Cannot find the Plex App on your Synology NAS? Here is why
It has reached our attention (thanks to J Westwood, UK) that Plex is currently not supported on the Synology DS118, DS218play, DS418 and DS418j NAS. This is down to these NAS Server devices using the new Realtek RTD1296 and RTD1293 CPU in their design.
UPDATE 14/07/2018
A massive help and work invested by ChuckPA on Plex forums have delivered an Alpha version of a PLEX for Realtek CPU based NAS like DS118, DS218, DS218play, DS418, DS418j and Qnap TS-128, TS-228, TS-328, TS-428.
Plex have promised to release an official installation file in a week or two. Meantime you can try these alpha test files and finally enjoy your Plex experience on Realtek based NAS.
Download Links:
These download links are intended for Plex Pass users only.
(Source:forums.plex.tv )
Installation Instructions and more information: – Plex Have Released an Alpha Version, LEARN MORE HERE
Plex issue conserns that currently Plex have not created a version that is supported on this processor architecture. Currently you can playback and transcode upto 1080p and 4K on these devices, however the Plex application for NAS is only available in 3 different versions for Synology NAS that support:
- Intel 32-bit
- Intel 64-bit
- ARMv7
These newer Realtek based NAS units will not let the PLEX App be installed. This arrives as quite an annoying hardware vs software disappointment for many and it seems that many in the PLEX community have been taking the issue into their own hands and trying to resolve it. Below are several exerts from the forum and despite confidence in a Plex App being made available somewhere down the line, in the meantime, Synology have decided to not list the Plex app in their App center.
Which NAS has been effected?
You can find the CPU model, package Architecture and memory type applied on each Synology NAS in the table below.
DS418 | Realtek RTD1296 | Quad Core | 4 | Yes | rtd1296 | DDR4 2GB |
DS418j | Realtek RTD1293 | Dual Core | 2 | Yes | rtd1296 | DDR4 1GB |
DS218play | Realtek RTD1296 | Quad Core | 4 | Yes | rtd1296 | DDR4 1GB |
DS118 | Realtek RTD1296 | Quad Core | 4 | Yes | rtd1296 | DDR4 1GB |
https://www.synology.com/en-global/knowledgebase/DSM/tutorial/General/What_kind_of_CPU_does_my_NAS_have
Is There a way to get it working?
Somehow WD have special relationship with PLEX. WD My Cloud Home type NAS come with PLEX media server installation. This model is using the same processor as Synology NAS, but Plex themselves is keeping this installation secret! If someone was smart enough to extract this installation file – it should also work on Synology NAS.
How long will it take to create PLEX compatible app?
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/292481/how-do-i-install-plex-on-a-ds418j
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/294819/plex-on-brand-new-synology-ds118-with-realtek-rtd1296-cpu
Why there is still no support for PLEX on NAS with Realtek CPU?
http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/288118/new-synology-compatibility-ds418-ds418play-ds918/p2
When will PLEX create installation file for NAS with Realtek CPU?
http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/288118/new-synology-compatibility-ds418-ds418play-ds918
How to change SPK file CPU architecture?
http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/288118/new-synology-compatibility-ds418-ds418play-ds918
Until there is compatible PLEX app created for Realtek CPU NAS range you can get PLEX compatible NAS:
System Model | CPU Model | Cores | Threads | FPU | Package Arch | RAM | PLEX |
DS3018xs | Intel Pentium D1508 | Dual Core | 4 | Yes | Broadwellnk | DDR4 SO-DIMM 8GB | YES |
DS918+ | Intel Celeron J3455 | Quad Core | 4 | Yes | Apollolake | DDR3L SO-DIMM 4GB | YES |
DS718+ | Intel Celeron J3455 | Quad Core | 4 | Yes | Apollolake | DDR3L SO-DIMM 2GB | YES |
DS418play | Intel Celeron J3355 | Dual Core | 2 | Yes | Apollolake | DDR3L SO-DIMM 2GB | YES |
DS418 | Realtek RTD1296 | Quad Core | 4 | Yes | rtd1296 | DDR4 2GB | NO |
DS418j | Realtek RTD1293 | Dual Core | 2 | Yes | rtd1296 | DDR4 1GB | NO |
DS218+ | Intel Celeron J3355 | Dual Core | 2 | Yes | Apollolake | DDR3L SO-DIMM 2GB | YES |
DS218play | Realtek RTD1296 | Quad Core | 4 | Yes | rtd1296 | DDR4 1GB | NO |
DS218j | Marvell Armada 385 88F6820 | Dual Core | 2 | Yes | Armada38x | DDR3 512MB | YES |
DS118 | Realtek RTD1296 | Quad Core | 4 | Yes | rtd1296 | DDR4 1GB | NO |
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