# Best NAS for streaming



## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

I'm thinking about replacing my Windows Home Server (ex495) with something a little more modern. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm looking for something that either comes with the ability to stream recordings to a Roamio or something that I can run pyTivo on to do the same.

I found at least one thread talking about pyTivo on Syncology (here), but they didn't go into detail about which model they were using. There's this one as well (here), but it's more than 2 years old.

Thanks,
Jeff


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## csell (Apr 16, 2007)

Obviously pyTivo works great with Tivo, but if you are going to get a NAS, I would also consider putting Plex server on it (you can certainly have both on it). You may not use Plex now, but if you are building a streaming video server, you will want Plex one day.


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## Random User 7 (Oct 20, 2014)

FreeNAS


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Random User 7 said:


> FreeNAS


The diskless is like twice the price of a drobo.. (I've never used a drobo, and AFAIK, they DON'T run apps.. but the bunch-of-disks + RAIDness is what I'm mostly interested in.. running pytivo or streambaby _on_ it would be nice but not worth $500)


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

Random User 7 said:


> FreeNAS


FreeNAS would be cool, but I'm kind of over the whole "build it and maintain it myself stage in my life," and a prebuilt model costs a crapload (for no apparent reason as near as I can tell).


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## WSZ (Nov 14, 2014)

WDMyCloud works great! About $179 for 3gbs


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## Random User 7 (Oct 20, 2014)

FreeNAS can be installed on any old PC you have laying around. You don't need to buy their hardware.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

My Synology 1511 is still running great. I had pytivo and vidmgr running on it for a while, but it is much easier FOR ME to run them on an old low power laptop that is doing other things anyway. It also runs streambaby. The NAS has been very reliable, fast very power efficient and easy to upgrade along the way. It started with only 4TB in a single redundancy mode. Now runs 48TB in dual redundancy and has capacity to expand out to 78 using currently available 6TB drives.

Think about future expansion capabilities when choosing. These options cost a bit more up front but will be cheaper than starting over when you run out of space. Also the online volume expansion features are great to have. Synology servers also do a lot of other things you may be interested in with installable packages. DLNA and Plex among them but I have never seen the usefulness of Plex for me.


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## mschnebly (Feb 21, 2011)

My QNAP has been very reliable over the years.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

48 TB? Yow, that's a LOT of HD!


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

WSZ said:


> WDMyCloud works great! About $179 for 3gbs


Do you have pytivo running on it?

Sent from my iPad using the free version of Tapatalk


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## bunjicat (Jan 14, 2012)

I had Synology and now currently use Qnap. Synology works fine, but you have to cobble together the code and start/stop scripts to get it to work properly. Also, every firmware update would break it. Qnap has a one stop shop app you install for pytivo and it just works. Been using now for 2 months. Had a couple of Qnap firmware updates, and it just works. I am running on a TS-251. mp4's transfer over quick as there is now transcoding involved. With anything else I have to plan on transcoding half the movie before I can watch it all the way through.


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## WSZ (Nov 14, 2014)

JeffKusnitz said:


> Do you have pytivo running on it?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using the free version of Tapatalk


No. I stream to my WDTV Live and my Sonos system. No idea what pytivo is.


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

for a ready to go NAS, nothing beats Synology IMO. I have the 1512+ and it has been just amazing. Access from anywhere, whole suite of apps to stream or manage/download data from your phone. Love it.


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## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

Have to agree with b_scott. I've owned several NAS devices, and Synology are my favorite.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

I'm with the OP, with an older WHS that will need to be replaced, but enjoy the use of pytivo to serve content.

How difficult is it to get pytivo working on these Synology devices?


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

Probably easier just to get a Chrome Cast for $35 and then open the DS video app on your phone to play videos to your TV. Instead of dealing with pytivo maybe working.


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

b_scott said:


> Probably easier just to get a Chrome Cast for $35 and then open the DS video app on your phone to play videos to your TV. Instead of dealing with pytivo maybe working.


The problem with a chromecast is that much of what is on my WHS is in .tivo format; I've never gone to the trouble of decoding it. Maybe I'll spend time over the holidays doing just that.

Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

oh ok. I thought you were using pytivo to play videos that needed to be converted. Can't you just transfer them back to your Tivo with Tivo Desktop?


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## Logic129 (Nov 29, 2014)

Has anyone tried installing pytivo on a Drobo 5n?


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

b_scott said:


> oh ok. I thought you were using pytivo to play videos that needed to be converted. Can't you just transfer them back to your Tivo with Tivo Desktop?


Not easily - I don't have a Windows computer running TiVo desktop.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

I have pyTivo running on a My Cloud: http://pytivo.sourceforge.net/forum/got-me-a-wd-my-cloud-t2755.html

Pretty trivial to set up, as usual with pyTivo. I haven't yet set it up to run at startup, though. (I'll post to that thread when I do.)


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

wmcbrine said:


> I have pyTivo running on a My Cloud: http://pytivo.sourceforge.net/forum/got-me-a-wd-my-cloud-t2755.html


Which model cloud did you get?

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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

JeffKusnitz said:


> Which model cloud did you get?


I don't think there are different models, apart from the drive size? I got 4TB.


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

wmcbrine said:


> I don't think there are different models, apart from the drive size? I got 4TB.


There are 4 different versions - My Cloud, My Cloud Mirror, My Cloud EX2 and My Cloud EX4. They have different features, different CPU speeds, etc.


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