How to Install Plex Media Server on a UGREEN NAS

Last updated on 21 Jun 2024 📧 Subscribe
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1 Step-by-Step Guide: Installing Plex Media Server on a UGREEN NAS
1.1 What Do You Need?
1.2 **2. Setting Up Docker on UGREEN NAS
1.3 **3. Downloading and Setting Up Plex Image
1.4 **4. Preparing Multimedia Folders
1.5 **5. Setting Up Plex Container in Docker
1.6 **6. Environmental Variables and Advanced Settings
1.7 **7. Finalize and Run the Plex Container
1.8 **8. Configuring Plex Media Server
1.9 **9. Testing and Final Adjustments
2 Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Step-by-Step Guide: Installing Plex Media Server on a UGREEN NAS

Now that users are beginning to get their hands on the pre-ordered UGREEN NASync server devices, a one of the most popular applications that many will want to run is Plex Media Server. Easily one of the most powerful and capable media server applications in the market for hosting your own multimedia, whilst presenting it in a comparable fashion to massive streaming giants like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime, many UGREEN users were disappointed to discover that there is no native PLEX application available in the UGOS App centre of their new system. Never fear! They HAVE added Docker support! Docker is a containerized application software – which in less techie terms, means that it allows you to run applications and services on their own without needed to be run on an operating system like Windows, MacOS or Android. However, creating a containerized version of Plex, so you can host a Plex Media Server on your new UGREEN NAS is a little more complicated that a simple 1-click installer! So, today I want to guide you through how to set up your Plex Media Server container and start hosting your multimedia locally and over the internet!

Quick note, for the sake of clarity. ‘Plex Media Server’ is what you will be running from your NAS, also known as the ‘host’. The version of PLEX that you use on the devices you are going to watch/listen to your multimedia on is called a ‘Plex Client’.

Testing? If you want a better idea of how well your UGREEN NAS will playback different kinds of 1080p, 4K and 8K Multimedia, I have made a review below of how each UGREEN NAS system hardware handled playback:

What Do You Need?

In order to set up Plex Media Server, there eare a few things it is recommended you have the following things ready:

1.1 Gather Information and Materials:

  • UGREEN NAS device – DUH!
  • NAS admin account credentials.
  • A computer connected to the same network as the NAS. Can be done with a phone/tablet with a web browser – but it’s not ideal!
  • Internet access, albiet briefly, just to link your Plex account with your server
  • *optional* A Plex Pass Account if you wish to use more advanced features (hardware transcoding, inclusive applications, etc)
  • (Briefly) an SSH tool (recommend PUTY here, as it’s free and straightforward)

Note, if you would prefer a VIDEO GUIDE on how to install and Setup Plex Media Server on your UGREEN NAS, You can watch the YouTube video HERE. Let’s begin.

**2. Setting Up Docker on UGREEN NAS

2.1 Access UGREEN NAS Interface:

  • Ensure your UGREEN device is fully powered on and has the latest UGOS Firmware (as only software after May 2024 has the Docker application in the App center)

  • Open a web browser and enter the IP address of your NAS to access its web interface.

2.2 Install Docker:

  • Go to the App Center in the NAS interface.
  • Search for “Docker” and install it.

  • Docker is a platform that enables you to run applications in isolated containers.

2.3 Open Docker:

  • Once installed, open Docker from the list of applications.

**3. Downloading and Setting Up Plex Image

3.1 Go to Docker’s Image Tab:

  • In Docker, navigate to the “Image” tab.

3.2 Search for Plex:

  • Type “Plex” in the search bar.
  • Select the “linuxserver/plex” image for stability and community support.

3.3 Download the Plex Image:

  • Click “Download” to fetch the Plex image.
  • This image will be used to create a container.

**4. Preparing Multimedia Folders

4.1 Access File Manager:

  • Open the file manager on your NAS.
  • Select an existing Shared Folder (top level folders that your system has already created. ALTERNATIVELY, you can click the ‘+’ symbol,  then select ‘Create Shared Folder’ and create a new primary shared folder.

