Upgrading from DS416Play to DS920+: Enhancing Plex Performance

When I first purchased my DS416Play, it was perfect for storing and playing back media files through Plex. However, as time went on, I started experiencing issues with video playback, particularly when it came to transcoding 1080p videos with subtitles. Despite upgrading the NAS's firmware and trying various tweaks, I couldn't seem to resolve the problem.

'ds416play plex'

As a long-time fan of Synology's DSM operating system, I was hesitant to switch to a different brand or model. But after researching my options, I decided to upgrade to the DS920+, hoping that its improved specs would significantly enhance my Plex experience.

My current setup consists of an Nvidia Shield connected via wired Ethernet to the NAS, with all video files stored on the NAS's file system. The Plex server is installed directly on the NAS, with the latest package update from Plex itself (Synology's lack of timely updates being a major frustration). My DS920+ features 250GB of NVMe cache and four WD Red 4TB drives for storage.

Despite the impressive specs, I was still experiencing issues with video playback. It seemed that the NAS was struggling to transcode even 1080p videos with subtitles, leading to frustrating buffering and lag. To address this issue, I decided to add an NVMe cache to my system by purchasing a 970 EVO+ 250GB drive.

The addition of this extra storage has made a noticeable difference in Plex performance. While it's still not perfect, the NAS is now able to handle transcoding of 1080p videos with subtitles much more smoothly. However, I'm still experiencing issues with transcoding higher resolutions like 4K.

In hindsight, I wish I had chosen a different model from Synology that offered better support for video playback and transcoding. Nevertheless, the DS920+ has been a significant improvement over my previous DS416Play, and I'm hopeful that future firmware updates will further address these issues.

Overall, while upgrading to the DS920+ hasn't completely resolved all of my Plex-related woes, it's certainly made a noticeable difference in performance. If you're experiencing similar issues with your Synology NAS and Plex, I'd recommend exploring alternative models or tweaking your setup to see if you can improve playback quality.

Ds416play plex