course if 10bit HEVC isn't a factor for you, then an older Intel chip which doesn't have HW/a for that may work just fine, such as X53a qnap series. Or if you don't use HW/a (which is not needed on models with good cpus) then x264 on TVS-x73 as mentioned earlier the best option for lowest price entry point with no transcoding performance issues.

4K video
First, Kaby Lake has an upgraded graphics chip which supports encoding and decoding HEVC. This is the latest video codec which is designed for 4K video and it means a Kaby Lake chip will let you watch Netflix, Amazon or any other 4K video in HEVC format without sweating. It also supports VP9 decoding, which is Google’s codec designed to compete with HEVC.
Since the GPU is handling the load here, the CPU cores can be put to use for other things, so your PC won’t grind to a halt while you watch. Also, Kaby Lake supports HDCP 2.2 which, put simply, is the copy protection used for 4K video and you’ll need it to hook up a compatible monitor and watch copy-protected UHD content.

It’s a real boon for laptops, since native support for HEVC and VP9 means the processor doesn’t have to work as hard as a Skylake chip would – it would have to use its CPU cores to decode the video – and therefore battery life should be longer when watching 4K video. Intel says that it can be up to 260 percent better, in fact.

http://www.techadvisor.co.uk/review/gra ... e-3658183/

[michelk]

Thanks for the feedback, i have Learned Thinks i didn 't know. I was 't aware that sw transcoding is graphical better than hw transcoding.

AT the moment i m stretching my budget.
I want to Buy a NAS That can last for years and does the job.

I m looking at the follow-up options

Tvs 473 8gb
Tvs 477 8gb r5 1400
Tvs 682 8gb i3 6100

The tvs 477 Will be the most powerfull and i guess it Will be around the Price of the tvs 682?

I Read That soms People claim That the i3 6100 supports Hevc 265, is this correct? I Assume according to the above article That it doesn 't. Is There a qnap NAS in the above Price range That has a kaby Lake processor?

I also Read That the tvs 682 can be updated from a i3 to a i7, easy.... Ofc this Will void the warranty.

Thanks for all the feedback

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Thanks for the feedback, i have Learned Thinks i didn 't know. I was 't aware that sw transcoding is graphical better than hw transcoding.

correct. quality was never the goal of transcoding to begin with. instead it achieves other things

- converts videos to a playable supported format on the destination device for playback
- a way to make playback smoother on lower powered cpus by using HW/acceleration at a hit to quality somewhat. Plex pass users have beta access to try this. HW/a is also dependent on the cpu and plex app software support for HW/a.
- maybe your mobile devices aren't very capable, so you transcode to a lower quality version to be able to play smoothly on your mobile device like a smartphone or tablet. but these days the modern devices are quite capable (with the HW/a accelerated cpus and using apps on android like MXplayer which also supports HW/a playback)
- maybe internet connection isn't so good, so you also lower bit rate for slower internet connections when streaming remotely

I Read That soms People claim That the i3 6100 supports Hevc 265, is this correct? I Assume according to the above article That it doesn 't. Is There a qnap NAS in the above Price range That has a kaby Lake processor?

I also Read That the tvs 682 can be updated from a i3 to a i7, easy.... Ofc this Will void the warranty.

Thanks for all the feedback

according to here the i3 6100 is a skylake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_I ... processors

in the chart here, kabylake added 10bit hevc. skylake had 8bit HW/a
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=134948&p=631416#p631416

i don't think it matters seeing as the cpu has the necessary passmark score to playback. HEVC support in this context is for HW acceleration. Even without HW/a, HEVC is still playable, just that cpu will struggle a bit more. But nobody has said they had issues with HEVC playback as far i'm aware on skylake i3,i5,i7s.

At least on my desktop using an older ivy bridge i7 3770 as a comparison, i can play 10bit HEVC just fine (i use mpc hc lav filter megamix)

on plex site they recommend certain passmark score. So that should be how you check if the cpu is able to playback fine or not. They even added a google sheet to mention if there any issues on certain models.

[Trexx]

Thanks for the feedback, i have Learned Thinks i didn 't know. I was 't aware that sw transcoding is graphical better than hw transcoding.

AT the moment i m stretching my budget.
I want to Buy a NAS That can last for years and does the job.

I m looking at the follow-up options

Tvs 473 8gb
Tvs 477 8gb r5 1400
Tvs 682 8gb i3 6100

The tvs 477 Will be the most powerfull and i guess it Will be around the Price of the tvs 682?

I Read That soms People claim That the i3 6100 supports Hevc 265, is this correct? I Assume according to the above article That it doesn 't. Is There a qnap NAS in the above Price range That has a kaby Lake processor?

I also Read That the tvs 682 can be updated from a i3 to a i7, easy.... Ofc this Will void the warranty.

Thanks for all the feedback

The smallest of the TVS-x77 family will be the TVS-677 (4x3.5, 2x2.5) on the 1400. As for pricing, I don't believe I have seen an official announcement from QNAP on that yet although the link below has some pricing listed.

You can see the full lineup list here:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/11523/qna ... ryzen-cpus

[Filou01]

Hello
I have the same hesitation as michelk, originally formulated between tvs-471 and 473. I find that most of the comments on that issue in this forum are missing one element : 471 comes with three different options for processor, when 473 just one option. If I look at the passmark for 471 and i5 it's 6950 whereas the passmark for the amd 473 processor is 4857. So I would expect the transcoding capabilities with Plex much better with 471 i5. Am I right to think that way or am I missing something. Thanks for your help.