4.2 Create Media Folders:

  • Create the following directories inside the shared folder for organizing media:
    • config
    • data
    • movies
    • music
    • pictures (can also be named photos, but can make things tricky)
    • transcode
    • tv shows

4.3 Upload Media Files:

  • Move or upload your multimedia files into the respective folders. Use drag-and-drop or upload functionality.
  • IMPORTANT – Head into the Control Panel > User Management to check that the account you plan to use with the Plex Docker Creation has permission to access the folders that are created for the Plex Media and Configuration

**5. Setting Up Plex Container in Docker

5.1 Select Plex Image:

  • Go back to Docker, select the Plex image you downloaded, and click “Launch” to create a new container.

5.2 Name and Configure Container:

  • Give the container a name (e.g., “Plex”).
  • Allocate CPU and memory resources as required.
  • Ensure “Restart Policy” is set to “Always” to restart the container if it stops.

5.3 Add Mount Points:

  • In the container setup, add mount points for each media folder:
    • /config -> config
    • /data -> data
    • /movies -> movies
    • /music -> music
    • /pictures -> pictures
    • /transcode -> transcode
    • /tv -> tv shows

5.4 Set Permissions:

  • Ensure each directory has read and write access to allow Plex to manage and access the media.

5.5 Network Settings:

  • Set the network mode to “Host” to share the same network as your NAS for easy access. It’s not essential, and you can change this later if you want to bind PLEX to a different physical port or network group. But to keep it easy at the start, leave this at ‘Host’

**6. Environmental Variables and Advanced Settings

6.1 Add Environmental Variables:

  • Enter the following environmental variables for Plex:
    • PLEX_CLAIM (obtainable from Plex.tv claim)
    • TZ (time zone, e.g., Europe/London)
    • PUID and PGID (use 1000 for a standard user or obtain from your NAS settings)

6.2 Enable SSH and Obtain UID/GID:

  • Temporarily enable SSH in the NAS control panel.

  • Use a tool like Putty to access your NAS, and type id username to obtain the UID and GID.
  • Use 192.168.x.x as the IP address to connect, with port 22.

  • Use the information gained from PUTTY to fill out the environmental options you created in the docker container

6.3 Command Line Access:

  • Use command line tools to run and manage Docker and Plex configurations if needed in future.
  • DISABLE SSH!!! (if you do not plan to use it further)
  • Additionally, for HARDWARE TRANSCODING it is advised to run in Privilege Mode, in order to give the docker enough control over the CPU’s integrated GFX

**7. Finalize and Run the Plex Container

7.1 Verify Configuration:

  • Review all configurations and settings.
  • Click “Done” to create and start the Plex container.

7.2 Access Plex:

  • Open a new browser tab and enter the IP address of your NAS followed by :32400/web to access Plex (e.g., http://192.168.x.x:32400/web).

7.3 Log into Plex:

  • Use your Plex account to log in.
  • Go through the initial setup, naming your Plex server and setting up media libraries.

**8. Configuring Plex Media Server

8.1 Add Media Libraries:

  • Click “Add Library” and choose the type (Movies, Music, TV Shows, etc.).
  • Navigate to the corresponding media folder on your NAS (e.g., /movies).

8.2 Set Metadata and Agents:

  • Configure metadata agents to fetch information about your media.
  • Ensure correct scraping of data such as cover art, descriptions, and actor details.

8.3 Enable Transcoding:

  • Go to Settings > Server > Transcoder.
  • Enable hardware transcoding if your NAS supports it

8.4 Network and Access Settings:

  • Configure network settings to allow remote access if desired.
  • Set appropriate access permissions for different user profiles.

**9. Testing and Final Adjustments

9.1 Test Media Playback:

  • Play various media files to ensure everything is working correctly.
  • Check both local and remote playback (if configured).

9.2 Troubleshoot Issues:

  • If there are problems, check Docker logs for errors.
  • Adjust settings as needed to resolve issues.
  • IMPORTANT  You can verify that Plex is using the CPU int.gfx (i.e hardware transcoding) during playback by playing a media file, then heading into the PLEX SERVER > SETTINGS  > DASHBOARD options and above the CPU/RAM use, you will see your file being played – look for ‘H/W Transcoding’. If it says ‘S/W transcoding’, you are using raw CPU power to do the job, which is less efficient.

