Thanks, Lon. You are always very helpful. I wound up buying a QNAP NAS for all my Plex videos. You made it much easier for me to set it up. You're the best.
@@LonSeidman Great advice. By any chance, have you made any videos on the best settings for a firewall on a Mac? I have it turned on in the System Preferences but is there anything else I should do to tweak it for the NAS? Thanks again. --Vince
Love these basic videos. I recently purchased a HDHomeRun on your recommendation and use it with Plex with my WD PR4100. 99.9% satisfied and look to these videos to get the most out of these products. Thank you so much.
At 15:20 there appears to be a change with newer versions (currently on 1.18.6.x) that now defaults to enabling hardware transcoding and the user is given the option to checkbox "Disable video stream transcoding"
After watching your video on running a Plex server on the NVIDIA SHIELD, I purchased one. I was looking for better transcoding then my current Synology NAS. After a week of email exchanges with NVIDIA Support, the SHIELD is being returned. The problem? Although you can mount a NAS to it for media storage, you can't use the NAS for metadata storage. Any moderate Plex library will exhaust the SHIELD's internal memory and attaching a USB drive to the thing for metadata storage was not what I was looking to do; twice the power usage, significant additional expense. So, the device goes back. Very disappointing experience overall.
I have the DS1019+ and it fantastic when combined with a nvidia shield tv. Am currently streaming wirelessly 60GB MKV files using plex, no transcoding at all and plays straight away, no buffering.
Now that you have a WD NAS and a Synology NAS, I would love to see how the two compare when considering hardware transcoding! I have the Synology DS918+, which has the same processor as your device and transcoding has been awful using Plex to transcode my HDHR DVR media outside of the home. Interestingly enough, using the Channels DVR app outside of my home has been excellent, Plex not so much although it is getting better. Love to hear your comments, Thanks!
Hmm that is interesting. I did a test of the 918+ in a separate video awhile back: ruclips.net/video/y_m4dBbEKGY/видео.html -- and things felt like they were working fairly well for one or two users. Are you having it transcode MPEG 2 OTA content? If so what is the target bit rate?
Thanks @@LonSeidman, I am trying to transcode one or two MPEG 2 streams from the HDHR Prime to 2mb 720P HD streams to watch recorded content on my phone away from home. It also struggles to play content on my computer using Plex web app through Chrome.
Is it correct to say that running one's own a Plex server is like running a private RUclips? The Plex server is reachable over the Internet with a standard web browser even with a URL if custom DNS is added to the mix. While the videos can be made public like RUclips, if I want, visitors have to log in to view some videos?
The DS718+ is a more accurate 2-bay option if you want to have the quad core CPU that the DS1019+ has. The DS218+ that is shown in the video has a dual core Intel Celeron CPU but it still supports quick sync. Also important considerations are the amount of RAM that is offered in each unit. The DS1019+ comes with 8GB and both the DS218+ and DS718+ come with 2GB. I would highly recommend that you have a minimum of 4GB of RAM. You can upgrade the RAM in the DS218+ and DS718+. I would recommend that you utilize the RAM module from Synology to prevent any warranty or support issues from Synology.
If I DL the Plex package without having a Plex pass, then I get the Plex pass at a later date will the transcoding start working or do I need to reinstall/upgrade to get transcoding running?
Hi Lon, I have a question. The Gemini lake cpus do not support HDR but nvdia shield does. Lets say I install plexserver on geminilake pc because it had HW h265 decoding. and I want to stream using nvdia shield, Will it stream HDR on tv?
I really tried to get into Plex for many years and across many items like my NAS, TV, and Mac Mini. However, for someone like me who doesn’t watch my home content on the go and watches a lot of non American shows with subtitles, it just doesn’t offer a quick way to browse all my content. I prefer to see organized folders than the Apple TV’ish type graphical interface. Anyone have any recommendations?
Been using a Netgear ReadyNas 516 for a couple years now. I’ve been using Plex for years. First on my Windows PC when it used to be on 24/7. I just got a used 70” Tv that supports 3D, and so I’m starting to put some 3D movies onto Plex. No problem!!! Plex works poorly on cheap Arm processor NAS devices. Transcoding can be very important.
Slight correction, the 2-bay variant of the DS918+/1018+ is the Synology DS718+ which contains the same processor and RAM expansion compatibility. The 218+ you showed will support hardware transcoding, but not as well as the 718+/918+/1018+. Also you can add a expansion unit onto the 718+ to get more drives, which you can't do on the 218+.
I got the question for you. If my home networks IP is not 192.168 or 10.xxxx is there anyway for Plex on the Synology to get past the nonsoup for you error. When I look at the logs it treats not 192.168 and 10xxx as non local even though the nas maps it’s IP from the home router. And the ONLY way it works is if I change the IP but my NVR uses the 10 subnet and because it has it own subnet that needs POE it conflicts. So yes. Anyway to get Plex nas to work as my Mac Plex server works just fine as is.
I have Plex server on my synology NAS but I when I changed my hard drives from 7200 RPM to 5400 RPM and reinstalling everything. I can not setup the plex server on my Synology NAS. Do you know what might be the issues? I am not sure what happened.
I have the DS920+ but unfortunately not a smart tv. I ended up playing them from the NAS to my semismart dvd player. Works great but I did have to run a cat 6 to it from my router as wireless wasn't keeping up. a new tv is on my list!! Keep up the great tutorials!! Hey, maybe you could do a video on which tv's work with plex?
