Synology DS214play 2-bay NAS Review

Storage/NAS by stefan @ 2014-03-10

DS214play is one of the latest 2-bay NASes from Synology which has at its core the Intel Evansport CE5535 processor coupled with 1GB of DDR3 RAM; this product is capable of doing on-the-fly Full HD transcoding to DLNA-enabled devices and runs the latest DSM software version.

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Product Features, Specifications

Product Features:

 

Ultimate Entertainment Center

 

Synology DS214play is a ready media server specifically designed for users to enjoy maximized fun on their NAS device. DS214play comes with dual core CPU and 1GB RAM, aligning it with top-class consumer NAS today, delivering an average 111MB/sec reading and 101MB/sec writing speed under RAID 1 configuration in a Windows® environment. The built-in floating-point unit not only enhances the overall capability of the main CPU but shows particular advantage in speeding up thumbnail processing, making photo viewing on DS214play a refreshingly new experience. Powered by hardware accelerated transcoding engine, DS214play features 1080p Full HD video transcoding on the fly. Now users can enjoy on-demand high-quality video transcoding offered exclusively by DS214play. Running on Synology’s award-winning DSM operating system, DS214play shares the rich reservoir of applications available in DSM Package Center.

 

Personal Multimedia Bank

 

With DS214play you can easily manage your multimedia contents and share them across Windows, Mac®, and Linux® platforms. Photo Station’s intuitive design allows you to effortlessly organize photos into customized categories, smart albums and blog posts, and link them to social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Plurk and Picasa within a few clicks. Audio Station comes with built-in lyrics plugin, Internet radio, and support for DLNA, AirPlay®, and Bluetooth speakers for quality playback. With Video Station, you can watch movies and TV shows online or record your favorite programs with a DVB-T/DVB-S stick.

 

Versatile Storage Server

 

DS214play also comes with comprehensive external storage integration, providing two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and one eSATA interfaces in the back, one SD card and one USB 2.0 interface in the front panel, along with the Copy button that enables one-click data replication from your SD/USB device to DS214play. Designed with both safety and convenience in mind, DS214play contains the brand new tool-less hard drive trays, allowing users to fixate 3.5” hard drives without screws and drivers. Meanwhile, DS214play supports hot-swappable hard drive trays for instant and risk-free hard disk replacement.

 

Anywhere/Anytime Availability

 

Synology provides mobile applications that allow you to enjoy the full variety of your multimedia library even when on the go, allowing you to reach for your private albums, music and video collection at home in DS214play. Available on iOS, Android™ and Windows Phone platforms, DS photo+, DS audio, and DS video mobilize your Photo Station, Audio Station and Video Station, placing terabytes of content at your fingertips. What’s more, DS download makes it possible for you to manage and monitor your download tasks remotely while you can access DS214play content with DS file whenever required.

 

DLNA Ready Media Server

 

As a ready DLNA DMS (Digital Media Server), DS214play serves also as a ready media server with the capability to host digital multimedia contents for remote playback. Once connected to a wireless router, DS214play is set to stream music, photos and videos to DLNA-compliant devices without any pre-configuration, thus enabling users to enjoy their collection on larger screens or with quality speakers. Synology even makes it possible for users to browse and select DiskStation contents using DS audio to designate a DLNA player within the same local network to play it.

 

Easy Setup and Management

 

Combined with a quick start widget, users can simultaneously tour the DSM operating system and set it up to use right away. For users unfamiliar with complicated router configurations or those who simply want to save time, the Synology EZ-Internet Wizard simplifies the process of setting up access to the Synology DS214play from the Internet. EZ-Internet Wizard walks you through all of network settings including firewall, port-forwarding, PPPoE setup and DDNS registration. The multi-tasking web UI on DSM allows users to run multiple applications simultaneously on one tab browser and switch between them instantly. Synology Hybrid RAID allows you to reach maximum use of your hard drive while keeping your storage safe with data redundancy.

 

Running on Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

 

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) is a web-based OS that provides private cloud service. It is designed to make your everyday living easier.

 

The built-in Package Center allows you to download and install the packages designed specifically for your unique needs. All will happen with just a few clicks.

 

The simple interface allows you to obtain and configure storage capacity with minimal friction. It provides you with complete control of your personal cloud and lets you access it anywhere. Synology DSM will help you maximize productivity and get more out of your digital assets with minimal fuss.

 

Energy Efficient with Cool and Quiet Design

 

Synology DS214play is designed with energy efficiency in mind. Not only does it provide a larger fan and the smart airflow to keep the system running cool 24/7, its noise dampening design makes it really quiet compared to PC counterparts. The hard drive hibernation can further reduce power consumption and operation cost.

 

All Synology products are produced with RoHS compliant parts and packed with recyclable packing materials. Synology acknowledges the responsibility as a global citizen to continually work to reduce the environmental impact of every product produced.

 

Product Specifications:

 

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Comment from jmke @ 2014/03/10
Quote:
Since the NAS is mainly aimed at home use, we would have liked Synology to include a slightly modified design chassis in order to include a HDMI port in the back but also an IR sensor in the front (remote oriented) for being able to operate XBMC straight on our Full-HD television.
can't agree more with your assessment! this little device can easily be placed near your TV and be your one device, instead of having to rely on an external media player; I think QNAP does do HDMI and XBMC combo.

on a Synology related note, DSM 5.0 was released today!

live demo http://www.synology.com/en-global/products/dsm_livedemo

 

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