9.3 Regular Maintenance:

  • Update Plex and Docker as necessary.
  • Regularly back up your NAS and Plex configurations.

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      163 thoughts on “How to Install Plex Media Server on a UGREEN NAS”

      6. Hello, i have a question to the dxp2800 with N100 CPU: in jellyfin (Docker Container) it can do Hardware transcoding. Can it also Hardware transcoding with plex in docker Container ?
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      10. As helpful as this was, the lack of links in the description to the web pages your going to, on top of the potato screen recording quality for a video published in current year was *_EXTREMELY_* annoying to read & or to dig for specific webpages that were so _SWIFTLY_ slapped on the screen, with I’m having to squint to actually read anything.
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      15. Can you do a new video setting up Plex on a DXP4800 Plus utilizing a Mac? I tried to follow your tutorials but there is a newer UI for the docker container setup that looks very different than your other tutorial and a BUNCH of new environmental values that i believe are keeping it from running properly. Please help!
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      18. Wait, hold on a second .. are you telling me that i have to do all of this just to have plex installed on the ugreen nas? On my cheapo, potato WD Nas all i had to do is to download the app and start it. why so complicated?
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      24. Thank you so much for the instruction. Just a note that if you want to enable hardware transcode during the setup, in the Advanced tab, select running in privileged mode.
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      26. my container just displays restarting instead of running and when i go to the log it displays exec /init: exec format error any help would be appreciated.
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      27. So i had an issue. I followed everything you did in your video but Plex wouldn’t find my docker folders. Tried different settings etc. Still didn’t work. So went and installed a different image of plex. Plexinc/pms-docker which also have 1000+ likes. This one works like a charm. Set up is the same as the one in the video with the exception of a couple extra settings but i left them as default. Opened plex and it found docker right away.

        So anyone who has issue. Try the different images of plex.
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      32. Thanks Great Instructions Working Great on my 8800DXP … How do we do an update for Plex I see an update available (Manual) in the plex admin panel? Do we search for new docker update or somehow load it in plex? I am used to just feeding the nas the new .deb package.. new to docker.
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      33. I did everything you said and all works fine but…. I move stuff in to movies and all works fine, I move stuff in to music and all works fine but when I move stuff in to my TV show folder, plex does not see it… What am I doing wrong? I move stuff I can see in my movie folder over to TV and nothing…
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      34. Great tutorial – thanks for that! I have one more question, how can Plex be updated in the container? And could you also do a tutorial for the Proxy Reverse Manager on the UGREEN NAS? Many thanks in advance!
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      35. Total noob when it comes to NAS and finally got some HDDs for my 4800. Really easy to follow along instruction and thanks to you I now have Plex running in Docker and it is awesome! Thanks!
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      36. Thanks!

        I made sure my plex folders where on my nvme drive especially transcoding. I also added privileges so the gpu would work.

        Now while it keeps complaining about not being accessible, I can confirm it is.

