While choosing NAS devices for your home media, be careful not to go for any NAS device you find out there in the shops or over the internet. Not all NAS devices actually can be the best option for your home media needs. In this article, I will share a list of NAS devices to consider, and what you need to know about the best NAS devices that transcodes 4K and FHD videos for your home media devices. Before we proceed, let us dive into the back story of the whole process.
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What Is Transcoding?
You realize that often time, you come across video formats that are not supported by your devices. However much you would love to play these videos over your favorite gadgets such as smart TVs, you cannot unless you do “Transcoding”. Simple, Transcoding is the process of converting video files that are unsupported by your device’s media player into compatible resolutions and formats.
The need for transcoding widely depends on the devices you intend to stream on, and the available media player codecs.
Tips for identifying the right 4K-Capable NAS Devices
Before going for any 4K NAS devices you find, you should first identify your needs. Once this is done, then make research based on your needs. You should then go for the NAS devices that best suits your home media needs.
NAS devices to consider
| Best overall: Synology DiskStation DS220+ |
| Best for 4K: Synology DiskStation DS920+ |
| Best for connectivity: Asustor AS5202T |
| Best four-bay connectivity: Asustor AS5304T |
| Best entry-level Plex NAS: Synology DiskStation DS220j |
| Best value: TerraMaster F2-221 |
| Best four-bay value: QNAP TS-451+ |
| Best for enthusiasts: Synology NAS DiskStation DS1520+ |
Other NAS devices you may consider