Help choosing first NAS or DAS (8 bay)

[Ace2377]

Hello!

Primary use is ripping my movie disc collection to play from in 1:1 ratio. Have 450 4k's and 1,000 blu rays (and counting), so figured 8 bay would be best.  May also throw family photos/videos on, but primarily a “movie server.” Was waiting for Synology DS1825+, but the new Synology drive requirement has turned me away, as I already purchased 6 22TB WD drives. I have never used or even seen a NAS or NAS software before, so TOTAL beginner to this. I’m ok spending $2,000+ USD, but naturally want to spend as little as I can get away with, as I think my needs are fairly simple. Was looking at UGREEN DXP880 on sale for $1,275 at the moment, and also scoping out models from Asustor, QNAP, Terramaster, others?  Is there a brand/model you’d suggest for 99% movies and the rest just personal pictures/videos?  I'd love to hear from anyone who has thoughts or suggestions.  Thank you!

EDIT: After further going down this rabbit hole, someone suggest I also take a look at the DAS option since I really don't need to offer access to anyone outside my home, nor do I NEED access outside my home, or do I NEED multiple room access outside my home. Someone said it might be cheaper and easier just going the DAS route, but I can't seem to find 8 bay DAS units for this purpose no matter how hard I look; just keeps leading me to NAS units.  Any suggestions? Have seen your suggestion of the Terramaster D8-332 8bay Thunderbolt 3 for some people, and also had someone suggest to me the Terrsmaster D9-320. Not entirely sure what differences to expect for my use case, but one is almost triple the price of the other.

[ed]

For your use case, both NAS and DAS could work, but it really depends on your exact needs. Here’s a quick breakdown of each option:

NAS (Network Attached Storage)
Since your primary use is streaming movies and possibly adding personal photos/videos, a NAS would generally be a better choice if you plan to scale your storage, make it accessible over your home network, and eventually use it with services like Plex or Jellyfin for media streaming. The Synology DS1825+ would be ideal, but since you're avoiding the new drive restrictions, I would suggest considering:

QNAP TS-873A or TS-873XU: Both support 8 bays and come with a good range of features, including media streaming support, and can handle your 22TB drives without issue.

Asustor AS6404T or AS5304T: Great price/performance balance, offering good streaming and data management capabilities.

Terramaster F8-422: More affordable and also a solid choice for home media storage with 8 bays and 10GbE support if you need faster transfer speeds.

DAS (Direct Attached Storage)
Since you’re not concerned with remote access and just need local storage, a DAS unit could work if you only plan on using it with a single PC or a few devices connected via Thunderbolt or USB. DAS is simpler to set up and doesn’t require complex network configurations.

Terramaster D8-332 (Thunderbolt 3): Good choice if you're planning to connect it directly to your PC for fast local access. It’s simple, reliable, and can handle your storage needs. However, you will be limited to the devices physically connected to it.

Terramaster D9-320: A more expensive option, but it offers better connectivity and additional features. If you need something with more robust performance, this could be a solid option.