I'd like to connect my NAS directly to a TV or a projector with an HDMI cable. Currently to watch a movie I have to download it from my Synology DS212j to my laptop, then connect my laptop to the projector with HDMI. I would gladly upgrade to a new Synology NAS if it had such capability.
Speaking of upgrades, it's a pity they didn't update DS1515+ model. Capacity wise seems to be perfect for home use (4 drives in RAID5+ SSD cache).
I am doing something like this and are happy with the solution. I have the DS212j placed central (hidden) in the house on the LAN. In the living room I have a small nice looking LianLi box based on a G2020 CPU connected to my TV with HDMI and a wireless keyboard. All my movies are by the way in H264.
I do not find having the NAS by the TV attractive. I like the fast UI from the PC and the security of having the NAS hidden away from view.
I have a similar setup, except my head unit is a Google Nexus Player, with the addition of Kodi Media Player (previously XBMC) it will play anything and is perfectly capable of playing back 1080p files. They're only $100.
Wait, so when you want to watch a movie, you still have to download it from NAS to your small LianLi box, right? If yes, then that's exactly what I want to avoid! In any case, I already have NAS, and I have my laptop. Why should I need an extra device to watch the videos from the NAS?
I just play the movie file on my PC directly from the DS; I don't download it onto the PC. Works even for BluRay rips.
I'm using a DS410 but the DS212J should easily be able to send the data to the PC fast enough. If it can't then you probably need to have a look at that, e.g. make sure you're using Gigabit and have Jumbo Frames enabled.
Oh laptop. Might be your wifi isn't fast enough then,
However you might be happier with a small Windows server, or if you're only using two HDDs then maybe a HTPC.
Your NAS sits on your network somewhere in your house (mine is in my utility closet). On it, you setup simple shares for your different file types such as videos, photos, documents, etc (either using windows friendly SMB or something like NFS, FTP, etc depending on your preferences and needs). Then on your cheapie head unit (nexus player for $50, etc) you install Kodi or what used to be XBMC. It can acess and scan windows shares, NFS, FTP or many other types of shares and index the media on your NAS. In its very beautiful and feature rich interface, you simply select a movie, tv show, photos, etc and start streaming from your NAS. No downloading required. You can even setup a shared Kodi index right on the NAS that all Kodi installs throughout your home can access so they all keep track of your media, whats been watched, where any program is paused, etc.
So, no. You don't download media to any device when using a NAS as a backend as long as you have a media consumption device on each TV that can access either DLNA or,as in the Nexus player et al, a windows share. Any Blu-ray player has the DLNA stack needed for this... Heck, most TVs these days come with built in DLNA software so you can access your NAS media via the network. Having a better device such as a Nexus Player or, even better, an Nvidia Shield device is always better (the Shield is an Amazing media device where everything under the sun is supported) but just about anything will work pretty well. Good luck.
I would agree with the original comment though that having an HDMI out on one of these so you can view the interface for the NAS directly would be really nice. It would avoid needing a media consumption device and save consumers $50-$800 (depending if they go with a cheap-o unit or a full out computer/laptop).
IMHO it doesn't seem very efficient to have your NAS hooked up to your tv or to be doing downloading via laptop just to watch something. Are you using the DS video app or have you considered it? You can stream any video in there from your smartphone or tablet to a $35 Chromecast or DLNA capable tv. Also if you have an xbox one (maybe 360?) you can stream to that. As others have mentioned, plex is another option. Streaming really is the way to go just have to figure out what works for your situation. Another thing to consider is supported formats. Most synology devices can handle some sort of transcoding to stream files but according to this document the DS212j can't. https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/faq/5... You could still stream just have to make sure the device you are streaming to supports the format or, maybe less ideally, convert the videos in your library to a supported format.
Actually I think I found a good candidate for the upgrade: QNAP TVS-471. It has HDMI port, and can do 4k transcoding. Has anyone any experience with QNAP vs Synology?