After installing and following all these, when I started the Plex Server from the NAS (Synology DS1515+) apps page as mentioned, a PLEX page comes and asks me to sign with email address or Google, etc and I never see the list of users I have on the NAS. But in your tutorial, I see the NAS users are listed to login. I don't know what I am doing wrong.
Great video. Please I just have one question, how can I add the users I create from my nas? I do see when I went to Plex. I skip the signing part on Plex I will like to generate my nas users. Thank you so much.
I'm considering doing this..... if I rip my blu rays without compression, is the video/audio quality of watching these with Kodi/plelx on a shield -- comparable to watching it on a regular blu ray player? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I have a fast ethernet connection and watching on a 60" tv. thanks in advance.
Lon, How about the same video only with the HDHomeRun app. I'd like to make my HDHomerun app so that it is on my synology nas and I don't have to reinstall every time I have some kind of power cycle on my nas.
Hello Lon please help. Great Video . I have the Synology DS920+ and local videos inside my network look great. Outside my network it is another story. They look Pixilated or washed out or the audio . I have hardware transcoding running.
Hello. I just bought a my cloud and when I go to app section it does not give me any options to download an app. It just has has some predefined folders like iTunes, passpoint, and DLNA that I can only change options on those. Any idea how I can add the plex app onto the my cloud. Thanks.
Lon, I have a TS server with my pictures and videos already on it and was wondering if I can use Plex like WMP where the library is generated but not duplicated?? I only want my files to be in one place. Am I missing something here?
I should really finish re-setting up my Plex Server... I miss being able to watch my anime and other stuff when away from home.... or even across my apartment in another room where there's a couch.. Great video!
Hi Lon.....great job of creating interesting content. I decided to give Plex a shot on my Synology 1019. It is installed and working but I have a question. I mainly wanted Plex to tinker with plugins and channels. Come to find out they are obsolete. Am I missing something? Seems all that Plex does is share my local content which I can easily do with the synology apps? Are there no longer options to add additional channels like youtube or other channels similar to a roku?
Great video as always! I will definitely be referring to this when I purchase a NAS later this year. I don't mind using my main PC as my Plex server, but having a NAS run my DVR and media will be way more convenient.
Bought a PR4100 and for the life of me, IPTV doesn't work at all. Watched your older guides as well as this one and I feel like I've done everything imaginable to get my PR4100 and HDHR Prime set up. Watching live TV on an HDHR app works just fine. Try to in Plex/Emby I get nothing. HDHR DVR (abysmal app but works for only 1 stream).
@@LonSeidman yeah gone through everything. Even tried turning it off to test if that was the issue. Hoping to call wd today because this doesn't seem right.
@@Outinthedark Funny enough, I got a lemon from them too. Found out after it hosed terabytes of data. They replaced the drive that went bad and the NAS itself and since then everything has been running smoothly.
@@thefingerofgod69 Thankfully I hadn't transferred much yet to mine so these wipes and resets they had me go through only took a few minutes. Good to know their CS is good. I should receive my replacement soon enough.
Does anyone know if the Synology DS218+ will be faster for Plex with 8 gig of RAM (2x4gb) or does it matter if they are matched? I put 8GB in mine as an upgrade, and although working fine, I wonder if it would be faster if the RAM modules were matched? By the way, changing the transcode directory to /tmp seems to have made a huge difference vs. transcoding on the spinning disks.
Couple questions: 1. Is the process of moving all of my large movie files from a desktop D: drive to a dedicated Synology NAS Plex Server as simple as dragging/dropping into the newly created Plex media folders? 2. Is there a way to automate the Plex server update process or will I have to DL the update file manually each time Plex releases an update? 3. Do you have a video showing the best RAID setup for the Synology DS1019+ specific to a Plex server? Thanks Lon, great video!
Question: If I already have all my media on my NAS, then install Plex and added movies folder then add movies will it duplicate all my media (taking up twice the space) or will it just point to that media?
Great stuff! I bought a WD PR2100 just to run Plex but I'm not able to bring i media from my other NAS (QNAP & ASUS). It would be awesome if you could show us how to accomplish this. Thanks again for your excellent work.
I have a show "Simon & Simon", which shows up in my series folder AND in my movie folder (all episodes separately). I can not remove the episodes out of my movie folder, because that removes them out of the series folder too. Here's an example of how I named every episode: SIMON & SIMON SO1E01 DETAILS AT ELEVEN (1981) and the map is called SIMON & SIMON (1981), located in the series folder of my NAS along with 140 other series, which are correctly recognized. I added the date as that was one suggestion in one of the many forums I visited, to no avail. You see it is correctly named "SO1E01", I also tried leaving out "SIMON & SIMON" (I thought maybe the "&" was the problem) which only results in Plex putting the episodes in a different spot alphabetically in the movie folder. Filling in the series ID number from TVDB doesn't work either. I'd appreciate input here, since I don't want 154 separate files showing on my movie page that don't belong there. Thanks!
Thanks for a great video!! Perfect timing for me... I am in the process of putting together my first NAS / Plex server and am looking at the Synology DS916+ and the WD PR4100. I do have Plex Pass (lifetime) so I'll get hardware trans-coding either way. Do you recommend "NAS Specific" drives like the WD Red or WD Red Pro... or is a regular SATA drive "ok" for this application?
