Excellent answer, and your points are valid. I have done the same calculations as you have.
As you mention, there is a trade-off between a very high starting price and expenses spread over time.
I do not deny that a NAS solution can be more favorable in terms of cost over time. It depends on how often you have to change the NAS itself and how often you have to change hard drives.
With OneDrive, you get peace of mind and the costs are affordable. It has a great value to me.
But even greater is the value of simplicity. I can use Infuse in the cabin, on the train, everywhere. I always have my collection with me. It is possible that this can be achieved through a Synology solution as well. I haven’t researched it that thoroughly.
As for the question of whether it’s worth it, that can of course always be debated. For me, it’s not just about having my collection available. It is also about the satisfaction of learning and setting up technical solutions. And as a bonus, the wow factor among friends and family is quite high when I explain to them how things work and show how cool Infuse can make a private collection. So this is kind of a hobby for me, to be honest.
That said, my setup is just an example. Other people’s setups may be just as good.
When it comes to storage capacity, you don’t necessarily need to have everything in the cloud all the time. For example, I can watch a TV show for a period of time. When I’m done with it, I can delete it from OneDrive and upload another one. This is very simple. In any case, I have a backup of all the content at home.
By the way, it is entirely possible to expand the capacity of a Synology NAS as well, so in that area I would not claim that OneDrive is a more secure solution.
In conclusion, I would like to say that one of Infuse’s great strengths is precisely the possibility to choose a number of different setups according to what you prefer. Infuse allows you to personalize everything to a great extent, which I really appreciate.
In addition to that, Infuse is always at the forefront when it comes to exploiting opportunities that arise, which we now see, among other things, through their testing of Dolby Vision opportunities.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Infuse is completely unique when it comes to contact with its customers. Therefore, I believe that Infuse is not only the best app of its kind on the planet, but also, in general, a shining example of how a customer-friendly business should be run.
The most annoying thing about Infuse is basically that the price is unreasonably low compared to what you get for the money. 