-
I tried the Plex on NAS, other software on NAS thing. I keep it simple now. A NAS failure (raid controller) meant I realised how messy I'd made it, plus the performance of the software I'd put on there was really bad because it only has a really cheap low power CPU.
What I do now... Treat storage as storage, compute as compute.
I have a Synology NAS but aside from the base storage I only have syncthing on it.
I have a separate pc for my Plex server and home automation. But I researched this, doesn't need much storage (a small on motherboard memory disk for the operating system and basic files), and just a modern low wattage Intel CPU.
A modern x86 has most of the features you need for hardware transcoding. This happens on my PC and a couple of high quality streams do not push CPU above a couple of %. That PC is silent, it's passively cooled and has no fans anywhere.
As for home surveillance... I'm still paused on that. Ubiquiti and others get poor reviews in the wild. Typically are used by shops and garages, and the owners think it's all shit. Google Nest seem the best, but I'm a bit freaked out by surveillance within the home being processed and stored in the cloud. But at least Nest has features I want (only enable video when all the smartphones in the household are outside the house, when a fire alarm goes turn on the video to show me, etc).
You can put Plex on a NAS. I even tried Plex on an Nvidia Shield. But Plex really worked a dream and have a Netflix level experience when I have it a recent Intel CPU
Velocio-
i can run plex from my PC (assuming I can get networking issues resolved - it never wants to show me the server settings which i gather is a semi-regular issue...) but would rather not run that all day long if I can avoid it. I don't need RAID as I back up my precious stuff (basically just my photos) on the cloud anyway
synology appealed to me because the software gets good reviews and it allows two birds with one stone (streaming + footage storage)
Can I build a cheap x86 PC to use for both? With just windows? No idea about security cam footage software for windows (remote access etc)
re cameras, I like POE because it takes care of connectivity and power at the same time, with a single cable. I can run that through my basement and out through a vent with confidence and it'll be fairly neat too.
gillies
to add to this, I'm looking at synology NAS
it'll be used for plex streaming to my smart TV and storage for security cam footage
I'm trying to figure out if I need a NAS that does transcoding. Am I right in saying that transcoding is probably required? While I mostly stream prime/netflix now, i have a ton of old movie/TV show files in various formats on my PC (which will sit in my NAS once built). To ensure my smart TV can play these, i need transcoding, right?