Plex Asustor NAS Guide 2018

What is the Best Asustor NAS for a Plex Media Server?

Plex has fast become the most popular media server software for home users in 2018. With a slick user interface, smart organization, relevant media images and descriptions sourced from many online sources applied automatically and clever show recommendations and watched records, it is easy to see why Plex challenges many of the online streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Instant and Hulu. Another attractive feature of Plex is that the software is available free (or a more feature-rich paid version), whereas online streaming sources have monthly subscriptions, do not let you play your own content and change/rotate available media content on a monthly basis. With Plex, you play the media that you own and it is organized in an attractive and easy way. However in order to take advantage of Plex, you need a device for your media and the Plex media server to live, and this is where the money part comes. The best means with which to host a plex media server is a Network Attached Storage device (or NAS server). One of the biggest NAS server providers in the world right now is Asustor and they have a large range of NAS devices that support Plex in many, many ways (transcoding, smooth running, 4K, etc). However which Asustor NAS should you buy for your Plex media server, what is transcoding on an Asustor Plex media server like and what is the best Asustor NAS for a Plex Media Server (PMS)?

What is Software Transcoding on a Plex Media Server?

When media lives on your Asustor NAS, often the device a that you are playing back your plex media (Smart TV, iPhone, Laptop, iPod) onto cannot support the media file type, the resolution or audio codec. In this case, the Plex Media Server on your Asustor NAS will try to change the file to a more suitable version, on the fly, to ensure you can enjoy your media in the best way. This is known as transcoding and though the Plex application is actioning this with the software, the actual work is being done by the Asustor NAS CPU. Software transcoding takes a heavy toll on the CPU and you will need a relatively powerful processor in order to support this feature. Typically the CPU will need to be:

• In Intel or AMD Based Based CPU that is 64bit (x86) in Architecture
• Higher than 1.6Ghz in Frequency
• More than 2 Cores

It is important to highlight that transcoding for Plex on a Asustor NAS only really needs more power in the case of converting/changing video files. Audio and Image files will not require much support from the NAS.

Choosing the Right Asustor NAS for a Plex Media Server

When it comes to choosing the right Asustor NAS for your Plex Media Server, below I have broken down the entire currently available NAS you can buy. I have broken them down into the following areas:

Model ID – This is the Name of the Asustor NAS Device

CPU – This is the central processor of the Asustor NAS server and this will be what decides the performance of your Plex Media Server

SD 480p / 576p –Most likely the lowest point at which you will need transcoding of a video media file, 480p was used for many early Plasma televisions, whereas 576p is considered Standard Definition in many countries worldwide

HD 720p – Otherwise known as ‘HD Ready’ or ‘Standard HD’, it is generally considered the lowest starting point for watching HD media and starts at 1280×720

HD 1080p – Widely regarded at ‘Full-HD’, it arrives at 1920×1080. Most media listed at high definition in 2018 will be 1080P

4K SDR 2160p – 4K SDR is the entry point into 4K Media. An SDR 2160p supported TV has around 4,000 lines of resolution (the lines across the screen that form the rows of pixels) but is not capable of completely showing the depth and richness of colours spectrum and contrast of 4K HDR. It is by no means a compromise and still an excellent picture, but rather this is due to the physical differences in the construction of the screen and not just how the images are processed, just like the differences between and SD and HDTV.

4K UHD HDR 2160p – The current top end of 4K Media file formats in popular commercial media. A 4K HDR TV has the same 4000 lines of resolution as those that support 4K SDR 2160p, but is physically capable of rendering an image with increased contrast and richer colours\separation thanks to the physical build superiority.

Be sure to check the kind of media you own (or plan on streaming from your Asustor NAS), as well as the devices you will be playing back on for a better idea of what kind of plex media transcoding support you will need from your NAS server from Asustor. Be sure to check the supported file types (most common modern files types you find for 1080p and 4K are .MKV .MP4 .MOV and .AVI).Below is the entire current Asustor NASrange and how well they perform in the Plex Media Server Application with a single Stream.

