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Post by sep297 on Feb 25, 2021 4:41:33 GMT -5
We have an LG 4K tv, oppo 205, Nvidia Shield, RMC-1 etc etc and the movies stored on a Synology NAS.
So far I have kept my 4K as physical media only and using Plex to watch the low res versions which works fine.
I have now bought a UHD ripping drive and I am primarily looking at Plex or Zappiti.
I suspect I will need a little more power in the server currently NVIDIA shield so will be looking at an M1 Mac mini or reasonable NUC. The logic for Zapiti player (would probably get the Audiocomm one) is it will cost a little more than a new server but be dedicated. We don't do any transcoding, so I am only interested in the quality and the user experience. I have plenty of space on the NAS so would want to connect it all up to that or do I need super fast SSD drives directly connected to make it work.
The Kaleidescape stuff is also an option as it seems to have been rock solid for years and getting 'Relatively' cheaper but would still bring tears to my eyes unless it was the last word in user experience etc.
Any Thoughts? from people using similar systems
Many Thanks In Advance
Stuart
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Post by bmoney187 on Feb 25, 2021 9:13:40 GMT -5
your NAS will be fine for running plex. I have 48TB in my NAS (run on an old computer). You dont need fast spinning drives to read the movies. the key is the Nvidia Shield Pro it will buffer long enough so even 4k movies go off without a hitch. The Zappiti is for those that dont already have a server in place (not to mention there is no parity to protect against drive failure) your better off spending that money on storage and movies.
FYI i JUST finished loading my 550+ 4K collection (took about 2 months) onto my NAS and its the best thing i have done in YEARS to my theater experience.
also a note I use EMBY as my server/client but its comparable to PLEX.
so in short without the need for transcoding your NAS will be 100% perfect for what your doing
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Post by doc1963 on Feb 25, 2021 10:17:16 GMT -5
I fully agree with bmoney187. Since the Plex Client supports “Direct Play” on your Nvidia Shield (where no transcoding is required), the Plex Server's tasks should be limited in scope and very resource friendly. Depending upon which model you own, there may be no need for a more powerful device than your Synology NAS. I do, however, run a small inexpensive i5 based mini-tower PC on which I run Plex Server, but I also us it as my MKV ripping station. Since I’m also a lifetime Plex Pass subscriber, I have access to an advanced “dashboard” in which I can see exactly what’s going on with the server’s resources. Since all of my external clients support Direct Play, the Plex Server is merely coasting along. I also own a Synology DS-918+ which would have no problem running Plex Server, but choose to leave things just the way they are and use it simply for storage and file services. The NAS is mapped to the PC as a network drive and Plex Server it pointed to it. Personally, I love Plex and have found that it suits my needs perfectly. I haven’t found the need, or desire, to spend more money on another option. I’ve looked at Kaleidescape, but once I saw the costs, that’s where my interest ended. If you’re like me and only rip my own personal discs ( including UHD) for convenience purposes and to gain instant access throughout my home, Plex (in my opinion) is the perfect solution. Many others also like (and maybe prefer) Kodi, but I like the ease of editing metadata, sort order and the cover art that Plex provides. All of this can be done from a web browser. Some other solutions are a bit different in that regard. Good luck and hope this opinion helps...  |
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Post by sep297 on Feb 25, 2021 11:04:00 GMT -5
Thanks both that is useful sounds like my current Plex setup is already capable.
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Post by foggy1956 on Feb 25, 2021 11:54:15 GMT -5
your NAS will be fine for running plex. I have 48TB in my NAS (run on an old computer). You dont need fast spinning drives to read the movies. the key is the Nvidia Shield Pro it will buffer long enough so even 4k movies go off without a hitch. The Zappiti is for those that dont already have a server in place (not to mention there is no parity to protect against drive failure) your better off spending that money on storage and movies. FYI i JUST finished loading my 550+ 4K collection (took about 2 months) onto my NAS and its the best thing i have done in YEARS to my theater experience. also a note I use EMBY as my server/client but its comparable to PLEX. so in short without the need for transcoding your NAS will be 100% perfect for what your doing What did you use to rip your 4k discs? |
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Post by LuisV on Feb 25, 2021 12:02:39 GMT -5
your NAS will be fine for running plex. I have 48TB in my NAS (run on an old computer). You dont need fast spinning drives to read the movies. the key is the Nvidia Shield Pro it will buffer long enough so even 4k movies go off without a hitch. The Zappiti is for those that dont already have a server in place (not to mention there is no parity to protect against drive failure) your better off spending that money on storage and movies. FYI i JUST finished loading my 550+ 4K collection (took about 2 months) onto my NAS and its the best thing i have done in YEARS to my theater experience. also a note I use EMBY as my server/client but its comparable to PLEX. so in short without the need for transcoding your NAS will be 100% perfect for what your doing Wow... that's a ton of ripping, but awesome work! I don't have as many Blurays, but mine are ripped to my NAS as well. I use Nvidia Shields at the TV, ethernet connected. Zero issues with local or remote steaming at max resolution via Plex; if needed, the Nvidia Quadro P2000 in my NAS will take care of any video transcodes. Disk space is cheap, so I don't use handbrake or other solution to compress; nevermind the extra time it would take. |
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Post by bmoney187 on Feb 25, 2021 12:36:41 GMT -5
your NAS will be fine for running plex. I have 48TB in my NAS (run on an old computer). You dont need fast spinning drives to read the movies. the key is the Nvidia Shield Pro it will buffer long enough so even 4k movies go off without a hitch. The Zappiti is for those that dont already have a server in place (not to mention there is no parity to protect against drive failure) your better off spending that money on storage and movies. FYI i JUST finished loading my 550+ 4K collection (took about 2 months) onto my NAS and its the best thing i have done in YEARS to my theater experience. also a note I use EMBY as my server/client but its comparable to PLEX. so in short without the need for transcoding your NAS will be 100% perfect for what your doing Wow... that's a ton of ripping, but awesome work! I don't have as many Blurays, but mine are ripped to my NAS as well. I use Nvidia Shields at the TV, ethernet connected. Zero issues with local or remote steaming at max resolution via Plex; if needed, the Nvidia Quadro P2000 in my NAS will take care of any video transcodes. Disk space is cheap, so I don't use handbrake or other solution to compress; nevermind the extra time it would take. an external UHD drive. all are 1:1 remux of the OG discs without the menus and multiple audio tracks also you bring up a good point i forgot....for 4k movies you HAVE to have the nvidia shield connected through ethernet |
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Post by melm on Feb 25, 2021 12:57:47 GMT -5
I have had the Zappiti for 3 years and it has been great. The GUI is first class. I have about 700 movies, including 4K, on a NAS, and it works great. I have three of their devices around the house, and different movies can be playing in different rooms at the same time.