        All seems well. ty
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      37. Hey @NASCompares! I was wondering if you have tried out the “Video Center” App straight from Ugreen? It kinda seems like the same thing as Jellyfin and Plex, but other than that I can’t find any other information for it haha. Great content!
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      38. Thank you for this!!! Really appreciate it. Now I’m trying to figure out the remote access in plex. It worked for a few days and then the Ugreen system updated and all of a sudden I can’t figure it out for the life of me. Any thought anyone?
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      39. Great instructions, but I’m not technical and have a Mac. I just got frustrated with the PC instructions and gave up once Putty entered the equation. I just couldn’t follow along. If Ugreen intends to sell their NAS on the open market then there’s going to have to be a native Plex app.
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      40. For me the CPU is missing in the Transcoding Section of the server settings. Did I miss something? As far as I can tell I did set all Viavables
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      41. thank you for the instructions. I received a notifications on my plex regarding Update available for Plex Media Server. can you guide me on how can I update this through my Ugreen NAS?
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      42. Oh man, I don’t believe it. Thanks to your instructions, I have now actually managed to install my beloved Plex on my new Ugreen NAS after a few wrong turns and fruitless attempts, and everything is working wonderfully, my heartfelt thanks to you. It’s great that there are people out there who do such great work and point us ignorant people in the right direction. Great, thank you very much …… ????????‍♂
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      43. Anybody who already followed it and on the logs no apparent issue but plex is not finding the tv show i have in my folder, I already checked I gave it the access to the folder and gave the correct directory
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      45. Hey man, thanks so much for pulling this video together! I was thrilled to see that you actually replied to my request (and probably many others!) until I got stuck on… PuTTY! Because I’m on Mac, and installing PUTTY on a Mac isn’t as straight forward. I tried Cyberduck, MacPorts, but I don’t know where to go from there. Any idea? Cheers!
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      46. I followed your instructions to the T – but my Plex Server will not start. I get “2024-06-23T17:53:32.767187914Z Error: Unable to set up server: sqlite3_statement_backend::loadOne: attempt to write a readonly database (N4soci10soci_errorE)”. I have admin rights. Again I believe my setup was accurate. Any thoughts?
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      47. I am failed in 13:22
        “You do not have access to this server.”
        “You may be able to claim it by choosing “Open Plex…” from the Plex menu in the macOS menu bar or Windows system tray. ”
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      49. ????Finally figured out my issue. If you have issues with Plex detecting the iGPU for hardware transcoding, you need to run Plex as Privileged mode. He said to leave it disabled if you don’t know what you’re doing but you NEED it for Hardware Transcoding.
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      50. Does anyone know why mine is requireing the Container run command to be populated? It was skipped over in the video and people have been saying that it should be left empty. Any ideas on how to fix that? I can’t get it to work and i think it has something to do with this command
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      51. I just got mine yesterday (6-bay) and I went through this exactly and the gpu doesn’t show up for hardware transcoding, only auto. Have people been seeing this or know what to do?
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      52. Just got this working, thank you for the in depth guide! The only difference I had was using terminal on my mac for SSH instead of PUTTY on windows but it works great now!
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      54. Awesome video and followed perfectly. I already have a plex server set up and this new one did show up but gives an error saying Its “Secure connections” setting may be set to disabled, or you may need to adjust some settings on your network. Any ideas as to what is causing this and how to correct it?
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      55. Great video but when I try to login to the container through the web browser as you described it fails. Is there something additional needed for the ports?
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      56. Thanks again for the rather succinct yet excellent instructional video with respect to docker / Plex on UGOS.

        Since UGreen will tolerate third party OSes but won’t specifically support third party OSes, it might be wise to backup the UGOS SSD. Especially so since there doesn’t seem to be a UGreen UGOS download repository. In other words if you blow away your UGOS install you’re sh!te out of luck. So an instructional video on techniques to backup (image) the UGOS install would not go amiss????
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      57. Thank you SOOO much for this video. Made setting up Plex super easy. Will you be doing a similar video for Jellyfin as well? It would be amazing if you did. Your videos are super helpful for a noob like me. I really appreciate the work you put in.
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      58. How do you keep the container running constantly? Mine keeps shutting off every few hours. Been trying to find ways to keep the container running in Docker on the Ugreen and not finding much.
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      59. Is there any way you could help me with something? I literally just set up my DXP6800 Pro with 2 24tb WD Red drives, backed up my phone which literally took days and right before I went to bed and I checked it and see “Storage Pool Damaged” minutes after I was going through photos on it.

        “The storage pool is damaged due to hard disk loss, and data in the storage pool is most likely lost. Please check the hard disk connection status or locate the lost hard disk and reinstall it to the NAS, or use a hard disk in normal health status to avoid data loss.”

        What happened? Did I seriously just loose all my data? I spent the whole weekend putting stuff on it.