I have both at home, but I'm not sure what you want to know. QNAP gets you better hardware for a lower cost of ownership. With QTS 4.2 which was just released you get a NAS OS that is maybe a step behind Synology DSM for the average user but I find QTS better for more advanced tasks. The main differentiators to me are 1) the mobile apps. QNAP is way behind in design. 2) HDMI. The QNAP connects straight into your TV and has a special "TV OS" when you do so. You can use a remote control to browse your media. A really nice solution if you can stick your NAS where your TV is.
Just install the media server. Your SmartTV, Laptop, Smartphone or Roku like hardware will find it using DLNA protocol and just list what is available. It will stream the video live without the requirement of any file management IE copy/delete files prior to watching.
DLNA. That's your answer. Make sure your TV has a DLNA application and is connected to the network, and boom you can do exactly what you want. Or plug in a small media settop box that supports DLNA... same thing.
While not a big fan of these ad-posts, I really do think Synology has the most amazing software for NAS appliances I have ever seen. Some have caught up in certain ways. I reviewed a Western Digital MyCloud EX2100 12TB through NewEgg's EggXpert program. Its UI is cleaner, simpler, and every bit as refined as any NAS I have ever used. I'd trust my grandma to set up one of those things.
Synology's is less a configuration tool than a world philosophy. Those things can replace almost every function of my Windows 2008R2 home server. Even years ago when I used my first Synology, it had probably the most advanced web interface I had ever seen. Today it is an entire software ecosystem. Their technical prowess is really something. I wish they would release a phone OS, because the big two vendors have yet to deliver anything so well refined.
We went to a conference, saw some slides - Believed these slides would be interesting to our readers and reproduced them with comments, many of which are actually not even pro-Synology - Pointed out many aspects that are better in, say, QNAP. Not sure why you would refer to them as ad posts. In that case, most of the pipeline stories we cover or Intel / AMD architecture coverage that is posted after IDF or any industry trade show / event would be ad-type posts.
You make a good point. I have seen sponsored posts on Anandtech and did verify that this was another kind of post. You have my apologies. The rest of my post still applies.
No need to explain- I found the meaningless post by Sivar to be a walking ad for a WD product. I found the article to be a very informative breakdown interesting products w/fair strength and weakness assessments Keep up the good work.
I find these articles very useful. In no way are these 'ads'. I rely on sites like anandtech to pass long this type of info to me as I can't be at every conference, read every slide, or watch every presentation on YouTube. Thanks Anandtech & GaneshTS!
I'm excited about these changes to Synology devices as I manage two at work and have two at home. I was just thinking my DS710+ at home was getting a bit old and may need an update.
Is it just me or does that Video Station screen look a LOT like Plex? I tried using Video Station on my Synology for a year or two but found Plex to be better; mostly because my Tivo boxes and other home devices have Plex apps and not all of them could connect to a UPnP/DLNA server. Even after this update, I'll probably stick with Plex for this same reason but I'm excited to hear of Windows 10 apps for that and DS Photo!
Plex can only transcode video with general-purpose CPU work. Videostation can transcode with the special video tanscoding acceleration parts in the small super low power CPUs that come in these NAS units.
Why have we still not merge the NAS and the Router? The Apple Time Capsule is as close to that but the transfer speed sucks. Not to mention it only has 1 HDD slot. So 1 HDD failure means everything gone. And as Someone mentioned, the merged devices should have a HDMI port to connect to TV. Or the SmartTV would have a App to read the content from the NAS.
For Enthusiast or Pro Users, there may be reason for you to have it in separate function. But as a user all these to me are complexity.
I'll be upgrading to the DS716+ from my existing DS214play. I am happy that it is using an Intel CPU and not an ARM CPU so that more apps are compatible like Plex and CrashPlan. For that reason alone I would not recommend the new DS216play. I'll turn my DS214play as a remote site backup device. At the time I got my DS214play I felt I was making a sacrifice compared to the DS713+ that was available then in terms of power and more business features like VM support and Link Aggregation..etc. Now the DS716+ is the perfect no compromise solution. So I'll be happy to be able to take advantage of some of these features added features over the DS214play.