I have the PR4100 with 4 10TB WD Red drives. And IF I remember correctly, the Pros are not recommended for the PR4100. I can't remember why though. In any event, I have been pretty happy with it with the exception of the complete and utter fail of one of the drives which resulted in the loss of all of my data. They sent me a new NAS and a replacement drive (only one of them failed) and it has been running very well for quite some time now.
@@thefingerofgod69 Thanks.... As of right now the ED store has no "pro" to be had anyway on the 10TB size! Were you using the entire "non raided" 40tb? I thought most raid offer a level of redundancy so that if one drive goes out... as long as you replace it it will rebuild itself. Redundancy is super important to me. I want to make sure I don't set myself up for the same data loss. Sorry that happened!
@@ryancasey9744 I was using RAID 5 which should have provided protection for my data. Unfortunately, it didn't work and I lost terabytes of data. They sent me a new replacement drive but it was never able to rebuild. THey also finally sent me a new box and tried to rebuild it that way and no dice. It has been working flawlessly ever since but I was bummed that I lost all of that data.
I wonder how unrestricted Docker runs on the Synology devices. Linuxserver.io's Plex Docker container auto updates Plex when the container is restarted (so updating plex is a simple "docker restart Plex (or whatever you named your Plex container)", and that particular Docker container does support hardware transcoding. I would be interested in a video on that subject as that would be easier than manually updating. You could probably even have DSM automatically restart the Plex Docker container weekly or every 48 hours and Plex will always be up to date.
How come synology will not see my WD CLOUDS.. nvidia shield seen all my nas on network.. synology is whole other ballgame.. can you help me out am stuck..
Great video. Out of curiosity what type of files are your blu ray rips? I know plex only supports certain video types so just would like to know what works best. Thanks!
Hi Lon, thanks for the video, I have checked my settings and I dont see any checkbox to enable hardware acceleration for transcoding, do you know why ? maybe because my NUC's processor doesnt have this ability ?
Perfect timing. My 218+ is lost in Amazon shipping hell. Price dropped to $250 for a few days last week guess they got over sold. I currently have my plex server on a Drobo 5N, I have a few dozen folders and thousands of files is there any way to migrate my current set up?
Unfortunately you'll have to copy the files over manually. Synology offers some options for migrating from one device to another within their product line but not from other manufacturers.
Any tips for a large media collection over 1k in movies and 60 tv series and growing. I do have sub folders to break it up and tv series folder directories.
Half wrong on the hardware transcoding. According to the plex forum moderator, hardware acceleration is only available for paying plex pass members. Missing for the free version. Would have been nice if you would have mentioned that.
Would be great to get a video on restoring dead drives in raid 5/6 on different kinds of NAS, and what happens if the drives are fine but the NAS itself goes down and what your options are!
Sadly Plex does not work on my TS-832x. Some kind of beta update has been in progress since last summer. So I'm not sure when or it support will come for Plex. What a huge disappointment. To that same result, the HDHomerun solution also will not install on my brand new fully upgraded Qnap. ;(
I have a Synology NAS, when transferring files over network, transfer speeds are ridiculously slow. End up having to always copy files over to an external hard drive and plug that in the back of the NAS, only then do I get speeds that are bearable. None of the google search fixes have helped. Anyone got a solution?
HI from brooklyn,Are you going to do any videos about NAS with openmediavault? Because I have 4 4tb hdds and want to build a NAS from an older pc for storing my music(cds and Records) and some movies. thanks for your help.
I would just over to "Techno Dad Life" Channel if you want a comprehensive demo on Openmediavault and the various things you can install on it including Plex if that's your flavor.
I run my Plex server on a computer running Windows 10 separate from my content which is on a Windows 2012 server (near 100Tb storage with replication). Too worried about 3rd party software corrupting my server to load Plex with the content.
I have heard from a few people, including Steve at Gamers Nexus that the PSU in these are going bad frequently. I did not have mine have this issue yet, but use it very lightly.
It's not black and white based on Quicksync like you get one of those supported NAS, install Plex and expect everything you work. Google Plex and Passmark scores. Look into Passmark scores based on processors for transcoding. There are codes/formats that still have trouble such as 4K or HEVC that even more expensive CPUs struggle with. I would stick with 1080p and H264/x264 or lower. Nonetheless, I use a similar Syno NAS but a separate server with beefier CPU to run PMS. Why are NAS "expensive"? My guess would be 1. The software is very user friendly. (Why is apple expensive?) This requires development. 2. It's a niche hardware market. Not that many companies, this is almost Enterprise grade type of product, although I know they make home target userbase. 3. Benefit is low power consumption. Can you build on yourself? Probably, but to make a low power, small form factor, what is quiet and EASILY supports expansion with more HD is a plus for me. Yeah it sucks of hardware dies you'll have to get a replacement compared to other options such as FreeNAS, but the software is awesome and they make a bunch of mobile apps to complement the plugins.
How helpful these “setup Plex on a NAS” are depends a great deal on the tech quotient of whoever is trying to do it. After watching a number of these by different authors, I finally got a handle on it and Plex is (more or less) running my media. But I have yet to find a completely clear presentation on 1. shared folders, 2. permissions, 3. Plex naming conventions.
