What NAS to store my m4v files on

[NutFlush920]

I have a 2015 15” MBP and a 2012 Mac Mini. The MacMini is connected to my gigabit Router with CAT6 and has 3 large (14TB total) drives connected via USB3. I was using the Mini as a iTunes Home Share Server for my wired Apple TV but some movies (not all) stutter during playback. The audio plays but the frame freezes.

I put the same file on my MBP and started a HokeShare and no problems. This is really pissing me off.

So I’m considering a 4 bay NAS to have my MBP access for home sharing. I don’t need one to transcode on the fly as all my content is m4v fiiles and metadata tagged by me. What NAS do y’all suggest? I’ve been looking at Synology Play models but don’t wanna pay the premium for the Play if it’s not needed. I may even consider just using the DS Video app and bypass iTunes all together if it’s advised to do so.

Thanks for the help.

 

[priitv8]

I run my iTunes server off a similar Mac Mini:

As storage I used to have a cheap NAS but they are all quite underpowered (as long as you are looking at ARM-powered models).
So I went back to a DAS - Drobo 5C.
Mini is connected to aTV 4K via gigabit eth, AirPort Timecapsule 4gen being the hub.
Your problem must be somewhere else, this combo should be perfectly capable of serving iTunes library.
Lets start with the file size and bitrate - as far as I can tell, tvOS native player and iTunes Server can only keep up with files up to 50Mbps bitrate. So as a rule of thumb - direct UHD rips can be too much.
Infuse player can handle them better.

 

[Michelasso]

If you're looking for a cheap (but reliable) NAS I suggest the one I have got myself: NAS 326. The CPU is quite slow, but the transfer speeds, all devices wired to an Ethernet switch, are above 100MByte/s. Basically the transfer speed of the HDD.

I move the data from my MBP to it, and then I play the videos with Infuse. I did a couple of tests with "Computer" as well, and never a hiccup. Although I am not sure what resolution Computer/iTunes plays the 4K mp4 made with my iPhone. I have read it downscales them to 1080p (and they look as such, at least the couple I tried).

Correction: I have tried right now with Computer, after sharing photos and videos with "At Home" in iTunes. What a mess. I don't see the videos (only one that I shared directly with iTunes) and watching a photos slideshow it keeps losing the connection to iTunes. I really can't stand that iTunes crap. Worst Apple app ever.

 

[NutFlush920]

The movie I’m having problems with is The Posession of Hannah Grace. I got it off of iTunes. It’s 3.13GB, 5080 kbps, 1930x796 and is h.264. Most movies all play fine just am having a helluva time with this one. Its free of DRM. Seems to “stutter”/“freeze” often.

 

[priitv8]

The movie I’m having problems with is The Posession of Hannah Grace. I got it off of iTunes. It’s 3.13GB, 5080 kbps, 1930x796 and is h.264. Most movies all play fine just am having a helluva time with this one. Its free of DRM. Seems to “stutter”/“freeze” often.

If it is DRM-free, try to put it through Subler taking the "Optimize" command. This will align all the metadata and stream elements properly inside the file.

 

[circatee]

The QNAP TS-231P isn't too bad. I do recommend getting the Iron Wolf drives, from Seagate...

 

[jeyf]

-If speed is an issue:
-some nas boxes have (2) ethernet ports as "Link Aggregation" this might speed things up, may be difficult to setup tho. A quick google search= https://www.itpro.co.uk/nas/29490/two-ports-no-waiting-the-pros-and-cons-of-link-aggregation.
-for the mbp the wifi may be an issue. verify the mbp is picking up the wifi at its fastest speed. Verify the wifi is not doing an un necessary 2nd tier of routing, if so put it in a pass through mode.

video players
-VLC and or iiNA work very well if you willing to re-think your iTunes situation. Apple Inc is a 40year old company. iTunes has been a integral part of Apple for almost those many years. Just saying netFlix or whatever.



-I am looking at a 4 slot Sinology ds918+ (pricing ~$555.00 usd). it may be the higher end home nas (not commercial rack mount)? The box can accommodate an additional 4G ram and has (2) ssd memory slots. The SSD are used as buffer not actual storage. My geek neighbor has a QNAP TS-451+ box and says its functional 4him.
-One thought is buy the NAS box with the best internal processor.