I'm quite happy using ROKU boxes on each of my remote video watching locations - bedroom, my office, wife's office, lv room, play room - and running Plex on the Synology. And of course this also works for my Android devices about the home and when I'm traveling.
Synology should sell their DSM separately or at least as a standalone product .. Currently there are people hacking together XPEnology for people who either want a virtual NAS or build one with their own hardware... It tends to be a challenge and require great patience and IT knowhow to do it for most people and in the event that device drivers are needed, you need to be a Linux geek to fix it.
If Synology instead chose to support customers who purchased DSM, they would have a solid product on the market - that would EASILY beat the competition: FreeNAS and Microsoft Windows Storage Server (MS NAS OS)
DSM isn't high performance (yet) and neither are their hardware .. but with the right commitment it might turn into a good performing OS.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
34 Comments
Back to Article
p1esk - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
I'd like to connect my NAS directly to a TV or a projector with an HDMI cable. Currently to watch a movie I have to download it from my Synology DS212j to my laptop, then connect my laptop to the projector with HDMI. I would gladly upgrade to a new Synology NAS if it had such capability.Speaking of upgrades, it's a pity they didn't update DS1515+ model. Capacity wise seems to be perfect for home use (4 drives in RAID5+ SSD cache).
AkulaClass - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
I am doing something like this and are happy with the solution.I have the DS212j placed central (hidden) in the house on the LAN.
In the living room I have a small nice looking LianLi box based on a G2020 CPU connected to my TV with HDMI and a wireless keyboard. All my movies are by the way in H264.
I do not find having the NAS by the TV attractive. I like the fast UI from the PC and the security of having the NAS hidden away from view.
Flunk - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
I have a similar setup, except my head unit is a Google Nexus Player, with the addition of Kodi Media Player (previously XBMC) it will play anything and is perfectly capable of playing back 1080p files. They're only $100.p1esk - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
Wait, so when you want to watch a movie, you still have to download it from NAS to your small LianLi box, right? If yes, then that's exactly what I want to avoid!In any case, I already have NAS, and I have my laptop. Why should I need an extra device to watch the videos from the NAS?
BugblatterIII - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
I just play the movie file on my PC directly from the DS; I don't download it onto the PC. Works even for BluRay rips.I'm using a DS410 but the DS212J should easily be able to send the data to the PC fast enough. If it can't then you probably need to have a look at that, e.g. make sure you're using Gigabit and have Jumbo Frames enabled.
Oh laptop. Might be your wifi isn't fast enough then,
However you might be happier with a small Windows server, or if you're only using two HDDs then maybe a HTPC.
AkulaClass - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
The Network and DS212j can easy do this. The Network load is not that great. Around 10 Mbit/s for good quality 1080p movie.Elrondolio - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
Your NAS sits on your network somewhere in your house (mine is in my utility closet). On it, you setup simple shares for your different file types such as videos, photos, documents, etc (either using windows friendly SMB or something like NFS, FTP, etc depending on your preferences and needs). Then on your cheapie head unit (nexus player for $50, etc) you install Kodi or what used to be XBMC. It can acess and scan windows shares, NFS, FTP or many other types of shares and index the media on your NAS. In its very beautiful and feature rich interface, you simply select a movie, tv show, photos, etc and start streaming from your NAS. No downloading required. You can even setup a shared Kodi index right on the NAS that all Kodi installs throughout your home can access so they all keep track of your media, whats been watched, where any program is paused, etc.So, no. You don't download media to any device when using a NAS as a backend as long as you have a media consumption device on each TV that can access either DLNA or,as in the Nexus player et al, a windows share. Any Blu-ray player has the DLNA stack needed for this... Heck, most TVs these days come with built in DLNA software so you can access your NAS media via the network. Having a better device such as a Nexus Player or, even better, an Nvidia Shield device is always better (the Shield is an Amazing media device where everything under the sun is supported) but just about anything will work pretty well. Good luck.