Same here, and it is after a year of trying to use Plex and all videos working. I could use a step by step guide. I assume it would be: (1) Create as many folders as required to organize files, but each containing the same 'type' of media (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, Other Videos). (2) name each video per Plex conventions. (3) Add as many libraries as required, each required to have 1 of the 5 'types'; point each library to a folder or folders that contain the proper 'type'. I would love to see some real life examples of folders & their contents, Libraries, and Collections. (Collections seem pretty intuitive, but not so folders & their contents and Libraries.
Not sure why but I've looked at three different videos and nobody seems to want to show a step by step on how to get plex, setup the folders and get plex to read your files. They always seem to skip a few steps. Very Flustrating
Hi Lon, been subscribed to your page for quite a while and really appreciate your informative, in-depth reviews. I'm also an enthusiastic user of Plex. I would like to request that you do a video on Plex and networking / remote access, specifically addressing settings, static IP addresses, ports, port forwarding, etc. I have AT&T Fiber (sorry - I watched your video about network speeds in your area. Fiber is really, really good and hope it's available to you sometime soon) with an Arris BGW 210 gateway. Plex server is an HP Omen 870 with an i7-6700K / GTX 1080, connected directly to gateway. The Plex app says that Plex is fully accessible outside network but when I try outside network I get Plex only through a relay. Would love to see your take on networking Plex. Thanks!
i have a 918+... which has the identical Celeron CPU, however there is no option for "Use hardware acceleration when available". Any thoughts? It's looking like I need a Plex Pass
I have the 918+ and a Plex Pass and it is available, so I guess you are right about that. I would try the monthly option and try it out before going all in and buying the lifetime subscription like I did. I am not happy with transcoding on the DS918+ with Plex. I was led to believe that the DS918+ was under powered then I tried the Channels DVR app which transcodes your live TV streams outside of your home and it works fine for one user. For me, Plex consonantly buffers.
plex is great, but only if you have the codecs setup properly on your videos where your NAS is only serving files and does not have to transcode. one 1080p 5mbps video that has to transcoded from AC3 Audio to AAC audio or DTS to AC3 instead of bitstreaming will destroy your CPU on your poor little NAS box unless you create a custom NAS with xpenology (free) with a quad core on windows PLEX to take advantage of quad core.
The NAS looks nice... but that thing costs €700...??? And that's WITHOUT any drives.. My custom-built Ryzen 5 server with 32GB ram, 12 cores and 8TB storage costed me less, and has WAY more power.
Lon, Plex warns NOT to place any media files anywhere in the Plex shared folder. They offer that "many bad things can happen including loss of your media". Please refer to this article from Plex relative to the installation and setup of Plex Media Server on Synology: forums.plex.tv/t/installation-setup-of-plex-media-server-on-synology/572179/3. They provide a detailed explanation as to why the Plex share was created.
Got me a NAS used with 4x 3tb HDD's included and another nas enclosure thrown in for free, cost me $300. Thought it would accept hardware acceleration but turned out it didn't. No big deal i just used my moms old i3 dell inspiron desktop with a $50 gtx 960 to run the hardware accelerated plex server. I needed NAS i tried running the plex server on for a different use, a file server,anyways. Saved me at least half a grand over those overpriced WD enclosures. No joke a 24tb WD one was $1300 + tax in the store!
Thanks, Lon. You are always very helpful. I wound up buying a QNAP NAS for all my Plex videos. You made it much easier for me to set it up. You're the best.
Just make sure you keep it behind your firewall!
@@LonSeidman Great advice. By any chance, have you made any videos on the best settings for a firewall on a Mac? I have it turned on in the System Preferences but is there anything else I should do to tweak it for the NAS? Thanks again. --Vince
I've been using Plex server on a Freenas box I set up, I didn't realize you had to enable hardware acceleration for transcoding. Thanks for the tips!
Love these basic videos. I recently purchased a HDHomeRun on your recommendation and use it with Plex with my WD PR4100. 99.9% satisfied and look to these videos to get the most out of these products. Thank you so much.
At 15:20 there appears to be a change with newer versions (currently on 1.18.6.x) that now defaults to enabling hardware transcoding and the user is given the option to checkbox "Disable video stream transcoding"
After watching your video on running a Plex server on the NVIDIA SHIELD, I purchased one. I was looking for better transcoding then my current Synology NAS. After a week of email exchanges with NVIDIA Support, the SHIELD is being returned. The problem? Although you can mount a NAS to it for media storage, you can't use the NAS for metadata storage. Any moderate Plex library will exhaust the SHIELD's internal memory and attaching a USB drive to the thing for metadata storage was not what I was looking to do; twice the power usage, significant additional expense. So, the device goes back. Very disappointing experience overall.
After 4 days of copying movies, set up was a breeze. Thank you again for this great video.
I have the DS1019+ and it fantastic when combined with a nvidia shield tv. Am currently streaming wirelessly 60GB MKV files using plex, no transcoding at all and plays straight away, no buffering.
Now that you have a WD NAS and a Synology NAS, I would love to see how the two compare when considering hardware transcoding! I have the Synology DS918+, which has the same processor as your device and transcoding has been awful using Plex to transcode my HDHR DVR media outside of the home. Interestingly enough, using the Channels DVR app outside of my home has been excellent, Plex not so much although it is getting better. Love to hear your comments, Thanks!