        Edit: It was running in Raid 1 and the lights on the front seem normal.
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      60. Shucks… keep getting “Error: Missing binding path : /config” I’ve gone through the video x5 times and keep getting the same error. Anyone else have this issue and able to remedy?
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      61. No matter what I try (and I’m not a n00b in the least), Plex just refuses to work on my Ugreen NAS (good thing I still have my “old” Synology to make do for now), it’s incredibly frustrating. The outcome is always the same: I get a “” every single time I try to log into the server to configure it. Fingers crossed that they’re actually working on an App Center version, instead of relying on Docker.
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      63. Great video! Did DXP4800 NAS support Sonoff Zigbee USB Stick? I need it for Home Assistant but wont buy ugreen nas before ill 100% sure.
        If it runs on Debian i think it will work properly.
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      64. Is the official Plex container much different to the linuxserver one? It seems hw transcoding is easier to achieve with the official one? Do you need privilege mode or not? Heard different opinions about that
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      67. SUPER HELPFUL! My only suggestion: if you are someone that got a Ugreen NAS that is using mechanical HDD’s, and you’ve upgraded it by adding an m.2 SSD, then I would highly suggest when you are setting up your storage pools (as shown around 05:30 in the video) that you have the “config” and “data” directories on your m.2 SSD, instead of on your mechanical HDDs. This will make your plex server feel more responsive.
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      69. Thanks for the video. I have a problem. I can’t access the Plex Setup Wizard. I just get forwarded to the Plex startpage. The manage link doesn’t work either. The container deactivates itself all the time. Any ideas? Sorry, it’s my first contact with docker.
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      71. Amazing video! For some reason I cant select the config folders in my custom folder structure, it will only use the one in the docker/linuxserver_plex/data etc. Any ideas?
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      72. Newb here. Great step by step guide! But, my Log is showing a bunch of exec /init: exec format error. Could anyone here help me out? Thanks everyone!
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      74. For anyone having problems getting hardware transcoding activated:
        I managed to enable hardware transcoding on my DXP4800 Plus with the standard Plex installation using the Docker app. Here’s what I did:

        1. Open your Plex container, shut it down, press the three dots, and select “Edit.”
        2. Go to the “Extended” settings and activate “Privileged Mode.”
        3. Restart your Plex container and open Plex in your web browser.
        4. In the transcoder settings, under “Hardware Transcoding Device,” you can now change the setting from “Auto” to “Alder Lake-UP3 GT1 [UHD Graphics].”
        5. Save the changes and restart the server.
        After these steps, hardware transcoding worked perfectly.
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      75. I cannot thank you enough for this video! This is my first NAS, and I’m new to Docker as well. This was really easy to follow along with, and I’m so happy to have this up and running now!
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      76. Great video! Hi everyone, I am a newbie to this type of thecnology, but I would lie to set up Plex on my NASync 480t Plus so that I can copy all my UHDVD movies on the NAS to easily access it from anywhere. Can someone point me in the right direction/video on how to actually set it up step by step – again newbie. Thank you in advance.
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      77. Does anyone know on the UGREEN NAS platforms, does Plex on Docker allow you to use an SSD as the location for the meta data (in case I’m using the wrong term, how Plex knows what show/ movie is)? Not the built in storage/SSD, but one added into the empty dedicated slot after. Second question for anyone who knows, is hardware transcode automatically enabled by default or is there a setting(s) to enable the feature on either the Plex app and/or Docker app?
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      79. I got it all set up but for some reason plex is taking forever to load my library or sometimes just failing. But when im able to play a movie it streams even 4k flawlessly. From some googling I’ve read that making sure the config folders and med data is stored on an SSD separate from the media stored on the HDD should help but I don’t know how to get that set up
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      83. In other posts, it seems hw transcoding is disabled with the plex docker install for 4800 plus model . Is that the case or this tutorial doesn’t apply to all models?
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      85. Short and sweet, works a treat! Good on you mate. Cheers! To be clear, I’ve come across a UGreen Plex Docker tutorial before but it had some hand waving in key areas that made it tedious.
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      86. Can you make a video explaining how to make a backup of the ugreen OS image ? Apparently a lot of people are erasing it and cant get it back since each OS is supposedly linked to hardware ID. Also thanks for the video it helps a lot!
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      87. Hi, good video as usual but I believe that apart of having plex pass and enabling transcoding on plex UI you need to passthrough the igpu to the container in order to have transcoding capabilities
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      88. Will you be doing a video on how to setup photo and video storage and sharing for multiple different users (ex family) on the UGreen NAS? I’m looking to create personal photo storage and shared photo storage
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      90. Just picked up terramaster f 424 pro from AliExpress made good saving even got topcashback delivered 2 days ????thanks for help video setting up
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      91. Thanks for this. As far as transcoding goes, is that what the /transcoding folder is for? I did this without the /data and /transcoding folders and it doesn’t work. What is the /data folder for and can I add them after the fact?
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      95. I will say that this video is a bit misleading but not intentionally. I have the 6800 Pro UGreen NAS and gpu transcoding can’t be enabled from the UGreen docket manager. I had to install portainer the add the device /dev/dri:/dev/dri. Spent hours trying to figure out how to get gpu transcoding to work….. This method only allows for cpu transcoding. Great video and still great content!