maximumGPU - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
That was a useful post, thanks!shadarlo - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
I would agree with the original comment though that having an HDMI out on one of these so you can view the interface for the NAS directly would be really nice. It would avoid needing a media consumption device and save consumers $50-$800 (depending if they go with a cheap-o unit or a full out computer/laptop).AkulaClass - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
No download to the LianLi. I play the file from the NAS direct.I could ude a Linux thing but for other reason I run Win7 on it.
cottington - Friday, October 9, 2015 - link
IMHO it doesn't seem very efficient to have your NAS hooked up to your tv or to be doing downloading via laptop just to watch something. Are you using the DS video app or have you considered it? You can stream any video in there from your smartphone or tablet to a $35 Chromecast or DLNA capable tv. Also if you have an xbox one (maybe 360?) you can stream to that. As others have mentioned, plex is another option. Streaming really is the way to go just have to figure out what works for your situation. Another thing to consider is supported formats. Most synology devices can handle some sort of transcoding to stream files but according to this document the DS212j can't. https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/faq/5...You could still stream just have to make sure the device you are streaming to supports the format or, maybe less ideally, convert the videos in your library to a supported format.
p1esk - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
Actually I think I found a good candidate for the upgrade: QNAP TVS-471. It has HDMI port, and can do 4k transcoding.Has anyone any experience with QNAP vs Synology?
nsfw777 - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
I have both at home, but I'm not sure what you want to know. QNAP gets you better hardware for a lower cost of ownership. With QTS 4.2 which was just released you get a NAS OS that is maybe a step behind Synology DSM for the average user but I find QTS better for more advanced tasks.The main differentiators to me are 1) the mobile apps. QNAP is way behind in design. 2) HDMI. The QNAP connects straight into your TV and has a special "TV OS" when you do so. You can use a remote control to browse your media. A really nice solution if you can stick your NAS where your TV is.
secretmanofagent - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
Have you looked into DLNA-capable TVs? My DS412 is seen by my TV through ethernet and can play files straight from it.Santo55 - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
Just install the media server. Your SmartTV, Laptop, Smartphone or Roku like hardware will find it using DLNA protocol and just list what is available. It will stream the video live without the requirement of any file management IE copy/delete files prior to watching.Joffer - Sunday, October 11, 2015 - link
why don't you just install plex and use a either windows plex app or plex home theater on your laptop? streaming it from the nas :)colinstu - Thursday, October 15, 2015 - link
DLNA. That's your answer. Make sure your TV has a DLNA application and is connected to the network, and boom you can do exactly what you want. Or plug in a small media settop box that supports DLNA... same thing.Sivar - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
While not a big fan of these ad-posts, I really do think Synology has the most amazing software for NAS appliances I have ever seen.Some have caught up in certain ways. I reviewed a Western Digital MyCloud EX2100 12TB through NewEgg's EggXpert program.
Its UI is cleaner, simpler, and every bit as refined as any NAS I have ever used. I'd trust my grandma to set up one of those things.
Synology's is less a configuration tool than a world philosophy.
Those things can replace almost every function of my Windows 2008R2 home server. Even years ago when I used my first Synology, it had probably the most advanced web interface I had ever seen. Today it is an entire software ecosystem. Their technical prowess is really something. I wish they would release a phone OS, because the big two vendors have yet to deliver anything so well refined.
ganeshts - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
We went to a conference, saw some slides - Believed these slides would be interesting to our readers and reproduced them with comments, many of which are actually not even pro-Synology - Pointed out many aspects that are better in, say, QNAP. Not sure why you would refer to them as ad posts. In that case, most of the pipeline stories we cover or Intel / AMD architecture coverage that is posted after IDF or any industry trade show / event would be ad-type posts.Sivar - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
You make a good point. I have seen sponsored posts on Anandtech and did verify that this was another kind of post. You have my apologies.The rest of my post still applies.
