Which NAS do list members prefer?

[mandrix]

Stay away from the Homatics box; it's just an Android player with a Dune app. The proper Dune players use their own custom Linux os.

Honestly, I'm kinda tempted to order the Pro Vision 4K for myself. It has some features my current Dune does not. Just...for the Dune non-Homatics players, do not expect to use them for Netflix or other streaming services. They kind of/sort of support them...poorly.

What are your thoughts on this one?

Dune HD AV1 4K Android Box​

All I need is something to play 4K .iso files off my network. Well not sure I really need it, since for now an old PowerDVD is working for that.
Don't really care about the streaming services as outside of TV in the living room I don't need it.

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

What are your thoughts on this one?

Dune HD AV1 4K Android Box​

All I need is something to play 4K .iso files off my network. Well not sure I really need it, since for now an old PowerDVD is working for that.
Don't really care about the streaming services as outside of TV in the living room I don't need it.

Are these 'full disc' 4K .iso back-ups with menus or 'movie only' .iso back-ups without menus?

 

[mandrix]

Are these 'full disc' 4K .iso back-ups with menus or 'movie only' .iso back-ups without menus?

Full .iso rips, @SeeMoreDigital , just decrypted.

 

[dabl]

I would like just a simple networked device that is 4K capable to play .iso files/whatever off my network, for a price that doesn't break the bank.
Mostly for Atmos/4K .iso rips. Route through the AVR then from AVR on to the display.

Media Players for Dummies: starting point for those interested in Zidoo, Dune HD, Kaleidescape, R_volution, HTPC, Ugoos etc.

 

[mandrix]

Media Players for Dummies: starting point for those interested in Zidoo, Dune HD, Kaleidescape, R_volution, HTPC, Ugoos etc.

Thanks for that, dabl!

 

[cdheer]

What are your thoughts on this one?

Dune HD AV1 4K Android Box​

All I need is something to play 4K .iso files off my network. Well not sure I really need it, since for now an old PowerDVD is working for that.
Don't really care about the streaming services as outside of TV in the living room I don't need it.

I would avoid the Android-based boxes personally.

 

[mandrix]

I would avoid the Android-based boxes personally.

I have decided to avoid them all for now. Between PowerDVD & JRiver I'm doing alright on UHD.
I can play anything off the Oppo from my network except UHD. So anyway covered for now.

 

[esimms86]

I have decided to avoid them all for now. Between PowerDVD & JRiver I'm doing alright on UHD.
I can play anything off the Oppo from my network except UHD. So anyway covered for now.

I do hope that you can eventually get your hands on a ChinOPPO. It’s just so easy to use.

 

[zdjh22]

I do hope that you can eventually get your hands on a ChinOPPO. It’s just so easy to use.

I’ve had great experiences with both an M9702 and an M9203. The M9702 I purchased used from someone at Audiogon, but it did require a bit of extra work to get it off the old proprietary firmware onto the free jailbreak. The M9203 I purchased from a vendor in Hong Kong via Ali Express.

I gather a better way to buy them now is via the Spanish AVPASION forum. The thread there with information is https://foro.avpasion.com/t/comprar...eproductores-clon-oppo-203-205-chinoppo.2469/

Better prices than my two purchases, and they’ve sold a large number.

 

[zdjh22]

I would avoid the Android-based boxes personally.

I was once tempted to buy a Zidoo NEO Alpha because at the time I was obsessed with native DSD output over HDMI to my AVR and that was the only media player that I could find that could do that. That obsession was silly, really, since my Oppo and ChinOppos convert to LPCM and I can’t tell the difference. Subsequently I bought a Smyth A16 which can’t decode MCH DSD, so LPCM is now the way.

When I was investigating how the Zidoo could do this, but an ordinary Linux system could not, I found in the Linux kernel sources that, while there are some data structures supporting DSD over HDMI in the base HDMI driver, none of the code is there. Android uses a variant of the regular Linux kernel, and Zidoo must have altered the HDMI driver in their kernel. They are obligated under the GPL, or so I at least thought so, to provide those alterations in source code form, but they are not available. A lot of the other GPL code on the Zidoo media hardware is available. All water under the bridge since the NEO Alpha seems to not be available anymore.

 

[esimms86]

I’ve had great experiences with both an M9702 and an M9203. The M9702 I purchased used from someone at Audiogon, but it did require a bit of extra work to get it off the old proprietary firmware onto the free jailbreak. The M9203 I purchased from a vendor in Hong Kong via Ali Express.

