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Author Topic: NAS and PS3  (Read 2759 times)

Offline stealthwolf

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NAS and PS3
« on: May 23, 2012, 10:03:22 pm »
I'm looking at a NAS device to stream movies and music to my PS3 and to my laptop.

Some of the Buffalo and D-link stuff look okay but then have crap reviews. I'm now looking at Synology and Qnap.

Does anyone have experience of using NAS devices with the PS3? What about streaming mkv files?

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Offline edd666999

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2012, 10:09:00 pm »
qnap ftw :)


used a qnap to stream for years but pound for pound:

http://www.dabs.com/products/hp-proliant-microserver-g7-n40l-nhp-eu-svr-7RMD.html?q=n40l&src=16

with either a OS (and gpu) installed so you can have it plugged into the tv for movies, downloading and streaming or freenas installed for over the network streaming will dominate

HP send you a £100 cheque in the post.



On a qnap you can install apps that allow you to stream to the ps3...think twonky, ps3media and another one.

Offline D4rk1

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2012, 10:30:18 pm »
I have an Iomega NAS drive and it works a treat with everything including my iPhone.

Offline neg

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2012, 07:49:19 am »
PS3 wont read mkv directly - you will have to convert it.

I've used Netgear and Buffalo - both are ok, had a buffalo fail, well the casing so having 2 I got my data back using the second casing.  My Netgears are both Duo's so mirrored disks  - got them while on offer with free second disks.

I've given up using the PS3 now and bought a WD Live (http://www.wdc.com/channelyou/uk/) brilliant little thing - no noise and you can stream almost any format, including mkv.  Got fed up with the noise from the PS3 especially when a little warm and the fan kicked in.

Offline stealthwolf

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2012, 06:01:12 pm »
PS3 noise doesn't bother me. I was thinking of a RAID 1 setup as well so looking at 2-bay offerings from qnap and synology.

Any recommendations on HDD? Looking at 1TB disks.

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Ifti

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2012, 06:38:09 pm »
Synology is easy the best.

I've made lost of videos on it, so take a look for more info....
http://www.youtube.com/user/iftibashir

Does everything I've thrown at it. Well impressed, and very easy expandable for the future.

Offline stealthwolf

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2012, 07:45:52 pm »
I quite like the Synology units - my current wishlist one is the DS212+ - any comments on this ifti?

Does anyone know whether streaming to the PS3 requires transcoding? This is the biggest stumbling block as it seems you need dual-core processsors in the NAS which means the higher end SOBO units rather than the cheaper SOHO units.

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Offline Degudodger

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #7 on: May 24, 2012, 07:57:35 pm »
qnap ftw :)


used a qnap to stream for years but pound for pound:

http://www.dabs.com/products/hp-proliant-microserver-g7-n40l-nhp-eu-svr-7RMD.html?q=n40l&src=16

with either a OS (and gpu) installed so you can have it plugged into the tv for movies, downloading and streaming or freenas installed for over the network streaming will dominate

HP send you a £100 cheque in the post.

On a qnap you can install apps that allow you to stream to the ps3...think twonky, ps3media and another one.

I have been using the N36l with WHS2011 + XBMC for just over a year, WELL WORTH THE MONEY  :happy2:
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Ifti

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #8 on: May 24, 2012, 08:26:25 pm »
I quite like the Synology units - my current wishlist one is the DS212+ - any comments on this ifti?

Does anyone know whether streaming to the PS3 requires transcoding? This is the biggest stumbling block as it seems you need dual-core processsors in the NAS which means the higher end SOBO units rather than the cheaper SOHO units.

The software they all run is the same - the units slightly differ depending on CPU (The + versions have higher CPUs) and the number of HDDs they hold.
The software is great. Easy to use and plenty of built in services. You then get extra software packages you can download from within the same interface for many other uses, such as Plex etc.

I have DLNA enabled, which streams all my movies to all my devices, including my iOS devices as well as my TV etc. The PS3 will also link with this fine.

