Live hub with Synology NAS

Hey all-

First time on the forum. I have years of PC/networking experience, but I’m new to the Synology DS414j NAS I just received.

Prior to getting it, I used my WD TV LIve Hub with several USB-attached hard drives. The directory structure was similar to:

  • Mask of Zorro
       - VIDEO-TS (folder)
           - VIDEO_TS and .vob (files)

When I highlighted the “Mask of Zorrow” folder and hit Select, the movie started playing. If I had already started the movie, it would ask if I wanted to continue or restart the movie.

This is the behavior I’d like to duplicate now that I have the NAS. Is anyone familar with how to configure it?

  1. On the WD I have to select a content choice. Should I choose Media Server or Network Share?

  2. No matter which I choose, when I hit Select on a movie title, I see the VIDEO_TS folder, and then the VIDEO_TS file. If I hit Select on that file, the movie starts. But starting it that way doesn’t allow me to continue/restart the movie, and has other problems.

  3. In terms of indexing on the NAS; what should I choose? Will it affect the WD’s operation at all?

Thanks for the help-

dave

Sorry, i don’t own a Synology NAS or Stream … but here’s my 2 cents regarding DVD’s

1)  Rip your DVD’s to *.ISO … less hassle, easier to manage, less problems.  but a *catch* you have to use Network Shares (*iso isnt widely (or at all) supported for Media Shares … aka UPnP / DLNA)

  1. Resume points for Dvd playback create a *.BMK (or “Bookmark”) file next to your media  … i know it does it for Local USB Hard drives and the Internal HDD … unsure whether this *bmk gets created via Network Shares (i would’nt recommend using Media Shares at all)

finally if you decide you want to keep using VIDEO_TS folders … here’s a little renaming *trick* that works (contrary to what the user manual states) :wink:

Give it a try, … also press the “Play” button on a folder (not the “OK” button) it will then play all the folders contents in sequentual order.

http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-TV-Live-Streaming/DVD-folder-thumbnails/td-p/648697

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I didn´t know about workaround for DVD structured folders

here is kudo 

Thanks for that, Joey. I was aware of those suggestions.

I renamed the video_ts folder to the movie name. If I hit Play, it plays everything in the folder, from the beginning. Not always what I want. If I hit select, it moves me into the folder and I see all the files. If I hit Select on the first file, it does start to play, and if I’ve played it before, I am asked whether to resume or restart. From my PC I can see the .bmk file.

I guess I’m just trying to get the same experience from the nas like I did from usb-attached drives: when I hit Select while highlighting a movie folder, I don’t want to browse the files; I want the movie to start, and prompt me to continue if I’ve started it previously. Kinda silly, I guess, but that’s what I’d like to see. I don’t know why accessing the movie info over a network share has to be any different from accessing it via a usb-attached drive.

dave

no probs, sure i understand what you want, but unfortunately there does seem to be different behaviouer between USB and Network Shares.

But, saying that, if you were using *.iso files and no folders, then the behaviouer will be exactly the same with USB and Network Shares.

ie. Browse to Movie.iso hit “OK” movie plays (also with dvd menus if you have them) and when pressing “Stop” and then “OK” again to play it will prompt you with Resume or Restart.

I know it’s a hassle to convert to *.iso if you have many VIDEO_TS  movie folders, but i started converting mine half a dozen or more a day for a few weeks, and now i only have *.iso files.

I just used this simple program  " folder2iso"  easy, quick, no install required and free

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/Folder2Iso

I have a Synology DS414 and both a WDLive Streaming and a WD Live Hub (I don’t store much locally anymore on the Hub but use it to take on vacations/trips/etc and provide content) .  Both work extraordinarily well with the DS414.  I do rip my DVDs to *.iso (while preserving the vob structure within the iso container).  When viewing a movie I click on the title in the WD menu and it plays flawlessly without navigating through further file structure.  I connect via Network Shares and use Powerline modules to provide ethernet bandwidth from my DS414 to the two WD media units located in different areas of the house.  I do notice sometimes that it may take a moment for the Synology drives to spin up and begin providing content as I have the DS414 set to spin down when not in use.

Good luck with your home media setup.  I’m sure you’ll find the combination of Synology and WD to work very well.

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