Advice on new build for Plex Media Server

[SpyderTracks]

@Scott @SpyderTracks @Tony1044 I did a lot more testing over the weekend both in network as well as from a different location forcing my Plex box to transcode to 1080P Medium & High.

It did perform admirably on all tests with no slow downs and a minimal loading buffering screen at the beginning of each stream.

Thanks all for your input. For now it will appear the Synology settings i have changed were the issue here and i will let Synology now so as they can adjust accordingly.

I reckon i have another couple of years left if not more on my current Synology setup so might just stick with it for now!

Many thanks

That's excellent news. I'm on a similar aged build on my plex server and it works fine, as you say, should last you another couple of years happily.

Well done to @Scott also 👏

 

[micmal]

That's excellent news. I'm on a similar aged build on my plex server and it works fine, as you say, should last you another couple of years happily.

Well done to @Scott also 👏

Thanks Scott - Just picked up another new Synology NAS (DS920+) as i was running out of space on my ancient DS413j and looking forward to setting that up. Considering it took me 8 years to max the old one and this one is a 4 Bay with the possibility of extending to a 5Bay one with 16TB per slot....i think it will take me to retirement - 20+years away!

 

[micmal]

@Scott @SpyderTracks ...bad news i am afraid...

Just like the Synology forum said after a few days the pauses are back and not sure why. I think i isolated the issue must be with Plex as i decided to install Synology's own Android TV app DS video which is slow and cumbersome but after installing MXPlayer on my Android TV (NVidia Shield) and enabling Hardware decoding on MX Player...DS Video played the sample movie perfectly fine.

Which is very strange.

I just returned the Asus router AX11000 as the place i bought it will not accept returns after they were opened so i never got to play with it. Now i am thinking of purchasing it again and giving it a try. Problem is i will need a mesh router for the living room & the study...all in all an easy £700 spend by the time you add the 2 RT-AX92U!

And all that without knowing for sure it is the network.

I am back at work now so don't have as much time to spend on troubleshooting. What do you guys think? Maybe be better off to get a man round to run some Ethernet cable everywhere!

 

[SpyderTracks]

@Scott @SpyderTracks ...bad news i am afraid...

Just like the Synology forum said after a few days the pauses are back and not sure why. I think i isolated the issue must be with Plex as i decided to install Synology's own Android TV app DS video which is slow and cumbersome but after installing MXPlayer on my Android TV (NVidia Shield) and enabling Hardware decoding on MX Player...DS Video played the sample movie perfectly fine.

Which is very strange.

I just returned the Asus router AX11000 as the place i bought it will not accept returns after they were opened so i never got to play with it. Now i am thinking of purchasing it again and giving it a try. Problem is i will need a mesh router for the living room & the study...all in all an easy £700 spend by the time you add the 2 RT-AX92U!

And all that without knowing for sure it is the network.

I am back at work now so don't have as much time to spend on troubleshooting. What do you guys think? Maybe be better off to get a man round to run some Ethernet cable everywhere!

It’s the router, that’s been confirmed, I bet you’ll find that setting you changed has reverted as per what they told you on the forum. Of course the nvidia shield is going to correct the problem if your doing the transcoding locally because it’s limited the network bandwidth hugely within acceptable parameters under the new reduced throughput.

i guarantee it’s not plex. There’s no evidence of that within the troubleshooting we’ve done so far.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I just returned the Asus router AX11000 as the place i bought it will not accept returns after they were opened so i never got to play with it. Now i am thinking of purchasing it again and giving it a try.

Where are you buying it from? By law any internet or phone purchase can be returned within 14 days no questions asked if it’s found not to be to the buyers liking. You could say you didn’t like the colour of the manual and they’d still have to take it back. If you buy from somewhere like amazon you’ve got guaranteed return rights. If that place you’re buying from says you can’t return it once opened they shouldn’t be used at all as they’re breaking the law.

 

[micmal]

@SpyderTracks ...i have already returned the router now. It was Scan i bought it for and they did refund it, i just had to pay postage.

As for your prompt reply...thank you...i want to think it is not Plex as well and i am not against getting the Asus, it is just the spend and the time of re-setting everything up! Certainly buying via Amazon the next time however.

Synology suggested it might be the transfer rate from the NAS to the Plex Server - dont think so - but i will entertain them and try to stream a local file from the same box as the Plex Server. That does not help me however!

 

[Deleted member 17413]

I wouldnt use Scan again if they paid me.
Charge more, useless customer service and unreliable. You get better service off Amazon and thats pretty much all automated...
Talking to Scan was like tickle me elmo being your line manager... And Spyder is right, assuming you havent damaged anything and the orst youve done is cut a clear bit of plastic tape to get into the box, they cant refuse the return if within 14 days or purchase.

You would have to had damaged it and they would have to be able to prove it

 

[micmal]

Thanks @sibun1 - as i said they have refunded it and all is good.

However some news @SpyderTracks ...If you recall, i just installed a new NAS DS920+ which is pretty premium for a Home installation and certainly better than my DS413j in so many ways! I copied an entire Blue Planet II 4K season to my new NAS, re-indexed the TV Library with Plex and surprise surpise, i am seeing crazy 150-200Mbps transfer rates on the Task Manager and not a single pause on the Plex Player on Android TV.

Also of note copying a single 18GB episode of Blue Planet from DS413j to PC took 25 minutes at 13-14MB/S....doing the same from PC to new DS920+....you guessed it...3min at 112MB/S

I think it is possible i just need to use my new server with faster R/W speeds and faster 7200rpm ironwolf hard drives. Just as well as 4K was the reason the new one was bought!

Possibly i answered myself?

 

[SpyderTracks]

It was Scan i bought it for and they did refund it, i just had to pay postage.

That's completely unnacceptable. Scan have had some very bad press over the last few years as they've been completely breaking european law and trying to bypass their responsibilites for warranties and returns, I wouldn't use them at all if that's what they're making you do.

 

[micmal]

That's completely unnacceptable. Scan have had some very bad press over the last few years as they've been completely breaking european law and trying to bypass their responsibilites for warranties and returns, I wouldn't use them at all if that's what they're making you do.

Thanks @SpyderTracks, I think i realised that now. They had some favourable checkput options to me and since i already had an account i thought i would give them a shot. However since then i noticed Span.com ar cheaper for a few things, especially around large HDD storage for my NAS...looking at some Toshiba 10TB HDDs just now that are about £50 cheaper! Have any of you used Span before?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks @SpyderTracks, I think i realised that now. They had some favourable checkput options to me and since i already had an account i thought i would give them a shot. However since then i noticed Span.com ar cheaper for a few things, especially around large HDD storage for my NAS...looking at some Toshiba 10TB HDDs just now that are about £50 cheaper! Have any of you used Span before?

Never used them myself but excellent reviews: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.span.com

i wouldn’t recommend toshiba drives, for NAS is really seagates or WD