Hmm that is interesting. I did a test of the 918+ in a separate video awhile back: ruclips.net/video/y_m4dBbEKGY/видео.html -- and things felt like they were working fairly well for one or two users. Are you having it transcode MPEG 2 OTA content? If so what is the target bit rate?
Thanks @@LonSeidman, I am trying to transcode one or two MPEG 2 streams from the HDHR Prime to 2mb 720P HD streams to watch recorded content on my phone away from home. It also struggles to play content on my computer using Plex web app through Chrome.
Is it correct to say that running one's own a Plex server is like running a private RUclips? The Plex server is reachable over the Internet with a standard web browser even with a URL if custom DNS is added to the mix. While the videos can be made public like RUclips, if I want, visitors have to log in to view some videos?
If I have my library on multiple NASs in different places, can I connect the library that is closest to me and have it work?
The DS718+ is a more accurate 2-bay option if you want to have the quad core CPU that the DS1019+ has. The DS218+ that is shown in the video has a dual core Intel Celeron CPU but it still supports quick sync. Also important considerations are the amount of RAM that is offered in each unit. The DS1019+ comes with 8GB and both the DS218+ and DS718+ come with 2GB. I would highly recommend that you have a minimum of 4GB of RAM. You can upgrade the RAM in the DS218+ and DS718+. I would recommend that you utilize the RAM module from Synology to prevent any warranty or support issues from Synology.
If I DL the Plex package without having a Plex pass, then I get the Plex pass at a later date will the transcoding start working or do I need to reinstall/upgrade to get transcoding running?
I'm confused should I go after WD my cloud 4k for Plex or for Synology ? Which is better for me ?
Can your actually set up NVidioa to point to the existing Plex data (which I receive on a Firestic.k) Also where does the Plex
Settings file?
Hi Lon, I have a question. The Gemini lake cpus do not support HDR but nvdia shield does. Lets say I install plexserver on geminilake pc because it had HW h265 decoding. and I want to stream using nvdia shield, Will it stream HDR on tv?
Can the two drives be off different sizes or must u install them all as raid?
I really tried to get into Plex for many years and across many items like my NAS, TV, and Mac Mini. However, for someone like me who doesn’t watch my home content on the go and watches a lot of non American shows with subtitles, it just doesn’t offer a quick way to browse all my content. I prefer to see organized folders than the Apple TV’ish type graphical interface. Anyone have any recommendations?
you can set plex to automatically put subtitles whenever you're watching something without english, in case you didn't know.
Been using a Netgear ReadyNas 516 for a couple years now. I’ve been using Plex for years. First on my Windows PC when it used to be on 24/7. I just got a used 70” Tv that supports 3D, and so I’m starting to put some 3D movies onto Plex. No problem!!! Plex works poorly on cheap Arm processor NAS devices. Transcoding can be very important.
Slight correction, the 2-bay variant of the DS918+/1018+ is the Synology DS718+ which contains the same processor and RAM expansion compatibility. The 218+ you showed will support hardware transcoding, but not as well as the 718+/918+/1018+. Also you can add a expansion unit onto the 718+ to get more drives, which you can't do on the 218+.
Thanks. I was pointing out the lowest cost of entry in Synology's line is the 218+ which is about $100 less than the 718+.
I got the question for you. If my home networks IP is not 192.168 or 10.xxxx is there anyway for Plex on the Synology to get past the nonsoup for you error. When I look at the logs it treats not 192.168 and 10xxx as non local even though the nas maps it’s IP from the home router. And the ONLY way it works is if I change the IP but my NVR uses the 10 subnet and because it has it own subnet that needs POE it conflicts. So yes. Anyway to get Plex nas to work as my Mac Plex server works just fine as is.
I have Plex server on my synology NAS but I when I changed my hard drives from 7200 RPM to 5400 RPM and reinstalling everything. I can not setup the plex server on my Synology NAS. Do you know what might be the issues? I am not sure what happened.
I have the DS920+ but unfortunately not a smart tv. I ended up playing them from the NAS to my semismart dvd player. Works great but I did have to run a cat 6 to it from my router as wireless wasn't keeping up. a new tv is on my list!! Keep up the great tutorials!! Hey, maybe you could do a video on which tv's work with plex?
After installing and following all these, when I started the Plex Server from the NAS (Synology DS1515+) apps page as mentioned, a PLEX page comes and asks me to sign with email address or Google, etc and I never see the list of users I have on the NAS. But in your tutorial, I see the NAS users are listed to login. I don't know what I am doing wrong.
Great video.
Please I just have one question, how can I add the users I create from my nas?
I do see when I went to Plex. I skip the signing part on Plex I will like to generate my nas users.
Thank you so much.
I'm considering doing this..... if I rip my blu rays without compression, is the video/audio quality of watching these with Kodi/plelx on a shield -- comparable to watching it on a regular blu ray player? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I have a fast ethernet connection and watching on a 60" tv. thanks in advance.
What's your opinion about Infuse on AppleTV? And a Infuse vs Plex??
Lon, How about the same video only with the HDHomeRun app. I'd like to make my HDHomerun app so that it is on my synology nas and I don't have to reinstall every time I have some kind of power cycle on my nas.
Hello Lon please help. Great Video . I have the Synology DS920+ and local videos inside my network look great. Outside my network it is another story. They look Pixilated or washed out or the audio . I have hardware transcoding running.
