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Hi, I need advice on choosing the right set of equipment to build a home media server. I want to make an automated Plex home media server. I want the NAS to be connected to a monitor as well as my TV (for direct local viewing). For storage I'm thinking of the ironwolf pro 20TB HDD, as I can't afford to buy 2 of them (which is my future plan to have 40TBs), I don't want to buy a 16TB HDD and then regret not getting a 20TB one when trying to expand. For the NAS I'm looking at the Qnap HS-264 as it's the best suited for me. The 8GB, the 2x HDMI 2.0 out, the 2.9 Ghz CPU, and the 2 bay sound good to me. I'm just worried about a few things. Will the HDstation software provide full direct playback quality of 4K 60fps movies to my TV? Will the hard drive handle the 4K movies? Does HDstation have Plex on it or do I need to watch movies using a gallery type of app, if so, is that app good in terms of subtitles and ease of use? Thank you for taking your time to read this!
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It sounds like you have a good plan for your home media server setup. Here are some answers to your questions:
HDstation software on the Qnap HS-264 should be able to provide full direct playback quality of 4K 60fps movies to your TV, as long as the TV supports it. The Qnap HS-264 has a powerful CPU, which should be able to handle the transcoding of 4K video if necessary.
The IronWolf Pro 20TB HDD should be able to handle 4K movies without any issues. However, keep in mind that 4K movies take up a lot of space, so if you plan to store a lot of them, you may want to consider adding more storage in the future.
HDstation does not have Plex pre-installed, but you can easily download and install it from the QNAP app store. Plex should work well on the Qnap HS-264, as long as it is powerful enough to handle the transcoding of 4K video if necessary.
The gallery type app on HDstation should be able to handle subtitles and should be easy to use. However, Plex is a more popular and versatile media server software, so you may want to consider using that instead.
I would personally get a Nvidia Shield TV with Plex installed and connect it to a cheap NAS for movie storage.