        A video id be happy to see is you going over all the issues you’ve had with the NAS so far……. My main issue is that it will just disconnect from the network and only a reboot allows it to rejoin. My guess is a network buffer issue causing the networking service to fail completely based on the dmesg output I’ve seen. Its such an annoying bug……
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      99. nice, love the channel my friend. Oh, im sure there is more testing etc that you are going to do, but photos.. from our phones to be backed up on the ugreen. It seems like a docker immich might be the way to go ? Open for anyones opinions.
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      104. Just got my ugreen nas setup and installed plex docker, pulled up the web interface running from the nas, I point it to folders on the nas containing my videos, it will not show any media, not sure what I am doing wrong here!
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      106. How did you get hardware transcoding to work with Plex via docker? I’m running the DXP-4800 Plus and I cannot for the life of me get HW transcoding to work. I have the Plex lifetime subscription and the toggles enabled in Plex. I just be missing something with the docker container config.
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      107. Would you consider making a step by step Docker Plex setup guide for the new Ugreen NASync systems, now that its actually shipping out to the backers of the Kickstarter?
        I know that its one of the most asked questions on the Facebook group, is how to get Plex running.

        Since there is no native Plex app coming in the near future on UGNAS, it leaves these backers with no other choice but to use Docker.

        I find the idea of making a docker compose file very intimidating and would much rather a pro like yourself do all the work, and I just copy what you did. (SORRY IF THAT SOUNDS HORRIBLE)

        I have a 2 Bay Synology NAS I have been using for Plex and will need to move my content from the Synology NAS to my new 8 Bay UGreen NAS, do you think this will be a seamless process, or is it basically starting from scratch?
        Especially since I am going from the Native Synology Plex app, to Docker.

        Thank you!
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      109. @nascompares Can you PLEASE do an in depth how to set up Plex with docker on UGREEN? A lot of people including me are getting the NAS’s now. I have never used docker. Would love a step by step plex setup on UGREEN. Thanks.
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      110. Just received my nas and started plex via docker on Volume 1 (ssd). Added media folder from Volume 2 (hdd). Plex shows the folder as empty. Anyone got any ideas?
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      111. Here’s a question: If one was to procure the 4-bay NAS, but only populate it at the start with two HDD’s, what level of effort will there be to install additional drives (storage) in the empty bays later on? Thanks!
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      114. The cpu usage is getting higher on playback due to audio transcode, as this is not done using HW. You won´t see an cpu usage increase by hw transcode.
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      117. Unfortunately, there’s no RTSP (yet). They replied to a comment in the campaign that it’s in their “need to do” list, which seems like it won’t be available anytime soon.
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      118. If the host had demonstrated the Plex client app then I believe transcoding would not have been required and smooth playback easily achieved (which would have ended the video much sooner). I tested, at the same time, 4 streams of the Japan at night 8K file and 3 streams of the 4K 400 Mbps file (on repeat) on 7 devices (mix of PC/Mac/iPad/iPhone) using the Plex client app and transcoding was never required even thought the NAS hosting the content for my Plex server has a measly Atom CPU. The key to doing this was the performance of the NAS storage (600 GB/s+) and the overall network bandwidth, not the processing power of the NAS.

