DS918 or DS920+?

I am looking to take the dive into getting my first NAS device. I plan on using it to store music, movies, photos, and backups of my MacBook (using TimeMachine) and my Linux/Windows desktop (dual booted). I am planning on continuing to sync my iPhone with my Music library (rather than streaming music), so I also plan on hosting that library on the NAS. That being said, I do also want to setup a Plex server to be able to stream that music, as well as my movies (@4K), to other devices.

In the future I do also want to securely backup the NAS to another device, but that isn’t in the cards right now. Hopefully I can convince my brother to get his own NAS, and we can backup to each other’s.

Initially I was considering building my own, as I do have some experience building computers. Though, from what I’ve read, it seems significantly more difficult to maintain a custom build compared to a pre-built device (or even a custom PC). I would rather have something that just works, and is reliable.

At the moment I am thinking of going with Synology, mostly because the software seems more intuitive and robust than other offerings. More specifically I think the DS918+ or DS1019+ would suit my needs well.

So my question is three-fold. First, do you see any potential conflicts with these devices and my requirements? Second, are there any benefits (besides simply more room for storage) between going with the 5 bay over the 4 bay model? Lastly, assuming the 4 bay is sufficient for my needs, is it worth it to wait for the DS920+?

I apologize for the wall of text, but thanks in advance!

There is nothing on DS920+ what DS918+ could not do. The only difference is number of simultaneous streams or number of users accessing the NAS.
The choice between 4 and 5 bays is individual. You can start even with 2 drives. But if data grows rapidly it is better to have more bays to be available.
These models will cope with everything you want. Only 4K Plex will not work if you like subtitles. Also, you can no stream 4K remotely via Plex. You will need to use offline transcoding function to prepare counterpart version of those files which need to be streamed in the converted format. This can be automated.
Or you can use DS video app which can easily cope with 4K.

I hope this helps.

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