QNAP NAS Community Forum

Hi,

Newbie NAS here.

My 4TB media player blew up so I was looking at upgrading. This is my main requirement, watching movies I've downloaded. Being able to select subtitles (closed captions) in different languages is also a must have.
After endless reading I had almost decided on a Nvidia Shield. Unfortunately all my movies are backed up on a USB drive attached to my main PC, so wasn't sure if a shield could read them.

Anyway moved away from the shield lately, to looking at a NAS with a HDMI, namely the Qnap TS-235Be. So here I am.....
Also been reading a lot about Plex. Then came across this.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... 1274624273

Bit shocked when I saw the TS-235Be's transcoding capabilities. So the question is should I go for the TS-235Be or the Shield?
And if I go for the Shield, what NAS should I use to stream from? I've CAT6 running all over the house. Portable devices aren't a concern.
Just a Play Station in one room, and my main TV in another, which had the media player.

why use nvidia shield for NAS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9qRtUZ6a70


NAS is better than shield for storing your digital data. It has more storage space. space on nvidia shield i would use mostly for the android apps.

nvidia Shield can stream your content to your HDTV. The NAS can as well. Both can use plex and kodi (but for the qnap you need to run kodi in hdstation which requires using HDMI to access).


for nvidia shield, if an app is not available on android TV (this is different from regular android ecosystem for apps), then you will need to side load apps to install them if they are not available on android tv.

https://www.technadu.com/install-kodi-o ... d-tv/8938/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ShieldAndroidT ... load_apps/

I have been storing all of my media and running Plex media server on my Nas (tvs-871 i7) and using a shield in my home theater cabinet to stream media. The Nas took over duty for an aged Mac mini. I am very happy with the outcome, never an issue serving 4k sdr content over cat 5.

I think the answer will partly depend on the CPU/GPU capabilities of the NAS you are talking about.

I use the NVShield in my home theater as a Plex Client since it will play ANYTHING I want (not just Plex specifically) in 4k (Netflix, Amazon, Movies Anywhere, Vudu, Youtube, etc.). Now whether it makes more sense to run PMS on it (pointing to NAS for data) vs. PMS on your QNAP depends on the model of QNAP you have, whether you already have a PlexPass license, and whether you want the DVR capability.

NVShield PMS gives you the capability for HW transcoding w/o requiring PlexPass license. On QNAP PMS you have to have PlexPass license for HW transcoding (which is almost a must for the smaller boxes). DVR I believe requires PlexPass regardless of platform.

But there are some limitations on NVShield PMS as well. https://support.plex.tv/articles/221099 ... ia-shield/

So it will depend some on how you want to use it, how 'beefy' a QNAP you go with, and if you already have a PlexPass license.

The shield tv in addition to NAS is the best route I have found. After several years and a couple different QNAPs with HDMI the software (HD Station) running on the QNAP has just become to unstable to run KODI. The Sheild runs KODI perfectly and also plenty of power to process most any video at it. QNAP as a storage device and plex server is fantastic though which is why utilizing both is a great option. If you are just going the Plex route than an AppleTV will work perfectly as well. Hope this helps your decision!

Thanks for all the replies.

I think I'm sold on the NVShield.
So what is the best and most economic NAS to go with it?
Basically the NAS will just be used for storage and backup. Two bays. Thanks.

the 253be is a great choice IMO. I have the 4 bay version and works very good for all the tasks i am using it for. It has good processing power in a nice design.

Why not just run plex or emby on the NAS?? The 453be has hardware transcoding and firesticks and stuch devices are cheap to buy for each tv. Most new TV's have the ability to put Plex directly on them.

gggplaya wrote: ↑Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:18 pm Why not just run plex or emby on the NAS?? The 453be has hardware transcoding and firesticks and stuch devices are cheap to buy for each tv. Most new TV's have the ability to put Plex directly on them.

Like I said in my first post, the TS-235Be's hasn't great transcoding capabilities. In fact it's fairly poor going on some posts here.
It I thought I could get away with just the NAP I'd jump at it. Save myself the best part of €200.

The saying, "Throwing good money after bad" comes to mind.

The key for the TS-253Be transcoding is having a PlexPass subscription to enable HW transcoding. With HW transcoding, it will handle 1080p & some 4k.

See the Plex NAS guide in my signature to see what it can/can't handle. The embedded GPU in the TVS-951x & the new 453Dx family are beefier/newer.

Trexx wrote: ↑Wed Feb 13, 2019 4:47 am The key for the TS-253Be transcoding is having a PlexPass subscription to enable HW transcoding. With HW transcoding, it will handle 1080p & some 4k.

See the Plex NAS guide in my signature to see what it can/can't handle. The embedded GPU in the TVS-951x & the new 453Dx family are beefier/newer.

Thanks for that. I can see now the the cost of the Shield might be better spent on a Plex Lifetime Pass.

As I see it the main advantages for me having the Shield next to the TV are less noise and more transcoding power.

But other than the cost saving what are the advantages of having a NAS (with HDMI) next to the TV?

Thanks again for all the help.

If you have accounts like netflix or amazon prime, you’re better off with a client device like the shield, roku, appletv, or firestick and using plex.

Also is there any definitive guide out there on subtitles on the Shield and on NAS?

Some movies have burned in subtitles, which I assume would be fine anyway. For most movies I download a SRT file separately.
Others have the subtitles embedded, by which I mean any particular language is selectable from a menu. Like with different audio streams.
So I need to be able to play all different types. Is this possible on the shield and/or NAS?

Yes, Plex can handle all those subtitles, but it will need to be transcoded if it's not text based subtitles. So some subtitles are graphical based, and Plex will need to burn them in on the fly. The NAS with hardware transcoding enabled(plex pass), will transcode just fine and the Shield will transcode just fine. I don't believe the shield needs a plex pass license to hardware transcode.

gggplaya wrote: ↑Thu Feb 14, 2019 12:36 am Yes, Plex can handle all those subtitles, but it will need to be transcoded if it's not text based subtitles. So some subtitles are graphical based, and Plex will need to burn them in on the fly. The NAS with hardware transcoding enabled(plex pass), will transcode just fine and the Shield will transcode just fine. I don't believe the shield needs a plex pass license to hardware transcode.

Correct - PlexPass is NOT required for HW transcoding on the NV Shield. HOWEVER, there are other features where it would still be needed when running PMS on the STV. Things such as DVR, Premium Music Library, etc. https://support.plex.tv/articles/201751 ... -overview/

Subtitles are discussed in the link I previously posted re: PMS STV limitations.