The AppleTV and QNAP NAS Media Servers

[williaty]

I have a QNAP TS-219P NAS. All of my video content is on the NAS. It's in many different file formats (.mov, .mp4, .wmv, .avi, .mkv, etc). Right now, I connect to the NAS via AFP from my MBP and plug the MBP into the TV and then use QuickTime (via Flip4Mac and Perian) to pull the content over the gigabit ethernet into the MBP and then to the TV.

I'd like to get an AppleTV and do the same thing without having to use the laptop. The QNAP TS-219P has features it calls "Built-in UPnP/DLNA Media Server (TwonkyMedia enabled)" and an "iTunes Media Server" as part of the device's firmware.

Will any of those features on the NAS allow me to stream media to the AppleTV without having to have the content on the ATV? If so, can I get the 40GB refurb ATV, keep all my media on the NAS, and use the ATV in the same way I use my MBP now?

 

[jaw04005]

We tend to answer this question a lot. So you might want to trying searching the forum for further discussion.

The short answer …

No. The Apple TV does not support DLNA media sharing or any other media sharing out of the box. It has to be connected to a real iTunes library with authentication (that’s available in iTunes only) to stream content unless you want to hack the device.

If you’re going to go that route, you might as well purchase one of the Apple TV’s competitors that have that capability out of the box.