Recommendation needed: NAS with plex media server or SMB,NFS,AFP share

Dear firecore folks!

Since the release of atvflash for the silver Apple TV you got me on board. Recently I’m a very happy infuse user on the Apple TV 4 and iOS with a lifetime pass. First of all: The new version 5 looks absolutely brilliant and the player is fantastic.

Here is my setup:

I’m using Infuse to play .h265-files in my network on iOS/tvOS devices with a plex media server on my iMac. Now I want to optimize my setup with a NAS or a wifi harddrive instead of turning my iMac on. I need a recommendation and I hope that you can help me.

Is it better to buy a NAS (maybe an Synology or QNAP) with the Plex Media Server Integration or should I buy a simple Harddrive to store my media on and connect to infuse via SMB, NFS or AFP?

If you prefer a NAS can you give me a recommendation for a model?

My needs: No transcoding. Every video I stream is directly played in the network. An access outside the network would be nice!

Thx for helping! :slight_smile:

I use a Synology NAS (pick one based on your budget/needs) with SMB2 sharing, works very well. Found that cover art, XML and images work great with this type of sharing. Metadata 101 – Firecore

Previously I had shared as DNLA, but had difficulty in getting the extra files that Infuse supports to work with this type of sharing. Maybe I was doing it wrong, but SMB2 seemed to be the fastest and best supported for my needs.

A Synology NAS with hardware transcoding, RAM and storage to your needs. INFUSE via NFS or SMB internal network. A Plex media server on the NAS with transcoding turned on for external access. Transcoding will only be used if the connection is too slow for direct play.

Thx for your fast replies. Any recommendations for a NAS? What do you think about “WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra”. I’m searching for a cheap solution.

Is SMB or NFS für internal use faster than a Plex Media Server?

Don’t know the WD product - sorry, but if you want external access then you might want to consider hardware transcoding as an option. If you only want to use it internally and you have wired and/or a good wifi setup then almost anything that connects the way you want it to and works with Infuse or Plex will be a good solution.

I started a new thread today and your reply I quoted above, really clears things up for me.

Basically, this is what I will do when I get home this afternoon:

  1. Setup Plex on my NAS so I can access it away from home on my mobile devices.
  2. Setup SMB on my NAS so I can access it from my office PC running Windows 10 Home.
  3. Setup NFS on my NAS so I can use Infuse on my ATV 4K and access my movies and media.

Amazing the amount of flexibility one has nowadays.

I really want to use NFS with Infuse/ATV 4k, because it will allow me to access the AVCHD folders, which SMB and Plex do not recognize.

I have an old Synology DS214Play. Use the NFS share at home. Plays 1080p 265 files fine for me. Usually a few seconds of buffering before it plays.

For outside the network, I use Synology’s own DS Video app - has an option which lets you play video files in Infuse for iOS.

Plex can be installed on my NAS (main reason I bought it TBH) but have long since abandoned it.