[guide] video playback for PC using NAS 2022

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Moogle Stiltzkin
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[guide] video playback for PC using NAS 2022

Post by Moogle Stiltzkin »

This is just a basic general guide how video playback for PC using video files hosted/streamed from your NAS.

If you're trying to stream from nas to TV, then probably use plex or kodi.

This guide though will be more specific to pc/laptop playback for video media :)


There are many video player recommendations, but the one i prefer is mpc-hc. Simple UI without bloat and just works. However, officially mpc-hc is EOL, but due to popularity, others have taken to maintaining it. So it should still be fine to be using it
https://github.com/clsid2/mpc-hc/releases/



When it comes to pc, u also need codecs. I recommend this bundle because it contains the codecs as well as mpc-hc bundled all in one, AND it comes with preset settings making even easier to configure especially if your a newbie
https://www.videohelp.com/software/LAV-Filters-Megamix


During installation, make sure to install the mpc-hc from the video player installer options, as well as select what graphics card u r using so it will give u an appropriate preset for that. So after installed, there a few other things you should do.

Do you have a 10bit panel? if so u can go to nvidia control panel (assuming your using a nvidia graphics card), and set to use 10bit color
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azSQ2GsjJ3M


Next step, double check your mpc-hc settings. This guide explains the finer points. You can ignore the registry stuff, but things mentioned for changing within mpc-hc u can follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtoAcAEuSDg

this part explains the finer points for further adjusting madvr (if ur confused u can just skip this part, and just use the original presets. but if u want to make further refinements, u can check out the video guide to understand what changes u need to do if any)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfkwJEI9QvE

in madvr basically, if u have a 10bit panel, and u want to make the video playback even sharper, u can do all those finer adjustments there.


at this stage you should be mostly done. so play a video file using mpc-hc. then press "ctrl+j" (u can do it again later to hide it again) which will then show you the status for ur video playback.

If u can then confirm that ur settings set are all working, including 10 bit. Like for example, i noticed 10bit for mine wasn't working, so i went through all the settings to pin down what i missed, came back to run the test again to confirm it works. To my understanding, for 10bit, it only works in full exclusive mode, basically when you maximize the video screen. So if you are playing not at full screen, it won't be 10bit, and might revert to 8bit.


other things you can do, if u have a nice ips monitor (which is what i recommend considering ips monitors are quite affordable these days) with nice colors, you can try to caliberate it (preferably with an ips monitor calibrator, but if not possible then manually)

How to CALIBRATE a MONITOR without a colorimeter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpL2nDAKuuI

How to Calibrate Your Monitor, The Comprehensive Beginner's Guide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2nVNxx1IHo


if your looking for a nice display, i recommend these sites to do your research, alongside reddit for user feedback
https://versus.com/en/monitor
https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews
https://tftcentral.co.uk/


Best Gaming Monitor 2022 | Buying Guide for 1080p, 1440p, 4K | PC PS5 XBox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVN1dfDV-ug



for graphics card, either a nvidia or amd. Freesync or gsync (paired with a monitor that supports the feature).

If you need a graphics card, now or soon would be a good time to get one now that prices have fallen back close or below msrp (for second hand anyway)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNocdWNHqkc



and lastly, your video files stored on NAS, at minimum make sure u have a 1gbe ethernet connection between the nas to the pc/laptop through switch. 2nd best option is wifi :(



hope that helped :)
NAS
[Main Server] QNAP TS-877 (QTS) w. 4tb [ 3x HGST Deskstar NAS & 1x WD RED NAS ] EXT4 Raid5 & 2 x m.2 SATA Samsung 850 Evo raid1 +16gb ddr4 Crucial+ QWA-AC2600 wireless+QXP PCIE
[Backup] QNAP TS-653A (Truenas Core) w. 4x 2TB Samsung F3 (HD203WI) RaidZ1 ZFS + 8gb ddr3 Crucial
[^] QNAP TL-D400S 2x 4TB WD Red Nas (WD40EFRX) 2x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf, Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-509 Pro w. 4x 1TB WD RE3 (WD1002FBYS) EXT4 Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-253D (Truenas Scale)
[Mobile NAS] TBS-453DX w. 2x Crucial MX500 500gb EXT4 raid1

Network
Qotom Pfsense|100mbps FTTH | Win11, Ryzen 5600X Desktop (1x2tb Crucial P50 Plus M.2 SSD, 1x 8tb seagate Ironwolf,1x 4tb HGST Ultrastar 7K4000)


Resources
[Review] Moogle's QNAP experience
[Review] Moogle's TS-877 review
https://www.patreon.com/mooglestiltzkin
User avatar
Moogle Stiltzkin
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Posts: 11448
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:21 am
Location: Around the world....
Contact:

Re: [guide] video playback for PC using NAS 2022

Post by Moogle Stiltzkin »

bonus tip for playback

if you want to download videos from youtube to store it on your nas to later playback locally, use this

https://github.com/oleksis/youtube-dl-gui/

or

https://github.com/jely2002/youtube-dl-gui'

"Please restart the app and disable antivirus" error #362
FR46M3N7-P4R71CL3 commented 22 days ago

I found a solution:

First, download the YT-DLP Binary from the following address:
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releas ... yt-dlp.exe

Open Run (Windows Key + R) and in the dialog box, paste the below:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Programs\youtube-dl-gui\resources\app.asar.unpacked\binaries

and then hit Enter key or OK Button.

Now navigate to the YT-DLP download folder and copy the downloaded file (from Step 1) and Paste the file into the folder we just opened in Step 2. Make sure the filename stays/is "yt-dlp"(.exe)

Restart the application and now it should work! 🚀
For some reason, a fresh installation doesn't seem to install this binary and the update check too fails to observe that the file is missing.

cc: @ericmp33 @ArchemedIan @anothermelon @ethrea @itscaro
sauce
https://github.com/jely2002/youtube-dl-gui/issues/362



or if u dont want a gui, u can do it old school using commandline
https://www.reddit.com/r/youtubedl/comm ... tup_ytdlp/

How to Download Youtube Videos on the Command Line (YT-DLP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FiotwrNB0o


Why download and store on your nas from youtube? cause if u see a video u like, it's not a guarantee it will always be there. Sometimes this happens to me and it's no longer available. So if it's a video you really like, probably better to not just favourite it, but to maybe download and store it on your nas, just in case :wink:
NAS
[Main Server] QNAP TS-877 (QTS) w. 4tb [ 3x HGST Deskstar NAS & 1x WD RED NAS ] EXT4 Raid5 & 2 x m.2 SATA Samsung 850 Evo raid1 +16gb ddr4 Crucial+ QWA-AC2600 wireless+QXP PCIE
[Backup] QNAP TS-653A (Truenas Core) w. 4x 2TB Samsung F3 (HD203WI) RaidZ1 ZFS + 8gb ddr3 Crucial
[^] QNAP TL-D400S 2x 4TB WD Red Nas (WD40EFRX) 2x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf, Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-509 Pro w. 4x 1TB WD RE3 (WD1002FBYS) EXT4 Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-253D (Truenas Scale)
[Mobile NAS] TBS-453DX w. 2x Crucial MX500 500gb EXT4 raid1

Network
Qotom Pfsense|100mbps FTTH | Win11, Ryzen 5600X Desktop (1x2tb Crucial P50 Plus M.2 SSD, 1x 8tb seagate Ironwolf,1x 4tb HGST Ultrastar 7K4000)


Resources
[Review] Moogle's QNAP experience
[Review] Moogle's TS-877 review
https://www.patreon.com/mooglestiltzkin
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