I reviewed the Zappiti for Secrets of Home Theater, and decided after that I had to have one. Easy to set up and use, and video and audio play at full bandwidth.
Mel
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Post by bmoney187 on Feb 25, 2021 13:13:12 GMT -5
they are def nice. just very expensive and that include no memory
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Post by melm on Feb 25, 2021 13:37:54 GMT -5
No, it's assumed a user will plug in a hard disk of a size that will work for a user, or have a NAS. That way I can have what I want, and not let manufacturer buy the same thing and mark it up.
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Post by bmoney187 on Feb 25, 2021 13:45:15 GMT -5
huh? why would you spend $1000 on the front end when you already have a NAS setup thats silly and a waste of money
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Post by melm on Feb 25, 2021 14:26:25 GMT -5
You are seriously out of date.... A Zappiti costs about half that.
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Post by bmoney187 on Feb 25, 2021 14:33:42 GMT -5
You are seriously out of date.... A Zappiti costs about half that. still even at $500 WAY overpriced |
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Post by melm on Feb 25, 2021 14:37:14 GMT -5
Looks like $299 for the Zappiti One 4K.
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Post by melm on Feb 25, 2021 14:39:25 GMT -5
You seem uninformed on the product, which you likely have never seen or used. So rather than engage in a flame war I'll leave this be.
You are certainly entitled to your opinions. But not your own set of facts.
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cawgijoe
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"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
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Post by cawgijoe on Feb 25, 2021 14:39:28 GMT -5
You are seriously out of date.... A Zappiti costs about half that. still even at $500 WAY overpriced I was curious and went to their website...the top of the line product appears to be $995 and then you need to add hard drives....they mention another $1,200. I don't know much about them except it looks cool. What's the cheapest or best value option and then I suppose you need to spend additional money on ripping blu-rays and UHD blu-rays, correct? Edit: I'm a complete novice here who needs to be educated. |
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Post by bmoney187 on Feb 25, 2021 14:42:52 GMT -5
You seem uninformed on the product, which you likely have never seen or used. So rather than engage in a flame war I'll leave this be. You are certainly entitled to your opinions. But not your own set of facts. you are the one who stated half of the 1k asking price. im uniformed cause once i saw the price of admission and realized the exact same thing can be had for a fraction of the cost. I passed sounds like you are suffering from purchase bias and everyone else is just wrong to help support your purchase |
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Post by bmoney187 on Feb 25, 2021 14:44:25 GMT -5
still even at $500 WAY overpriced I was curious and went to their website...the top of the line product appears to be $995 and then you need to add hard drives....they mention another $1,200. I don't know much about them except it looks cool. What's the cheapest or best value option and then I suppose you need to spend additional money on ripping blu-rays and UHD blu-rays, correct? Edit: I'm a complete novice here who needs to be educated. their top of the line product is actually a ripper and NAS all in one but is upwards of $3k and still doesnt come with the storage |
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Post by melm on Feb 25, 2021 14:49:26 GMT -5
It depends on what you want to accomplish... Zappiti devices that are 4K capable start at $299.00. They handle 4K video and all the recent audio codecs. They do have a professional model, mainly for installers. High end wiring and components, but the Zappiti one is excellent and better built than much of the competition. It will take an internal dive of your choosing, and you cn hook up USB drives on the rear panel. How you rip your movies are up to you. Solutions like Make MKV or DVD Fab. Mac and Windows clients for those.
And there are surely other alternatives for playback and storage. I have a multi-room Zappiti setup and it is aces. But I'm not denigrating any other solutions. I can say that my file playbacks look and sound like the original. Their front end is very attractive, and automatically seeks out cover art and details on the movies. I think Plex does that too, but haven't used it.
Find some reviews. Lot's out there to look at.
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Post by melm on Feb 25, 2021 14:52:22 GMT -5
You seem uninformed on the product, which you likely have never seen or used. So rather than engage in a flame war I'll leave this be. You are certainly entitled to your opinions. But not your own set of facts. you are the one who stated half of the 1k asking price. im uniformed cause once i saw the price of admission and realized the exact same thing can be had for a fraction of the cost. I passed sounds like you are suffering from purchase bias and everyone else is just wrong to help support your purchase You're just being silly. I checked my facts and found the price was lower than I thought. No one is forcing you to buy anything. Use what you like. I didn't say anyone was wrong except you on the pricing, which you surely were. I don't think any further dialog with you is of any value. I don't really like to deal with trolls. |
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