I have an ever so old old ~2010 Drobo box slow but still functional nas box. Remarkable. The Drobo as a company, well... they are getting a second wind? So consider all the options out there. Even tho my Drobo is very slow it meets my video and home office needs. I am impressed how the old Drobo handles swapping out damaged drives.


drives
-I really use less than expected space in my current NAS box for my home network. As above I have had the box since 2010 or so. maybe re-think your new nas box setup; buy lower density, higher quality 3 year warranty hard drives and buy from a major retail situation like say newEgg.
-It takes a big effort to fill a 6-10TB drive even with high definition. Does the new movie Frozen 3 really need high definition? Things like Big Bang; you can get the same message at some lower junk format.



-A 4bay NAS is the minimum for a raid format with any type of redundancy. there are 1 and 2 slot boxes out there that look nice too.


-Sinology ds918+ and other modern NAS boxes support firmware applications. I am really really interested in Sinology's home security managment software. Instead of a leaky Amazon Alexa driven situation.

best of luck if my post help or hinders... fine
i don't represent any commercial effort

 

[oneMadRssn]

I have a Synology NAS that's a few years old, and it works great for serving files to Infuse. It runs a few helpful Docker apps too.

 

[afd]

I have a Synology 213J filled with mostly DVD rips. Lately I’ve added a few BluRay rips. The bluRay rips play perfectly over WiFi to Apple TV 4 and 4K. I have tried the Infuse app but deleted it as found I was only using the free synology ds video app.

 

[NutFlush920]

So with the Synology NAS I don’t need the “Play” do I if all my videos are mp4 or m4v?

I’ll either use DS Video app or do Home Sharing through my MBP. I’ll just sell the Mini.

 

[Soondae]

I have the Synology DS216play and I love it. I think the Synology software is better than Qnap which I own an older unit. The DSVideo app for ATV4 is very good but I have had issues with odd video codecs that it refuses to play smoothly and Infuse can play them well so the issue is with the app not the box hardware (I think). Drobo are great units but I haven't used them or their software, if it's about price the Synology units are well priced.

 

[afd]

I think you'd only need a Play or plus if you want the NAS to transcode on the fly. I tried GetChannels PVR hoping it would allow me to watch DTV on my iPhone but my NAS wasn't fast enough. For watching video that is apple friendly doesn't need transcoding.

 

[oneMadRssn]

So with the Synology NAS I don’t need the “Play” do I if all my videos are mp4 or m4v?

I’ll either use DS Video app or do Home Sharing through my MBP. I’ll just sell the Mini.

The Play models have CPUs that are somewhat better for real-time transcoding. That said, you only need transcoding at all if you have hardware that won't natively play the files you have. Infuse and MrMC on AppleTV will play pretty much any file you throw at it, which is why most folks on here use those apps. In that instance, you don't need any transcoding. Transcoding has another negative, which is the video quality will always be either equal or worse. For best quality, it's best to have the final device decode the file and play it. In other words, avoid transcoding if you care about maximum quality.

The DS Video app is great too, but the UI and organization isn't as awesome as Infuse, in my opinion.

 

[jeyf]

to the OP: I maybe old-school but can't fully appreciate the appleTV.

keep it simple;
keep the 2015 mac mini you have. It has (verify with the apple specs) a 4K HdMI port. Hard wire your macMini & any NAS box to what ever you are using for routing. Buy a craigsList wall TV with a 4K HDMI port, connect the speakers to the TV. Call it done for a couple of years.
I put VLC onto an iPhone. On the house wifi it will play most situations quite nice. VLC is free and at least medium performance. A bad, there is no VLC skin working with apple devices. Most times i use finder to organize my video and auto mount the NAS onto the MBP or macMini. I looked at the free IIna app but like VLC was unable to get it to do a playList.

-A video and or music play list & a decent easy to use skin in a none iTunes situation seems elusive but would be nice?
-it would seem logical to avoid real-time transcoding altogether? at least do it on the final target device
-it is not necessary to have every video max resolution or limit your self to only one video format
-A local 4 bay NAS box with raid5 should be a high priority for any self loving household. Not only video but music, documents, books, photo's...


software
-Just now Infuse looked interesting on the app store. google said alternatives could be nPlayer, GoodPlayer, oPlayer or VLC?
-i use VLC and: craigsList HP1810-8g series switch, a very old Drobo 5bay NAS and an old airPort wifi. The NAS box, HP switch and airPort are all hard wired ethernet. I located the airPort exactly in the middle of the house and it is in pass through mode.