        Older intel based PCs/Macs are a crap shoot when it comes to 8K content. I have an I5-8500 based system that can play 8K Plex content without transcoding via the Plex client app. My i7-8559U equipped laptop stutters when playing 8K content via the Plex client app. Current gen Intel, AMD, and Apple Silicon based systems have absolutely no need to transcode any content when using the Plex client app when it comes to local Plex content.

        TV specific client hardware can be problematic. I did have to upgrade my Apple TV 4K to the current gen as I was network/CPU constrained with my previous device. I did this to avoid transcoding 4K 100 Mbps content. The current gen Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi only) will play the 250 Mbps HEVC Jellyfish file without transcoding (anything more will stutter) but it will not play the Japan at night 8K HEVC file without transcoding. That is fine with me as my 4K content is currently maxing out at 100 Mbps so I have some headroom if 4K content bitrate increases. I want to avoid local transcoding when it comes to current high quality 4K content and for now that is easy to do.
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      119. Do a cost comparison between a client device that can handle all Plex supported codecs vs a NAS whose CPU is powerfull enough to transcode. It is a no brainer to buy a cheap client device vs an expensive CPU powerful NAS. My recommendation is that one should not run a Plex server on a NAS. Reuse an old gaming PC or build a cheap PC and run Plex server directly on the hardware under LInux or in a Linux VM under Proxmox and then access the content via the network. I don’t run my Plex server on my NAS. I don’t use transcoding for client devices on my local network. I do use transcoding when I am remote but my Threadripper based server runnning Plex server in a VM can easily handle transcoding. I don’t have to worry that my 6 year old NAS can’t handle transcoding. The NAS just happily delivers the content to the Plex server via my 10 gigabit network. Treat your NAS as a file server, nothing more. Leave the heavy lifting, if required, to seperate hardware. If, for cost reasons, you need to run Plex on your NAS then don’t worry about the CPU of the NAS if all you are doing is local playback. The simplest and cheapest thing to do is to use a client device that can handle content with no need for transcoding whatsoever.
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      121. How about a comparison between the zimaboard Nas & this one. They’re both new to the market, both trying to make a name for themselves & create a buzz, so I think it’ll be a good video. I’m curious about purchasing one of them as my first Nas. Primarily interested in speed, value, future expansion & mobile app remote access etc
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      126. An AV1 transcode test would be fantastic! Alder Lake has AV1 decode in hardware so normally it should be able to transcode to h264 and AV1 is surely going to become much popular in the future. Really important for future proofing your setup as many devices don’t support AV1 decode yet.
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      127. howdy… the NAS has a hdmi port to connect directly to a TV. can you test PLEX PLayer performance also, and how to control it directly from a TV? My Current plex server, a 2011 mac mini, sits direclty under my tv, and needs replacing… it works both as a Plex server to other devices, but also as plex player for my TV as it is a shady brand and hasn’t got a plex client.
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      128. 0:00: ⚙️ Overview of UGREEN NASync NAS performance and multimedia capabilities.
        4:37: ???? Hardware transcoding optimizes video file conversion on NAS devices, enhancing performance and quality for users.
        8:54: ⚙️ Testing system performance by playing 4K files and transcoding to 1060p resolution.
        13:33: ⚙️ System performance tested with multiple files, maintaining stable utilization levels.
        18:12: ⚙️ Comparison of playback performance on different systems with varying hardware capabilities.
        22:24: ⚙️ System performance analysis during multiple file playback and hardware transcoding.
        26:49: ⚙️ Converting high-density files from h.265 to h.264 to maintain quality and speed up playback.
        31:25: ⚙️ Evaluation of 8K file conversion performance using software transcoding in UGREEN NASync NAS PLEX TESTS.
        36:13: ⚙️ Plex performance on UGREEN NAS devices needs optimization for handling 8K multimedia.

        Timestamps by Tammy AI
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      131. Happy to see these results! I was more interested on the hardware than software since finding out that there is a way to install 3rd party OS on this UGreen NAS. My main use case will be as a media server. Even if the software won’t be that great at the beginning, as long as it somehow works like the docker app on this video… I’ll be fine by it. I know my way through ssh and terminal and I feel confident enough I can make it work for my intended use. Hopefully… ????

