Super real-time video transcoding, multi-channel streaming, home multimedia 4Bay Nas’ top choice – Synology DS415play unboxing review

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April 03, 2024

This time I would like to introduce to you the unboxing review of Synology DS415play, a mid-range network storage device. When talking about personal mass storage devices, what do you think of? Is it a large-capacity pen drive? Is it a cloud hard drive such as Dropbox? I personally use these solutions. There are advantages, but they are not as safe and versatile as having your own NAS (Network Attached Storage; network storage device). In addition to storing data, NAS can also be used as a personal private cloud, a power-saving downloader, and more Regarding the leisure functions of home entertainment, Ada has previously introduced you to "Synology DS215j", 2Bay's entry-level NAS, which has been recognized by many readers. Today, we will continue to introduce to you the more professional and versatile 4Bay NAS "Synology DS415play".

Synology DS415play unboxing and installation

"Synology" (Synology Technology) I believe friends who are in contact with NAS must be familiar with it. It is a truly 100% Taiwanese company and the most famous NAS equipment manufacturer in the world. Synology is the first company that almost always thinks of NAS when mentioning it. Synology was also the first to truly fully utilize network storage devices such as NAS, and turned NAS from an unattainable enterprise equipment into a popular choice for most gamers. The promoter of a basic home storage and entertainment center for one person:

Regardless of model, almost all Synology NAS products have functions such as file sharing, private cloud, media center, mobile device connection, data synchronization, RAID protection, etc. In principle, the main The difference lies in the size of the hard disk that can be installed, the performance of the processor and the multimedia capabilities. Consumers do not necessarily have to go to the top to have a high-quality experience, but can choose according to their main needs and budget:

Out of the box, Synology DS415play includes the host, transformer, manual, screws and CAT.6 network cable:

Let’s look directly at the Synology DS415play itself. It is a 4BAY (can hold four hard drives, the highest capacity Supports network storage devices up to 24TB). The same model is Synology DS415+ (advanced version). Synology DS415play is a model that emphasizes home multimedia applications:

There is a status light on the right side of the front of the fuselage. , keep track of the machine status and the operation of each hard drive:

Below is the connection port and power button for external USB devices:

There are "Synology" LOGOs on the left and right sides of the fuselage. , and also has the effect of ventilation and heat dissipation:

The rear of the fuselage is equipped with USB2.0 x 2, USB 3.0 x 2 and RJ-45 connection ports. If it is not convenient to run a network cable at home, you can also install a wireless network card for use. , the two large cooling fans are also quite eye-catching (but they are quite quiet when operating):

Open the front cover of Synology DS415play, and you can see four sets of plug-in hard drive trays:

Just press the top The hard drive can be pulled out by pressing "PUSH". The corresponding hard drive slot is also marked with a "dot" next to each hard drive tray, making it convenient for users to replace the failed hard drive in the event of a hard drive failure, and Synology DS415play supports Hot-swappable, you can directly replace the faulty hard drive at startup, making maintenance faster and risk-free:

The hard drive tray of Synology DS415play adopts a tool-less and screw-free design, and it can be installed normally without a screwdriver. Commercially available 3.5-inch hard drives allow users to install/replace the hard drive more easily and quickly:

The left and right retaining clips can be removed with just one pull:

As the saying goes, "the size of the hard drive , determines the power of the home." Synology DS415play supports the largest single 6TB hard drive, with a maximum capacity of 24TB. However, home power is related to financial resources. This time I chose four Seagate 4TB NAS dedicated hard drives:

Hard Drive Installation is very simple. Just put the hard drive into the tray, align the clamps and install it back to complete the hard drive fixation. Then push it back into the Synology DS415play body and install it. Even children can install it:

After the hard drive is installed, replace the top cover, connect the power supply and network cable, and then start it. When all the lights turn green, it means the startup is complete. You can start setting the environment:

Synology DS415play System Settings In the past, the installation and setting of "NAS" was very difficult, but since Synology developed the DSM (Synology DiskStation Manager) operating system for NAS, the management and setting of NAS have become quite intuitive, and later manufacturers have also introduced it. Similar graphical interface elements are becoming more and more easy to use. Taking Synology NAS as an example, as long as you connect the network cable of the local network, there is no need for special installation or settings. You only need to directly enter "http:/" in the browser. /find.synology.com" and you will see the Synology DS415play that has just been connected to the network cable and powered on. You can directly execute the "Connection Settings". It is not difficult at all:

Since we have just installed the hard disk, we still need to You need to create a disk array and install the DSM operating system. You don’t need to use your brain at all for this part. Just keep executing ">" and go down:

As long as you are connected to the Internet, the system will automatically help you Planning and installing the operating system is easier than installing a computer:

Finally, set the administrator account and password and execute the installation immediately:

Next, the system will automatically download the DSM and install it into the NAS, and it will take a while. We will thoughtfully help you create a Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) array volume:

After DSM is installed, log in to the system and you’re done. It’s so simple that I can’t describe it:

DSM interface and function introduction

Use the interface You can imagine that the Synology DS415play installed with the DSM operating system is a fairly complete LINUX computer. It has a desktop, program set, console, File Station (file manager), toolbar and package center (App store). Concept, you can control Synology DS415play by just using a browser:

Package Center

"Package Center" is the "software market" of the DSM system. This is why Synology NAS is so popular and has become the mainstream in the market. Reason, through the Package Center, you can install various "value-added" applications by yourself, turning the NAS from a simple file backup and management center into a universal host with file sharing, media center, private cloud... you can even transparently Use the installation package to set up a website forum, WordPress BLOG, Mail Server, shopping cart system or even a self-installed VPN for bypassing the wall...to achieve the purpose of multi-purpose in one machine:

Execute the program set in the upper left corner to view the list of all applications: There are many other applications of DSM, including quick links, etc. Interested friends can directly read the introduction of "Synology NAS DSM (DiskStation Manager) Basic System Settings and Function Usage" without going into details.