I gather a better way to buy them now is via the Spanish AVPASION forum. The thread there with information is https://foro.avpasion.com/t/comprar...eproductores-clon-oppo-203-205-chinoppo.2469/

Better prices than my two purchases, and they’ve sold a large number.

That’s where I got mine from. I bought it over a year ago. Their communication wasn’t great but I’m extremely happy with the product.

 

[TheAbsentMind]

Life has me off and on the keyboard right now, so belated thanks for the posts. Everything has been helpful, even (genuinely) the stuff that goes over my head.

Brief update and question as I indecisively dip my toe before doggy paddling in the deep end:

I'm pretty certain I'm going with the Synology 1522+. I was going to follow @HomerJAU 's advice about WD Plus 10tb discs ($760 for 40 TB/4 drives) , but learned yesterday of a deal on the manufacturer's website: 2 x 18tb WD Pro drives ($600 for 36TB/2 drives... using half the bays).

Best I can tell, the main differentiator between Pro vs. Plus is the rpm. I know that FAT/FAT32/ExFAT/ntfs, etc. get different value out of the space -- and I hadn't even thought about this formatting stuff until typing this sentence -- so is there any other reasons to consider more smaller drives or fewer large drives in a RAID configuration? Obviously, it's putting more eggs in one basket, but again... RAID. Not that anything could ever go wrong. Ever. With technology. Or anything else. <crickets>. Ever.

From what I understand, it pretty much locks me into using all 18tb drives. Overkill? Well, not if I actually do 1:1 of movies in addition to music. I have enough of those, according to quick Google-fu, to fit 1-2 drives, assuming I can copy them before I'm dead... or I die of boredom in the process.

 

[HomerJAU]

Please buy Red Pro drives. They are faster and have 5 year warranty.

But you want raid 5 using 3 drives for data self healing. 2 drives mirroring gives you only half usable space,

NASs are Linux based they don’t use NTFS, exFat etc. Use btrfs for auto data healing. This fixes disc rot.

 

[mandrix]

I don't have a NAS. But I do have a SAS/SATA board and run (currently) 10 HDD's and 4 SSD's on one of my pc's.
What I do is buy "recertified" 18 TB drives (mainly Seagate Iron Wolf or Exos drives). These have mostly been pulled from data centers I imagine, so usually only carry a 1-2 year warranty though sometimes you can get a 5 year warranty.

I've had good luck with them. And at around $179 each not breaking the bank.

 

[zdjh22]

I don't have a NAS. But I do have a SAS/SATA board and run (currently) 10 HDD's and 4 SSD's on one of my pc's.
What I do is buy "recertified" 18 TB drives (mainly Seagate Iron Wolf or Exos drives). These have mostly been pulled from data centers I imagine, so usually only carry a 1-2 year warranty though sometimes you can get a 5 year warranty.

I've had good luck with them. And at around $179 each not breaking the bank.

Those SAS/SATA boards in a chassis with port expanders are really good. Before I retired I built for work several 4U systems based on them - SuperMicro chassis with 36 data disks plus a pair of mirrored disks for the system image. You can buy them with an embedded RAID controller, but I used them as JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) controllers, like you use yours, and I used ZFS (software RAID). BTRFS wasn’t an option then, too immature, and even today ZFS is probably the better option of the two.

 

[mandrix]

Those SAS/SATA boards in a chassis with port expanders are really good. Before I retired I built for work several 4U systems based on them - SuperMicro chassis with 36 data disks plus a pair of mirrored disks for the system image. You can buy them with an embedded RAID controller, but I used them as JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) controllers, like you use yours, and I used ZFS (software RAID). BTRFS wasn’t an option then, too immature, and even today ZFS is probably the better option of the two.

I used to use an 8i card and an expander card. Now I just use an older Adaptec 16i and I use the MSM software for RAID configuration.
I have a Case Labs SM8 with pedestals on top and bottom.
The top pedestal has a mount for three drive bays, each bay holds 4 drives w/fans mounted on the outside of the mount. The SSD's are parked up there where I could find space with dual drive mounts (also from Case Labs).
The bottom pedestal has a 480mm radiator and water pumps, main case has a 240mm radiator.

Sadly the aluminum embargoes put Case Labs out of business. I had to fab one of the aluminum drive bays myself, which meant learning how to heat treat aluminum since I don't have a "real" sheet metal brake.