        I backed the 8-bay version btw during Super Early Bird pricing. I also have a lifetime Plex license. I’m not going to abuse this NAS as much as you did so I should be fine getting this. ????
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      132. Thanks Robbie! I think more RAM would definitely improve the CPU performance and SSDs as Cache would add more reliable throughput at higher resolutions. I’ve supported the 4800 Plus and plan to add both NVME and 32GB RAM hardware upon receipt… Keep Smiling! No Seagulls!
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      133. 4800 was never meant for 8K – on kickstarter it clearly says 48xx series is for 4K only – for 8K you need to get the 6800 series (6 bay version)
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      135. I wish you would have compared the results with other past Nas ones you have done. How does this stack up against the current Nas’s Plex performance wise?
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      136. Two things;
        1. Please show us how well and if tho photo backup works. Is it similar to Synology?
        2. Retest the 8k with at least 16gb of RAM.
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      137. Could you do a more in detail video about the power consumption of this NAS?

        Especially with them releasing further updates.
        It kind of felt very high. But then again, it could be getting better with updates on the software.
        I dont think the cpu is taking all that much power theirself.
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      141. Pretty sure h.265 (hevc) and h.264 are both licensed thru MPEG-LA even though open source implementations exist. They allow end users free use, but charge for professional use and inclusion in commercial products.
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      143. I’ve backed the 8 bay, but at the moment I’m trying to spec out a W680 build with Quick Sync, ECC, and IPMI, so I may end up canceling the pledge, as losing ECC and IPMI isn’t worth saving $500 or so to me, when the storage alone will cost me a ton.
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      144. If Mr Ugreen happens to return I’d like to know, as would tens of thousands of others, how long it might be before they fulfil those 9,200 NAS orders from the Kickstarter. Only then we will have even a starting idea how long it might be before they allow people from anywhere other than the US and Germany to consider if we can look at these. I’ll probably end up building my own or getting a Terra Master, but if we were talking another 2-3 months I would be interested. Pricing will also bean issue as being excluded from the Kickstarter will have left a foul taste. I was really impressed with the detail in this video, and with the results – the hardware I think we all agreed appeared very good, the software appears to be making some good progress.
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      149. Glad to see Ugreen updating their NAS’s UI. But I can’t wait for the NASCompares’ Ugreen vs Qnap vs Synology video. IMO I’d rather pay the extra $20-30 and get a near-spec-equivalent Qnap NAS. Qnap UI and app store are solid and worth the few extra bones. I love Ugreen cables, chargers, and battery banks but them entering the NAS market is just weird. The NAS market is going to be tough for Ugreen because there’s already a NAS for pretty much every budget. My biggest question, if Ugreen fails and abandons their NAS systems, how easy is it to install TrueNAS and replace their OS?
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      154. If they refuse to allow 3rd-party OSs on this hardware, that’s an absolute deal breaker. If I can’t install my own Unraid, TrueNAS, Ubuntu, Windows, etc. on it, it’s absolutely worthless to me.
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      157. Looks like each of the slowdowns was where you ran out of memory and perhaps used swap? Or am I missing something and there is a reason you are ignoring the 100% me,Roy utilization that matches the CPU “hangs” you called out?
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      159. You mentioned that you were testing it stock with 8GB DDR5 RAM and no NVME SSDs installed for cache. The system utilization during the multiple 4K transcoding at showed the RAM maxed out and the 8K transcoding obliterated the CPU, but it would have been more conclusive determining a true CPU bottleneck if more RAM and NVME SSDs were installed. A PC will hang when it runs out of RAM so the CPU can write parts of the memory back to storage. Will you be testing with 16GB or 32GB RAM in dual channel and M.2 NVME SSDs for cache?
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      160. Lets say my Avatar has built-in subtitles, will the plex client on my nVidia shield be able to access them if the 4k file is transcoded to 1080p? Will I have to export them before hand (.idx .srt…) to have them always available? The Ugreen 6 bay makes my legs weak at the knee. But only US and Germany in the Kickstarter… Bollocks to that!
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