Synology DS415play Hardware Specifications and Functions

Synology DS415play is equipped with an Intel Atom 1.6GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM. In a Windows environment, DS415play configured as RAID 5 can provide an average read rate of 112.35MB per second. speed and a writing speed of 98.58MB per second. The processor has built-in floating point computing technology, allowing users to speed up the multimedia processing speed of photo thumbnails when uploading a large number of photos or videos:

When initially setting In addition to installing DSM, the system also uses SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID) format to combine four 4TB hard drives, which will be formatted into 10.82TB (SHR is an optimized RAID5, with high-speed reading close to that of a RAID0 disk array combination) speed, at the same time, a hard drive will be used for "parity check" so the available space will not be 16TB). When any disk data in Synology DS415play is damaged, the remaining data and corresponding parity can be used Verify information to recover damaged data. Users can continue to operate as long as they directly replace the failed hard drive. The security is very high:

You can also see each drive in the "Storage Manager" in the system. The status of the hard drive (in fact, the LED light outside the chassis will also display):

Of course, if you are happy, you can also reformat it to other RAID types, but Ada personally recommends using SHR:

Synology DS415play special features

Synology DS415play can perform almost any task after installing the package, including FTP, private cloud, server, BT download, file sharing, data backup... there is no problem. This part Ada has done before The "Synology NAS ultimate application update! Complete guide for mobile devices, home audio and video, computer streaming, VPN circumvention, and Time Machine backup and restoration" I wrote has super detailed instructions. If you are interested, you can read that one. Article sharing. Here I would like to introduce to you what the "play" of Synology DS415play means. Although the hardware function of Synology DS415+ of the same model is relatively strong, it is relatively unsuitable for the multimedia needs of individuals or families. Ada has introduced it before Synology DS215j is good at everything, but there will be problems when playing "non" mp4 format (such as RMVB, WMV...) videos on the computer:

If you use a computer browser outside and want to play the NAS at home through the Internet For videos in non-MP4 formats, "My computer does not support the video format I want to play" will appear. Even if you have a player installed, it will be useless (but iOS's DSfile and DSvideo have transcoding functions that can directly play videos in various formats. , Android phones can also play after installing MXplayer): ▲Models without "Play" hardware transcoding will have problems playing non-mp4 formats on computers and some devices.

And the "play" of Synology DS415play refers to The machine itself is equipped with a hardware-accelerated transcoding engine, which can provide 1080p Full HD real-time video transcoding function, making it easy to share videos with your smart TVs, online media players, mobile devices and computers. Videos in RMVB format like this are Can be streamed directly without transcoding:

In addition, Synology DS415play also supports the "multi-channel simultaneous streaming" function, allowing all family members to watch their favorite videos in different rooms and different locations. They are all special functions that are not available on ordinary non-"play" models: ▲The picture below shows how to connect Synology DS415play with a computer and mobile phone at the same time to play different videos. The two do not interfere with each other and are smooth, allowing your family to enjoy different videos at the same time. Video.

Because it is hardware decoding, it does not consume a lot of resources. I personally tested the mobile phone and computer to stream two different videos at the same time. At the same time, the background was still downloading BT files and copying the video from the computer to the NAS. The resources consumed by the CPU are not very large (DS215j will almost break the table when playing a video):

In addition, Synology DS415play also supports the DLNA media server function. If you have a PS4, XBOX or a TV that supports DLNA at home, you can do it. Directly read photos, videos and music in NAS:

Like the LG 55EC930T 55-inch OLED curved TV that Ada shared before, it can directly read NAS videos through the local network:

If you have a PS3 at home / 4 or TV game consoles such as XBOX, you can also directly read and play the videos, photos and music in the NAS through DLNA:

If you have purchased ChromeCast at home, it will be more convenient. Select the playback device through DSvideo:

Select Chromecast (of course Xiaomi Box and Apple TV are also available) and play:

This way you can watch movies and albums on a large-screen TV, which is super refreshing:

Conclusion

If you are a serious movie and album lover, or your family often quarrels over watching different movies, Synology DS415play’s hardware decoding and multi-channel streaming functions will definitely satisfy your needs at home. For multimedia usage needs, and the 4 Bay capacity allows you to have up to 24TB of capacity to store a large number of movies and albums. With SHR support, even if you store important personal data, photos, and videos, you will not be afraid of being lost due to hard drive damage. To make up for the regret, a good balance is achieved between maximizing capacity and data preservation. If you have a limited budget, the entry-level DS215j is very good, but if the budget is enough, Synology DS415play is definitely the best choice for your home entertainment multimedia center. Extended reading:

Synology NAS ultimate application update! Complete guide to using mobile devices, home video, computer streaming, VPN circumvention, and Time Machine backup and restore