15:22 I do not see option for DS718+
Hello. I just bought a my cloud and when I go to app section it does not give me any options to download an app. It just has has some predefined folders like iTunes, passpoint, and DLNA that I can only change options on those. Any idea how I can add the plex app onto the my cloud. Thanks.
Which my cloud did you get ?
@@LonSeidman just the my cloud. Not the home version. According to western digital it should be capable of plex.
And it is white.
@@cyrusalarmservices5787 Yes but which one? If it's the single drive unit it is not compatible.
Lon, I have a TS server with my pictures and videos already on it and was wondering if I can use Plex like WMP where the library is generated but not duplicated?? I only want my files to be in one place. Am I missing something here?
I should really finish re-setting up my Plex Server... I miss being able to watch my anime and other stuff when away from home.... or even across my apartment in another room where there's a couch.. Great video!
Fantastic video.
Hi Lon.....great job of creating interesting content. I decided to give Plex a shot on my Synology 1019. It is installed and working but I have a question. I mainly wanted Plex to tinker with plugins and channels. Come to find out they are obsolete. Am I missing something? Seems all that Plex does is share my local content which I can easily do with the synology apps? Are there no longer options to add additional channels like youtube or other channels similar to a roku?
What all hardware is required to run a media center for 700-900 users ?
How do I find what version I need on my WD MyCloud? This is to d/l the Plex media server.
Question: So I have downloaded a ton of movies off of RUclips. And I can't figure out how to add them to my Plex library.
Great video as always! I will definitely be referring to this when I purchase a NAS later this year. I don't mind using my main PC as my Plex server, but having a NAS run my DVR and media will be way more convenient.
Bought a PR4100 and for the life of me, IPTV doesn't work at all. Watched your older guides as well as this one and I feel like I've done everything imaginable to get my PR4100 and HDHR Prime set up. Watching live TV on an HDHR app works just fine. Try to in Plex/Emby I get nothing. HDHR DVR (abysmal app but works for only 1 stream).
Do you have hardware encoding enabled ?
@@LonSeidman yeah gone through everything. Even tried turning it off to test if that was the issue. Hoping to call wd today because this doesn't seem right.
@@LonSeidman After a chat with WD my device needs to be returned/replaced. So hopefully these issues were just because I got a lemon.
@@Outinthedark Funny enough, I got a lemon from them too. Found out after it hosed terabytes of data. They replaced the drive that went bad and the NAS itself and since then everything has been running smoothly.
@@thefingerofgod69 Thankfully I hadn't transferred much yet to mine so these wipes and resets they had me go through only took a few minutes. Good to know their CS is good. I should receive my replacement soon enough.
Does anyone know if the Synology DS218+ will be faster for Plex with 8 gig of RAM (2x4gb) or does it matter if they are matched? I put 8GB in mine as an upgrade, and although working fine, I wonder if it would be faster if the RAM modules were matched? By the way, changing the transcode directory to /tmp seems to have made a huge difference vs. transcoding on the spinning disks.
Couple questions:
1. Is the process of moving all of my large movie files from a desktop D: drive to a dedicated Synology NAS Plex Server as simple as dragging/dropping into the newly created Plex media folders?
2. Is there a way to automate the Plex server update process or will I have to DL the update file manually each time Plex releases an update?
3. Do you have a video showing the best RAID setup for the Synology DS1019+ specific to a Plex server?
Thanks Lon, great video!
Question: If I already have all my media on my NAS, then install Plex and added movies folder then add movies will it duplicate all my media (taking up twice the space) or will it just point to that media?
You can point it at the existing folder in most cases. You just need to give the Plex user permissions to read the folder.
Great stuff! I bought a WD PR2100 just to run Plex but I'm not able to bring i media from my other NAS (QNAP & ASUS). It would be awesome if you could show us how to accomplish this. Thanks again for your excellent work.
I have a show "Simon & Simon", which shows up in my series folder AND in my movie folder (all episodes separately). I can not remove the episodes out of my movie folder, because that removes them out of the series folder too. Here's an example of how I named every episode: SIMON & SIMON SO1E01 DETAILS AT ELEVEN (1981) and the map is called SIMON & SIMON (1981), located in the series folder of my NAS along with 140 other series, which are correctly recognized. I added the date as that was one suggestion in one of the many forums I visited, to no avail. You see it is correctly named "SO1E01", I also tried leaving out "SIMON & SIMON" (I thought maybe the "&" was the problem) which only results in Plex putting the episodes in a different spot alphabetically in the movie folder. Filling in the series ID number from TVDB doesn't work either. I'd appreciate input here, since I don't want 154 separate files showing on my movie page that don't belong there. Thanks!
Thanks for a great video!! Perfect timing for me... I am in the process of putting together my first NAS / Plex server and am looking at the Synology DS916+ and the WD PR4100. I do have Plex Pass (lifetime) so I'll get hardware trans-coding either way. Do you recommend "NAS Specific" drives like the WD Red or WD Red Pro... or is a regular SATA drive "ok" for this application?
I have the PR4100 with 4 10TB WD Red drives. And IF I remember correctly, the Pros are not recommended for the PR4100. I can't remember why though. In any event, I have been pretty happy with it with the exception of the complete and utter fail of one of the drives which resulted in the loss of all of my data. They sent me a new NAS and a replacement drive (only one of them failed) and it has been running very well for quite some time now.