DanNeely - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
AFAIK the only sponsored posts have been from AMD and were done with a different site color scheme to make them readily apparent.BadCommand - Monday, October 12, 2015 - link
No need to explain- I found the meaningless post by Sivar to be a walking ad for a WD product. I found the article to be a very informative breakdown interesting products w/fair strength and weakness assessments Keep up the good work.JPoulsen - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
I find these articles very useful. In no way are these 'ads'. I rely on sites like anandtech to pass long this type of info to me as I can't be at every conference, read every slide, or watch every presentation on YouTube. Thanks Anandtech & GaneshTS!I'm excited about these changes to Synology devices as I manage two at work and have two at home. I was just thinking my DS710+ at home was getting a bit old and may need an update.
Is it just me or does that Video Station screen look a LOT like Plex? I tried using Video Station on my Synology for a year or two but found Plex to be better; mostly because my Tivo boxes and other home devices have Plex apps and not all of them could connect to a UPnP/DLNA server. Even after this update, I'll probably stick with Plex for this same reason but I'm excited to hear of Windows 10 apps for that and DS Photo!
Montago - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
You're right... VideoStation looks like a complete rip-of of PLEX..and yes.. PLEX beats it to death without even getting started.
SirMaster - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
Plex can only transcode video with general-purpose CPU work. Videostation can transcode with the special video tanscoding acceleration parts in the small super low power CPUs that come in these NAS units.toyotabedzrock - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
The video station looks like a mildly altered plex web interface.galfert - Sunday, October 11, 2015 - link
That is exactly what I thought. I almost had to take a second glance at it and see that it wasn't Plex. That is a good thing....I love Plex.iwod - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
Why have we still not merge the NAS and the Router? The Apple Time Capsule is as close to that but the transfer speed sucks. Not to mention it only has 1 HDD slot. So 1 HDD failure means everything gone. And as Someone mentioned, the merged devices should have a HDMI port to connect to TV. Or the SmartTV would have a App to read the content from the NAS.For Enthusiast or Pro Users, there may be reason for you to have it in separate function. But as a user all these to me are complexity.
ydeer - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
I'm pretty sure the Synology boxes already can can act as a router. I don't think I'd want it to for security reasons.iwod - Friday, October 9, 2015 - link
Nope they cant, It would have save me a few bucks if it would.Arnulf - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
Why the hell does BETA stuff make headline news? Same story with GPU drivers ...galfert - Sunday, October 11, 2015 - link
I'll be upgrading to the DS716+ from my existing DS214play. I am happy that it is using an Intel CPU and not an ARM CPU so that more apps are compatible like Plex and CrashPlan. For that reason alone I would not recommend the new DS216play. I'll turn my DS214play as a remote site backup device. At the time I got my DS214play I felt I was making a sacrifice compared to the DS713+ that was available then in terms of power and more business features like VM support and Link Aggregation..etc. Now the DS716+ is the perfect no compromise solution. So I'll be happy to be able to take advantage of some of these features added features over the DS214play.MrPeach - Tuesday, October 13, 2015 - link
I'm quite happy using ROKU boxes on each of my remote video watching locations - bedroom, my office, wife's office, lv room, play room - and running Plex on the Synology. And of course this also works for my Android devices about the home and when I'm traveling.Montago - Thursday, October 29, 2015 - link
Synology should sell their DSM separately or at least as a standalone product .. Currently there are people hacking together XPEnology for people who either want a virtual NAS or build one with their own hardware... It tends to be a challenge and require great patience and IT knowhow to do it for most people and in the event that device drivers are needed, you need to be a Linux geek to fix it.If Synology instead chose to support customers who purchased DSM, they would have a solid product on the market - that would EASILY beat the competition: FreeNAS and Microsoft Windows Storage Server (MS NAS OS)
DSM isn't high performance (yet) and neither are their hardware .. but with the right commitment it might turn into a good performing OS.