What I like is that it's very expandable, and it has lots of features I may very well use in the future, such as surveillance station etc.
HDD my unit for around 2 years or so now I think, and it's alsways been spot on perfect. Filled it with Samsung SpinPoint F4 drives, which are relatively quiet and run pretty cool. Although all 5 of my drives are 2TB each, you do not need to use the same size drives - you can use different sized drives and still use RAID (Synology Hybrid RAID, which is pretty much the same as RAID 5), and then replace and upgrade drives as and when you need to, without having to break the RAID array etc.

Offline stealthwolf

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #9 on: May 24, 2012, 08:39:44 pm »
Did you have the photo thumbnail issue that seems to affect some of the other models?

Do you have IP cameras linked to it too? Something I'm interested it but wonder whether it's worth looking into.

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Offline edd666999

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #10 on: May 24, 2012, 08:48:53 pm »
Just another point for a hp media server (only costs £150) you get a£250gb drive with it and you will have to buy your own drives but, it takes 6 drives in total for the future.

running free nas is completely open source so everything is possible on it.

If your looking for a simpler plug nd play solution a qnap or synology is your best bet.

Ifti

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #11 on: May 24, 2012, 08:57:05 pm »
Did you have the photo thumbnail issue that seems to affect some of the other models?

Do you have IP cameras linked to it too? Something I'm interested it but wonder whether it's worth looking into.

To be honest I don't really use it to share photos, I use it more to share video and data. I used the iTunes server for a while as well, but only have a small library so decided to keep it local.

Haven't used IP Cameras yet, but am looking to buy a Y-Cam Knight. Loads of good reviews and good night vision as well. Completely compatible with Synology, including motion detection etc, and at a reasonable price.
Bear in mind you can add one IP Camera to the unit, but have to purchase extra licenses to add more. Not sure how much they are but I don't think they are too much.

I don't think you can go wrong with either QNAP or Synology to be honest as they are both pretty flexible and you can do tons with them, not just share data. I decided to go with Synology as I preferred the interface and i read better overall reviews on the unit I decided to purchase in the end. I also liked the idea of being able to upgrade single disks to larger ones, without having to break the RAID array.
With RAID 5, for example, normally to upgrade the volume to a larger size you need to upgrade all disks to larger disks at the same time, and then restore from a backup etc. However, with SHR I can upgrade one disk at a time, if I ever need to, without any downtime, or without breaking the array at all, thus spreading the cost of upgrading to larger disks over time.
Not sure if QNAP do anything similar, but a pretty neat feature alone.

Also bear in mind they come with rear ports also. So the Ds212+ you are considering, has USB3 ports on the rear. Thus if you ever wanted to add more storage, simply get any USB3 drive and plug it into the back, and you'll get the option to either increase your current volume, or create a new volume using the external drive.
For example, I have 10TB worth of drives in my unit, which gives me just over 7TB useable space after formatting a RAID5 SHR array. I also have an external 4TB drive connected via eSATA. When I connected this drive I had the option of creating a new volume, or extending the 7TB or so I have already, after which it would all just appear as one big 11TB or so volume. I decided to use it to backup my NAS though, and have it scheduled to backup to the external drive every so often to take off site etc.

I guess what I'm saying is that the entire solution is really pretty flexible. You can set up exactly what you want pretty easily, and the support is also pretty good I hear, not that I've ever needed to use it!

It's certainly not the cheapest solution, but I, for example, can't see myself needing anything more then this NAS for many years to come!
« Last Edit: May 24, 2012, 08:59:32 pm by Ifti »

Offline stealthwolf

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #12 on: May 24, 2012, 09:16:19 pm »
Bear in mind you can add one IP Camera to the unit, but have to purchase extra licenses to add more. Not sure how much they are but I don't think they are too much.

They're ridiculously expensive! £160 for a four camera license. QNAP support up to four for free though the unit I want only supports two.

I guess I'm sold on the DS212+ but the amazon reviews for the F4 aren't all favourable. Still looking at HDD and think 2x2TB might suit my needs.

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Offline neg

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #13 on: May 24, 2012, 09:42:38 pm »
where's a good place to get the QNAP?  Looking for a simple NAS as a backup device for a customer.

Offline stealthwolf

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Re: NAS and PS3
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2012, 09:50:44 pm »
I've been looking on amazon.

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