@@thefingerofgod69 Thanks.... As of right now the ED store has no "pro" to be had anyway on the 10TB size! Were you using the entire "non raided" 40tb? I thought most raid offer a level of redundancy so that if one drive goes out... as long as you replace it it will rebuild itself. Redundancy is super important to me. I want to make sure I don't set myself up for the same data loss. Sorry that happened!
@@ryancasey9744 I was using RAID 5 which should have provided protection for my data. Unfortunately, it didn't work and I lost terabytes of data. They sent me a new replacement drive but it was never able to rebuild. THey also finally sent me a new box and tried to rebuild it that way and no dice. It has been working flawlessly ever since but I was bummed that I lost all of that data.
Fantastic info regarding Plex tips.Quality content.
I wonder how unrestricted Docker runs on the Synology devices. Linuxserver.io's Plex Docker container auto updates Plex when the container is restarted (so updating plex is a simple "docker restart Plex (or whatever you named your Plex container)", and that particular Docker container does support hardware transcoding. I would be interested in a video on that subject as that would be easier than manually updating. You could probably even have DSM automatically restart the Plex Docker container weekly or every 48 hours and Plex will always be up to date.
Wow what a helpful tutorial video! I don't own any of this softwarecor equipment but your video makes me want to buy it all and set it up! 😎
what is the best way to move a folder of photos from my mac desktop over to NAS folder?
How come synology will not see my WD CLOUDS.. nvidia shield seen all my nas on network.. synology is whole other ballgame.. can you help me out am stuck..
Great video. Out of curiosity what type of files are your blu ray rips? I know plex only supports certain video types so just would like to know what works best. Thanks!
I just go with raw MKVs
@@LonSeidman awesome thanks good sir
I get not authorized on this server when I run PLEX on the nas.
Hi Lon, thanks for the video, I have checked my settings and I dont see any checkbox to enable hardware acceleration for transcoding, do you know why ? maybe because my NUC's processor doesnt have this ability ?
Do you have a Plex Pass?
@@LonSeidman I just paid for plex pass and I do see the option, but my question is, will it do the job even though my cpu is not Intel?
Perfect timing. My 218+ is lost in Amazon shipping hell. Price dropped to $250 for a few days last week guess they got over sold. I currently have my plex server on a Drobo 5N, I have a few dozen folders and thousands of files is there any way to migrate my current set up?
Unfortunately you'll have to copy the files over manually. Synology offers some options for migrating from one device to another within their product line but not from other manufacturers.
@@LonSeidman That is what I have seen also, thank you for confirming.
Any tips for a large media collection over 1k in movies and 60 tv series and growing. I do have sub folders to break it up and tv series folder directories.
Plex should be able to index it. I've also done a series on "Collections" where you can build sub-lists of larger libraries.
Half wrong on the hardware transcoding. According to the plex forum moderator, hardware acceleration is only available for paying plex pass members. Missing for the free version. Would have been nice if you would have mentioned that.
Lon, love you videos. I am getting ready to do PLEX. Which NAS devices would you recommend, the Synology DS218+ of the WD PR 2100?
Not working on model ds412+ and ds415+.
Would be great to get a video on restoring dead drives in raid 5/6 on different kinds of NAS, and what happens if the drives are fine but the NAS itself goes down and what your options are!
Sadly Plex does not work on my TS-832x. Some kind of beta update has been in progress since last summer. So I'm not sure when or it support will come for Plex. What a huge disappointment. To that same result, the HDHomerun solution also will not install on my brand new fully upgraded Qnap. ;(
I have a Synology NAS, when transferring files over network, transfer speeds are ridiculously slow. End up having to always copy files over to an external hard drive and plug that in the back of the NAS, only then do I get speeds that are bearable. None of the google search fixes have helped. Anyone got a solution?
I have had my plex media on a drobo for 4 years now, it's awesome
HI from brooklyn,Are you going to do any videos about NAS with openmediavault? Because I have 4 4tb hdds and want to build a NAS from an older pc for storing my music(cds and Records) and some movies. thanks for your help.
I would just over to "Techno Dad Life" Channel if you want a comprehensive demo on Openmediavault and the various things you can install on it including Plex if that's your flavor.
I run my Plex server on a computer running Windows 10 separate from my content which is on a Windows 2012 server (near 100Tb storage with replication). Too worried about 3rd party software corrupting my server to load Plex with the content.
What's your specs on the Windows 10 server?
Dual Xeon 2630s, 64Tb Ram, 2-LSI HBA controllers, 24 bay Supermicro case, and 12 bay Supermicro JBOD. Definitely overkill for just a file server.
@@TwelveK Correction: 64Gb Ram
I have heard from a few people, including Steve at Gamers Nexus that the PSU in these are going bad frequently. I did not have mine have this issue yet, but use it very lightly.
Mine has been going for 4+ years without an issue. These consumer grade devices have separate power supplies that can be replaced easily.
Can i use these steps for any NAS?
It's not black and white based on Quicksync like you get one of those supported NAS, install Plex and expect everything you work.
Google Plex and Passmark scores.
Look into Passmark scores based on processors for transcoding.
There are codes/formats that still have trouble such as 4K or HEVC that even more expensive CPUs struggle with. I would stick with 1080p and H264/x264 or lower.
Nonetheless, I use a similar Syno NAS but a separate server with beefier CPU to run PMS.
