NAS for multiple HD media streaming

[Brayzen]

Hey guys, firstly this is an awesome little resource you have here and I am so very glad to have stumbled across you.

I think I have information overload so pretty please bear with me I am looking forward to some good advice.

I am looking to setup a new home network running Gigabit ethernet with a view to running HD movie streams to a maximum of 5 sources in the home. I currently have an old dual core pc running 3x 2tb HDDs full of Blu-ray iso and mkv files that are sent to a HTPC and a seagate media player.

I am looking to take this to the next level as far as making the media available to all my t.v's etc and feel that a NAS as a purpose built device would be the most efficient way to go.

There seems to be no shortage of information on the net but most deals with simple "media stream feature" comments and not specifically about multiple sources at once. I did a quick search of this forum and read the FAQ on the main site and still feel confused so I am hoping someone will be able to shine a little light on my question.

Many thanks in advance, this site rocks

 

[thiggins]

A 1080p stream doesn't stress current NASes that much. Even if each stream peaks at 40 Mbps, that's only 5 MB/s. Check the charts and you'll see plenty of NASes can handle 25 MB/s reads.

How many streams does your current setup handle?

 

[Brayzen]

Thanks Thiggins,

I was confused with the whole MB/s Mbps ratio so I appreciate you clearing that up for me.

My current system only streams to 2 devices and does the job fine, it is a pc though and I am looking to add more streaming devices and more storage so thats why I was thinking of a dedicated NAS device to take the load off the pc and be more energy efficient.

Now it is just the usual brand/features/price decision to make /sigh isn't that always the hardest one to make?

Having said that as a blu-ray backup (i like full disc) is 40-50 gig I would be looking to transfer that to the NAS as quickly as possible from my pc over gigabit.

 

[m1mi.dan0s]

Ok, so in my case I need a NAS that can handle at least 10 MB/s reads, since I only have two TV's, but in case of expansion in the future I'd better keep at 20 MB/s.

Any things I need to keep in mind if I want to be running SabNZBd, uTorrent and Sickbeard on my NAS? I've read somewhere that a big amount of RAM is necessary for this. So what's the minimum I should look for?

And what kind of processor do I need if I want to max out my 20 mbps internet connection for downloads with SabNZBd?

I really hope you guys can help me out with this. Thanks a lot!

 

[bmf614]

A 1080p stream doesn't stress current NASes that much. Even if each stream peaks at 40 Mbps, that's only 5 MB/s. Check the charts and you'll see plenty of NASes can handle 25 MB/s reads.

How many streams does your current setup handle?

Your benchmark chart can be a bit misleading at least (in my experience) I can't get anywhere near 17.3MB/sec out of a Seagate BlackArmor 220 (2TB RAID-1).. I can't get more than 7MB/sec. So maybe shoot high for what your expected performance is.

 

[bmf614]

Your benchmark chart can be a bit misleading at least (in my experience) I can't get anywhere near 17.3MB/sec out of a Seagate BlackArmor 220 (2TB RAID-1).. I can't get more than 7MB/sec. So maybe shoot high for what your expected performance is.

I actually figured out why my Black Armor 220 is so god awful slow, but it isn't likely possible for me to fix it. I posted the results in another thread.

 

[stevech]

Ok, so in my case I need a NAS that can handle at least 10 MB/s reads, since I only have two TV's, but in case of expansion in the future I'd better keep at 20 MB/s.

Any things I need to keep in mind if I want to be running SabNZBd, uTorrent and Sickbeard on my NAS? I've read somewhere that a big amount of RAM is necessary for this. So what's the minimum I should look for?

And what kind of processor do I need if I want to max out my 20 mbps internet connection for downloads with SabNZBd?

I really hope you guys can help me out with this. Thanks a lot!

HD per TV wouldn't be 10MB/s. More like 10 Mbps.