Not getting any video breakup with my junk late 2016 MBP anywhere in my house.

 

[priitv8]

I don’t see any reason to go for NAS (instead of a DAS), if you plan to keep the Mini.

 

[NutFlush920]

As it stands now the culprit is my Mini for whatever reason. It is hard wired. My MBP serves the files up great

 

[circatee]

Sounds like you just saved yourself some NAS/DAS money. Oh, and learned lots in the process

 

[NutFlush920]

Definitely not a issue with my drive. I put the file on the Minis internal SSD and same freezing.

The drive I’m using is

https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-Internal-3-5-Inch-ST8000DM004/dp/B075WYBQXJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1G88SOFHJC23&keywords=st8000dm004&qid=1551839059&s=gateway&sprefix=st8000dm,aps,210&sr=8-1

Not my network. Tried different cable and even WiFi. Still freezing.

When I connect the hard drive to the Mini and access the drive via the network on iTunes from the MBP it freezes but when I run the file directly from the MBP no freezing.

Troubleshooting is frustrating. LOL

 

[priitv8]

Only with this one movie - The Posession of Hannah Grace??

 

[NutFlush920]

Only with this one movie - The Posession of Hannah Grace??

Yes seems to be right now. I may not worry about it. It was just OK and may not even ever watch it again. Just the IT guy in me trying to find the problem.

 

[jeyf]

I don’t see any reason to go for NAS (instead of a DAS), if you plan to keep the Mini.

-resist but its good to implement a small home network.

-Get separate hardware boxes for your cable modem, routing, firewall, wifi access point and storage. So no one function really depends on the next. 4example if you decide to change your internet provider you can swap out the cable modem box for the new next best thing.
-Fing as a free network iOS app that does some things

none of your internet needs are going away any time soon

 

[littlepooch21]

Yes seems to be right now. I may not worry about it. It was just OK and may not even ever watch it again. Just the IT guy in me trying to find the problem.

I would just chop it up that it's just the movie/file. i have had that happen in the past. Every other movie/file I have plays just fine but that one. I wouldn't over think it.

 

[seek3r]

I have a 2015 15” MBP and a 2012 Mac Mini. The MacMini is connected to my gigabit Router with CAT6 and has 3 large (14TB total) drives connected via USB3. I was using the Mini as a iTunes Home Share Server for my wired Apple TV but some movies (not all) stutter during playback. The audio plays but the frame freezes.

I put the same file on my MBP and started a HokeShare and no problems. This is really pissing me off.

So I’m considering a 4 bay NAS to have my MBP access for home sharing. I don’t need one to transcode on the fly as all my content is m4v fiiles and metadata tagged by me. What NAS do y’all suggest? I’ve been looking at Synology Play models but don’t wanna pay the premium for the Play if it’s not needed. I may even consider just using the DS Video app and bypass iTunes all together if it’s advised to do so.

Thanks for the help.

I built a new NAS/home server recently using a Gen10 HP Micro Server running Ubuntu Server with a PCIe SSD for boot and 3x5TB spinning rust for storage. I share my movies and tv series on it that I've ripped in the past plus anything new via samba and use VLC on the AppleTV to access them instead of dealing with re-encoding + Home Share. Don't know if that kind of solution works for you, but it has been pretty solid. Any turnkey NAS (like Synology's) can create samba shares too with less work if you dont want the hassle.

 

[jeyf]

I built a new NAS/home server recently using a Gen10 HP Micro Server running Ubuntu Server with a PCIe SS.

i recall there is an open source NAS effort out there. good & bad but been a while as i have gotten lazy the 2010 drobo box

i have a fan-free micro ITX box w/ linux but the thing about firmware boxes for a residential situ:
-they generally use less power
-smaller foot print less noise
-can be reliable

whatever; a NAS should handle damaged hard drives w/ confidence. Maybe even have a 5th slot with a hot swappable spare. You know one or two drives will fail.

 

[priitv8]

Yes seems to be right now. I may not worry about it. It was just OK and may not even ever watch it again. Just the IT guy in me trying to find the problem.

Did you try the Optimize command in Subler?