NAS Recommendation

[smc007i 1]

Hi,

 

Is there a NAS specification/recommendation for running Emby somewhere?

 

I've had Emby running on my main PC and then on a stick PC and they've worked fine for years, but each config has had it's own issue with the way I want to locate and watch my media.  I've decided to get a dedicated media NAS that I will keep near my TV (& Roku) and run Emby on, but I can't find any sort of specification or recommendation on what sort of processor, memory, models I should (or should not) consider for my purchase to ensure good performance of a server located on it.

 

Going though the forums each NAS app type obviously has it's own issues (as you'd expect) but there must be some set ups out there that are good? 

 

Can anyone please share their NAS spec & experience so I (we) can get some idea which brands/models worth (or not) looking at?  The last thing I want to do is fork out a load of cash and find I've bought something which cannot host the server well.

 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

SMc

(Lifetime supporter)

Edited November 22, 2016 by smc007i

[Luke 39298]

Hi, welcome. Synology and QNAP are great !

[barat 27]

I may recommend Synology DS916+ 8GB ... I had HP n54L with Xpenology previously and was using it ~2 years, but original Syno is really nice box (silent, fast and can hardware transcode).

[Spaceboy 2563]

The synology version is excellent. If I didn't need a windows box for my tv server I would be using it full time

[smc007i 1]

Thanks barat, I'll look into it

 

Luke, Spaceboy, which models/specs have you experience with?

[Spaceboy 2563]

I've got a ds2413+. It doesn't have enough horsepower to transcode but it's great at serving up files for direct play

[PenkethBoy 2066]

From a Qnap perspective i have had no trouble with my 853A - same internals as 653A/453A and 253A

 

streams no problem  too multiple device at same time - if you do go this route buy the one with the lowest level of ram - then by 16GB of good quality ram - Kingston etc and it makes a differnece for less that half what you would pay QNAP for their max of 8GB

 

Feed whatever nas you get with good quality disks you will regret eventually cheap disks

 

Remember to factor in how you are going to backup the NAS as Raid is not a backup

[Starlionblue 82]

Since MediaBrowser 2, I've had all my media on a NAS. Since Emby I've kept the media on the NAS and run Emby Server on a Windows machine. Used to be a dedicated one but now it just runs on my always-on desktop.

 

Media on the NAS is great. it keeps the noisy drives away from people. I wouldn't put the NAS anywhere near your TV. Even a quiet NAS hums enough to be annoying. It also keeps the media away from a PC which you may want to upgrade periodically. I've had my NAS for 5 years and it is still going strong after two hard drive upgrades which simply involved changing the drives one at a time.

 

For my next NAS, I'm going QNAP or Synology so that I can try running Emby natively on the NAS. If I'm not happy with that method I'll buy an Intel NUC to run Emby. I have a NUC as an HTPC now and it is great. Tiny and silent.

[PenkethBoy 2066]

Yes a NUC is a good server for Emby better than any low end to mid level nas as has the horsepower and quicksync

 

only the expensive QNAP/Synology high end NAS come close to a good NUC 

 

I use my Skull Canyon for this - it sits on the back of my TV with the NAS in the back bedroom

[bozrdnag 75]

I totally recommend unRAID NAS software and build your own hardware.  As expandable and cheap as you want/make it.  Start small and grow it over time.  Use old hardare if you have it laying around.  The software has grown by leaps and bounds to even include Docker containers and Virtual Machines to run other software outside the NAS array.  I've been using it for over 11 years and I've never lost any data and I have lost numerous drives and even a dead proceesor.  It now also runs my Emby Server along with Sonarr, CouchPotato, NZBGet and other software. IMHO it's the best! 

Edited November 24, 2016 by bozrdnag

[Starlionblue 82]

Is it possible to use eSATA on an external enclosure or just USB 3?

[PenkethBoy 2066]

Both should work fine

 

esata maybe slightly more stable

 

usb3 can be tricky if the chipsets on the nas and enclosure dont get on - if they do (which is most of the time) then usb3 can be quicker - i have had over 130 MB/s from QNAP to my 5 bay Orico usb3 enclosure sustained copying 20-30GB movies as backup

[Starlionblue 82]

Thx for info. In that case my next NAS may be a NUC with a 4-bay USB3 connected enclosure.

[PenkethBoy 2066]

well if its a NUC then 3.1 and ThunderBolt become extra possibilities 10, 20 and 40GB/s goodness - mind you the cost is still in the fruit based arena though 

[smc007i 1]

Seem to be drifting off topic, still looking for more users of Emby on their NAS to share the hardware details of what they are running and rating of their experiences... Thanks

[Starlionblue 82]

Seem to be drifting off topic, still looking for more users of Emby on their NAS to share the hardware details of what they are running and rating of their experiences... Thanks

 

I've run Emby with the media on a ReadyNAS share and the server on a Windows machine for years. It was a bit dodgy back in 2.x but since 3.x no major issues. Given the Windows server seems to be the most up to date in development I think it works very well. Since 3.x and the client-server model, running on a NAS has been excellent. If I had to buy a new NAS today it would be either QNAP or Synology, assuming I didn't build my own.