Play videos directly from NAS
#1
Hello,
It's possible my question here is laughably obvious and trivial, but after days of searching I couldn't find a clear answer.

I'm thinking about buying a QNNAP NAS with HDMI input. I had my eyes on the QNAP TS-253B.

My goal is for the QNAP to play videos directly from the internal drives and present them on my TV screen. I'm not looking to access my files via a shared network nor via a cloud. The functionality I'm looking for is closer to playing a video from a flash USB stick or an external HDD connected directly to the TV.

Will Kodi be able to read my files directly from the internal drive without the need for network configuration?

Thanks in advance,
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#2
(2021-03-26, 18:17)sok23 Wrote: Will Kodi be able to read my files directly from the internal drive without the need for network configuration?

Running Kodi directly from a NAS requires a specific build of Kodi which Team Kodi does not offer or support. This has to be done by the QNap community. The QNAP TS-253B is about 4 years old now, support by QNAP will be not be forever. As a comparison, Synology gives its NAS devices approximately 5 years support, and sometimes after that in case of high-security fixes.

It's possible that the QNAP NAS and/or version of Kodi does not support all video features such as HDR or High bitrate audio, in case you fancy that in the near future. We have no QNAP NAS with HDMI device ourselves to test or find that stuff out.

A NAS drive with 2 or more drives will always be a noise factor. Something I personally don't want in my living room near the TV. A NAS should do what it's there for: serve files to whatever other computer client in the local network. Kodi can then run on an independent device such as a Raspberry Pi. Or, use 15+ meter long HDMI cable to another room where the NAS is.

Kodi can set up sources local and network. So I assume it should also see the local partition(s) and folders on the NAS itself.
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#3
And I just found this. Apparently QNAP NAS devices are "popular": https://www.qnap.com/en/security-news/20...ce-attacks
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#4
I see... So perhaps it really isn't the way to go for me.
Thank you for your help.
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#5
It think the best options are:

1. Get a cheap NAS (ARM would do) that's newer that will be supported longer. Combine this with a good media player that can direct play anything.
OR
2. If you really don't need/want NAS functionalities, you could buy an HDD enclosure and connect it directly to a media player.

These options would probably turn out to be cheaper than the TS-253B and offer a better overall experience.
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#6
(2021-03-26, 18:17)sok23 Wrote: ....
what about https://www.hardkernel.com/shop/odroid-hc4/ ?

BHH
HDConvertToX, AutoMKV, AutoMen author
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Play videos directly from NAS0