Buying a Synology: Is "SE" series enough?

[gabrielmil 1]

Hey guys,

I just got an Amlogic S912 Android TV Box for LibreElec but tried installing an Emby Server in it and streaming to my LG B7 and now I'm in love with it.

But I don't think my TV Box is good enough for it, as sometimes the playback freezes (I don't think it is the stream buffering). When it starts to freeze I reboot my box and it runs fine.

I don't think it is the best solution for Emby, so I'm looking for a NAS. I would like it to be as cheap as possible, but also would like it to be able to run Emby Server (stream lagfree 4K MKVs to my LG TV with WebOS, no transcoding needed) and Transmission. I ended up deciding to buy a Synology DS118J or DS119J, as I only need one bay, but just saw a bargain for a DS216SE. Is the DS216SE going to have enough power to do what I want (emby without hiccups+transmission) or is it to weak? Is the "J" series significantly better?

Thanks.

[Luke 37119]

@@FrostByte do you have experience with this model?

[FrostByte 5052]

Personally, I would not get the any of those.  You will need an Intel processor to use with VAAPI.  I think you will be much happier with a DS216+ or DS216 +II model.  Unless you don't care about transcoding speed

 

https://www.synology.com/en-uk/knowledgebase/DSM/tutorial/Compatibility_Peripherals/What_kind_of_CPU_does_my_NAS_have

Edited April 3, 2019 by FrostByte

[clarkss12 296]

I have the DS216 +II model and it is crap trying to use it as an Emby server.  I have tried a multitude of different hardware, including one of my Amlogic S912, boxes running LibreELEC AND Ubuntu, but they still have issues, but not as bad as my Synology DS216 +II.

 

Right now, I am using a low powered fairly low cost Intel microPC the Vorke V2 (CPU – Intel® Core™ i5-6200U 2.3GHz / 2.8GHz or Intel® Core™ i7-6500U 2.5GHz / 3.1GHz).  This has been my main Emby server for a little over 2 years.  

 

I would personally recommend one of these low powered microPCs to use for a server, verses a high cost NAS, that has the guts to run the Emby server without issues.

Edited April 3, 2019 by clarkss12

[gabrielmil 1]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Personally, I would not get the any of those.  You will need an Intel processor to use with VAAPI.  I think you will be much happier with a DS216+ or DS216 +II model.  Unless you don't care about transcoding speed

 

https://www.synology.com/en-uk/knowledgebase/DSM/tutorial/Compatibility_Peripherals/What_kind_of_CPU_does_my_NAS_have

Actually I'm not into transcoding. My LG TV runs 4K MKVs just fine, so I don't think I will need to transcode anything. Do I still need a NAS with an Intel CPU or will it be overpowered?

 

I have the DS216 +II model and it is crap trying to use it as an Emby server.  I have tried a multitude of different hardware, including one of my Amlogic S912, boxes running LibreELEC AND Ubuntu, but they still have issues, but not as bad as my Synology DS216 +II.

 

Right now, I am using a low powered fairly low cost Intel microPC the Vorke V2 (CPU – Intel® Core™ i5-6200U 2.3GHz / 2.8GHz or Intel® Core™ i7-6500U 2.5GHz / 3.1GHz).  This has been my main Emby server for a little over 2 years.  

 

I would personally recommend one of these low powered microPCs to use for a server, verses a high cost NAS, that has the guts to run the Emby server without issues.

I was avoiding this solution because I want something that does not consume too much energy. Going the Intel minipc server route may be consume more energy than I'm expecting.

BTW I tried installing emby server on my LibreElec, but the client says I have to update my Emby Server. Running on Android is fine with some occasional hiccups.

[FrostByte 5052]

I'm not sure one could say the DS216+/II+ would be too overpowered for your needs.  It may be the minimum you would want to go.  I don't know how clarkss12 uses his NAS, but it sounds like he thinks it may be underpowered.

 

Most of the new NAS owners in here I think get either the DS918+ or DS418play.  

 

My DS418play runs absolutely flawless for my every day needs.  Like you, I have almost no transcoding going on, unless I'm testing something for someone.  My NAS, Xbox and Samsung TV are all hardwired into the same extender and everything Direct Plays to my TV.  However, even with VAAPI if I try to burn PGS subs on the fly with 4K HDR movies even my NAS crawls.  If I stick to srt subs, I have no issues though. 

 

Also, once you get your NAS you may want to do other things with it.  Right now the only other thing I have on my NAS is Synology Surveillance Center which records my IP cameras and feeds the video into Emby.  It's nice to know I have just a little more power to do other things than just run Emby server.

 

Something else to consider is the amount of memory the unit will allow.  There's several people here who have commented that their 2GB memory NAS has issues.  The first thing I did before even powering mine up was to add an additional 4GB of memory for a total of 6GB. 

 

To be honest, if you can afford it, I would recommend going with the DS218+ (which has the same processor as my DS418play) if you're sure all you will ever need is one drive.  You probably don't want to go through all the trouble and be wishing you had gone with something faster

Edited April 4, 2019 by FrostByte

[clarkss12 296]

Those micro PCS are far more powerful than the average NAS, and consume less power then most NAS's, and far cheaper. I have two Synology NAS's and one WD NAS. Like Frostbyte, I run Synology surveillance center on my newer NAS. The WD NAS, is also my silicondust DVR.

 

So I mainly use my NAS's as a network storage device for my media, and my personal data, not as an Emby or Plex server.

 

I cringe at the thought of using a powerful, energy consuming, hardware, just for providing my media consumption.

 

So, IMHO, the best bang for the buck, a micro PC for around $300 and a external hard drive for about $150 for 8 terabyte. Both those combined, would draw less power than a dual bay NAS.

[gabrielmil 1]

Thanks for the replies.

For now I think I will skip the upgrade. The server running in my android box is doing fine for my needs, both suggestions will imply in a $500+ upgrade that I don't think I need right now. As I said my box runs my 4K MKVs without hiccups, sometimes it slows down but a reboot always solve it.

I will keep my mind open for the upgrade in the future when I think my box isn't holding it up anymore.

Again, thanks for all the replies.