Why are NAS "expensive"?
My guess would be 1. The software is very user friendly. (Why is apple expensive?) This requires development. 2. It's a niche hardware market. Not that many companies, this is almost Enterprise grade type of product, although I know they make home target userbase. 3. Benefit is low power consumption. Can you build on yourself? Probably, but to make a low power, small form factor, what is quiet and EASILY supports expansion with more HD is a plus for me. Yeah it sucks of hardware dies you'll have to get a replacement compared to other options such as FreeNAS, but the software is awesome and they make a bunch of mobile apps to complement the plugins.
How helpful these “setup Plex on a NAS” are depends a great deal on the tech quotient of whoever is trying to do it. After watching a number of these by different authors, I finally got a handle on it and Plex
is (more or less) running my media. But I have yet to find a completely clear presentation on 1. shared folders, 2. permissions, 3. Plex naming conventions.
Same here, and it is after a year of trying to use Plex and all videos working. I could use a step by step guide. I assume it would be: (1) Create as many folders as required to organize files, but each containing the same 'type' of media (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, Other Videos). (2) name each video per Plex conventions. (3) Add as many libraries as required, each required to have 1 of the 5 'types'; point each library to a folder or folders that contain the proper 'type'. I would love to see some real life examples of folders & their contents, Libraries, and Collections. (Collections seem pretty intuitive, but not so folders & their contents and Libraries.
Thanks took me long time to go step by step but got it! Thanks!
Not sure why but I've looked at three different videos and nobody seems to want to show a step by step on how to get plex, setup the folders and get plex to read your files. They always seem to skip a few steps. Very Flustrating
Great video! That got me setup on Plex.
Why copy the same file twice? It will take extra space. Why not just setup a different folder for media and direct the path?
Ahh I love that show manifest I can't wait for season 2!
He was able to download a newer version of plex than I could. Checked the website and its still on 1.14.1.5488
Why didn't you cover what to do if you have an AMD system. I have a5800X and that would of been helpful!
AMD is not compatible with hardware transcoding
Now only if the nas weren't soooo expensive. Just tough for me to justify the purchase, even if you include power savings.
Wow, I'm all set up now but I could of definitely used this a week ago! Lol, thanks either way.
Hi Lon, been subscribed to your page for quite a while and really appreciate your informative, in-depth reviews. I'm also an enthusiastic user of Plex. I would like to request that you do a video on Plex and networking / remote access, specifically addressing settings, static IP addresses, ports, port forwarding, etc. I have AT&T Fiber (sorry - I watched your video about network speeds in your area. Fiber is really, really good and hope it's available to you sometime soon) with an Arris BGW 210 gateway. Plex server is an HP Omen 870 with an i7-6700K / GTX 1080, connected directly to gateway. The Plex app says that Plex is fully accessible outside network but when I try outside network I get Plex only through a relay. Would love to see your take on networking Plex. Thanks!
i have a 918+... which has the identical Celeron CPU, however there is no option for "Use hardware acceleration when available". Any thoughts? It's looking like I need a Plex Pass
I have the 918+ and a Plex Pass and it is available, so I guess you are right about that. I would try the monthly option and try it out before going all in and buying the lifetime subscription like I did. I am not happy with transcoding on the DS918+ with Plex. I was led to believe that the DS918+ was under powered then I tried the Channels DVR app which transcodes your live TV streams outside of your home and it works fine for one user. For me, Plex consonantly buffers.
Just a note, if the manual install of PLEX fails choose another browser besides Chrome.
Thats how you do a sponsorship.
Great video.
plex is great, but only if you have the codecs setup properly on your videos where your NAS is only serving files and does not have to transcode.
one 1080p 5mbps video that has to transcoded from AC3 Audio to AAC audio or DTS to AC3 instead of bitstreaming will destroy your CPU on your poor little NAS box unless you create a custom NAS with xpenology (free) with a quad core on windows PLEX to take advantage of quad core.
The NAS looks nice... but that thing costs €700...??? And that's WITHOUT any drives.. My custom-built Ryzen 5 server with 32GB ram, 12 cores and 8TB storage costed me less, and has WAY more power.
ruclips.net/video/GiVQtslnV-Y/видео.html
Lon, Plex warns NOT to place any media files anywhere in the Plex shared folder. They offer that "many bad things can happen including loss of your media". Please refer to this article from Plex relative to the installation and setup of Plex Media Server on Synology: forums.plex.tv/t/installation-setup-of-plex-media-server-on-synology/572179/3. They provide a detailed explanation as to why the Plex share was created.
why are the nas so expensive ?when the specs are so basic ,,if it was a pc it would be worth a few bucks or pounds
Thanks Boss
Got me a NAS used with 4x 3tb HDD's included and another nas enclosure thrown in for free, cost me $300. Thought it would accept hardware acceleration but turned out it didn't. No big deal i just used my moms old i3 dell inspiron desktop with a $50 gtx 960 to run the hardware accelerated plex server. I needed NAS i tried running the plex server on for a different use, a file server,anyways. Saved me at least half a grand over those overpriced WD enclosures. No joke a 24tb WD one was $1300 + tax in the store!
All this to turn us into couch potaties lol
2nd! Woot woot! 😎 Luis beat me by 3 seconds. Congrats! why is that so fun to me? I don't know! Time to watch the video now. 😀