1st Place  ASUSTOR AS-7004T	2nd Place ASUSTOR AS5102T	3rd Place ASUSTOR AS3204T

 

Asustor NAS Server			Software Transcoding Resolution
Manufacturer	Model ID	CPU	SD 480p / 576p	HD 720p	HD 1080p	4K SDR 2160p	4K UHD HDR 2160p
Asustor	AS-202T	x86 (Atom CE5335) 1.2GHz	Some	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-202TE	x86 (Atom CE5335) 1.2GHz	Some	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-204T	x86 (Atom CE5335) 1.2GHz	Some	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-204TE	x86 (Atom CE5335) 1.2GHz	Some	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-302T	X86 (Atom CE5335) 1.6 GHz	Yes	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-304T	X86 (Atom CE5335) 1.6 GHz	Yes	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-602T	x64 (Atom D2700) 2.13GHz	Yes	Some	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-604T	x64 (Atom D2700) 2.13GHz	Yes	Some	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-606T	x64 (Atom D2700) 2.13GHz	Yes	Some	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-608T	x64 (Atom D2700) 2.13GHz	Yes	Some	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-1002T	ARMv7 (Armada 385) 1Ghz	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-1004T	ARMv7 (Armada 385) 1Ghz	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-3102T	x64 (Celeron N3050) 1.6GHz	Yes	Some	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-3104T	x64 (Celeron N3050) 1.6GHz	Yes	Some	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-3202T	x64 (Celeron N3150) 1.6GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-3204T	x64 (Celeron N3150) 1.6GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-5002T	x64 (Celeron J1800) 2.41GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-5004T	x64 (Celeron J1800) 2.41GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-5008T	x64 (Celeron J1800) 2.41GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-5010T	x64 (Celeron J1800) 2.41GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-5102T	x64 (Celeron J1900) 2.0GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-5104T	x64 (Celeron J1900) 2.0GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-5108T	x64 (Celeron J1900) 2.0GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-5110T	x64 (Celeron J1900) 2.0GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-6102T	x64 (Celeron N3050) 1.6GHz	Yes	Some	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-6104T	x64 (Celeron N3050) 1.6GHz	Yes	Some	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-62010T	x64 (Celeron N3150) 1.6GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-6202T	x64 (Celeron N3150) 1.6GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-6204T	x64 (Celeron N3150) 1.6GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-6208T	x64 (Celeron N3150) 1.6GHz	Yes	Yes	Some	No	No
Asustor	AS-7004T	x64 (Core i3-4330) 3.5 Ghz	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7008T	x64 (Core i3-4330) 3.5 Ghz	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7009RD	x64 (Core i3-4330) 3.5 Ghz	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7010T	x64 (Core i3-4330) 3.5 Ghz	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7012RD	x64 (Core i3-4330) 3.5 Ghz	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No

What is Accelerated Transcoding with Plex on my NAS?

Some Asustor NAS arrive with a CPU that has improved rendering or graphical embedding enabled. This means that is Plex can utilize this hardware for transcoding, it will require much, much less of the CPU processing power to transcode a video file. In order to take advantage of Plex hardware transcoding on your Asustor NAS, you will need to first check which NAS supports the transcoding to the extent you need by checking below. Next, you will need to upgrade your Plex Membership from the free version to the paid ‘Plex Pass’ subscription, as the option of Accelerated Transcoding with Asustor NAS hardware is not included in the plex free subscription.

Below are all the current available Asustor NAS and to what extent they support Hardware transcoding with a Plex Pass:

NAS Device		Hardware – Accelerated Transcoding
		(Plex Pass required)
Manufacturer	Model	SD 480p / 576p	HD 720p	HD 1080p	4K SDR 2160p	4K UHD HDR 2160p
Asustor	AS-202T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-202TE	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-204T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-204TE	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-302T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-304T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-602T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-604T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-606T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-608T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-1002T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-1004T	No	No	No	No	No
Asustor	AS-3102T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-3104T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-3202T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-3204T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-5002T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-5004T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-5008T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-5010T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-5102T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-5104T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-5108T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-5110T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-6102T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-6104T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-62010T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-6202T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-6204T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-6208T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7004T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7008T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7009RD	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7010T	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Asustor	AS-7012RD	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No

How to Enable Hardware Acceleration with Plex Media Server on a Asustor NAS

To use Hardware Transcoding on your Asustor NAS in a Plex Media Server, you need to enable it using the Plex Web access (head over to your Plex User interface on your browser.

1. Open the Plex Web app.
2. Navigate to Settings > Server > Transcoder to access the server settings.
3. Turn on Show Advanced in the upper-right corner to expose advanced settings.
4. Turn on Use hardware acceleration when available.
   
5. Click Save Changes at the bottom.

The changes should take place straight away and there is no need to reboot your Asustor NAS. Be sure to have updated to the latest version of the Plex Media Server application on your NAS and that Hardware Transcoding is listed as supported in the list above.

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