Top-Rated Network Attached Storage Devices for Media Management and Playback

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Top 5 NAS Drives for Data Storage and Backup

Summary: here this post shares with you top 5 NAS drives for any type of data files storage and backup.

By Abby Poole ｜Last updated on May 8, 2021

A majority of people desire to figure out the best NAS hard drive to effortlessly access/store/play all files from anywhere in the world. These data may include videos, music, digital photos, office files and more. Beyond doubt, the backuping speed of NAS drive is faster than cloud service like DropBox, OneDrive, etc. And the most important thing is that users can add the whole media library to NAS without using up all the memory on the computer’s hard drive (1TB NAS drive can store up to 120 movies, 250,000 songs or 200,000 photos or other files). This is also why NAS hard drive becomes more and more popular nowadays. So, how to choose the best NAS hard drive? In this article, we list top 5 2017 best NAS hard drives as well as how to put more new released DVDs into NAS for streaming without limitations.

Tips of How to Choose the Best Drives for NAS:

Storage capacity. 1TB or 2TB is sufficient for backing up a couple of PCs or family’s phones; 6TB to 8TB is needed if you have a large digital video collection; you should buy a NAS with 10TB to 20TB for a small office or workgroup.
Ability to Add Storage Capacity. NAS devices that apply an internal SATA-enabled hard drive, will often have an empty bay for an additional hard drive.
The cost factor. According to statistics, basic NAS units with single 2TB hard drive start at around $150.
Disks or diskless NAS. A NAS with drives is easier to set up.
Support file encryption and offer lots of security controls to protect the NAS from intruders.
Connectivity. NAS drive connects to router via Gigabit Ethernet or Wi-Fi network.
Components. Commonly, a NAS device has a CPU, memoru and an operating system.

Top 5 NAS Drives for Media Streaming and Backup

1. QNAP TS-251

Price on Amazon: $249 (Free shipping)
Device Type: Expandable Home NAS
Operating System: Embedded Linux Wired Network
Speed: 10/100/1000
Maximum Raw Capacity: 60 TB
Rating:

best NAS drive

Remarkable features of QNAP best NAS storage device:

plays 1080p videos with surround sound from the NAS to an HDTV due to its HDMI port on the rear panel.
supports on-the-fly and offline HD video transcoding as well as DLNA and AirPlay streaming.
various apps within the interface to enhance your digital entertainment like XBMC and Plex Media Server.
the read and write speeds of the file operation is pretty fast.
solid RAID recovery and powerful virtualization capabilities.
watch various online contents such as Flickr, Picasa, Shoutcast, etc.

2. Asustor AS3202T

Price on Amazon: $272.45 (Free shipping)
Device Type: Fixed Home NAS
Operating System: Embedded Linux Wired Network
Speed: 10/100/1000
Maximum Internal Raw Capacity: 20 TB (10 TB HDD X 2, Capacity may vary by RAID types)
Rating:

best NAS hard drive

Remarkable features of Asustor best home NAS drive:

has two drive bays and was made for the person or family in need of a home base for years of accumulated files and downloads. >>> Best External Hard Drives
three-year warranty which is a year longer than many other best NAS drives.
can download lots of other apps from App Central, such as eMule, Plex and more.
faster write speed.
supports 4K HDMI video output.

3. Synology DiskStation DS216j

Price on Amazon: $169.99 (Free shipping)
Device Type: Fixed Home NAS
Operating System: PC; Mac; Android; Apple iOS Wired Network
Speed: 10/100/1000
Maximum Internal Raw Capacity: 20 TB (10 TB drive x 2) (Capacity may vary by RAID types)
Rating:

best hard drive for NAS

Remarkable features of Synology best NAS drive for home:

over 112.75 MB/s reading and 97.6 MB/s writing
quickly access files or the DiskStation Manager interface over the Web in a few seconds thanks to its dual-core Marvell 385 88F6820 processor.
a speedy and easy-to-administer NAS for the home user.
lots of optional extras like media services, a backup server, surveillance camera support, antivirus protection and more.
sync files across all your devices and multiple public cloud providers including Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive.

4. Western Digital My Cloud EX4100

Price on Amazon: $699.00 (Free shipping)
Device Type: Fixed Home NAS
Operating System: PC; Mac Wired Network
Speed: 10/100/1000
Maximum Internal Raw Capacity: up to 24TB
Rating:

best home NAS drive

Remarkable features of this best NAS drive for Mac /PC:

integrated 1.6 GHz Marvell ARMADA 388 dual-core processor and 2 GB DDR3 memory.
Twonky DLNA-certified media server and iTunes support
multiple backup options: local, network and integrated cloud backup
114 MB/s ultra-fast upload speed and 108 MB/s download speed for media streaming.
save, stream and access your files anywhere you have an internet connection via the My Cloud mobile app or MyCloud web access.
multiple RAID and backup options to protect media, photos and other important files.

5. QNAP TAS-168

Price on Amazon: $159.99 (Free shipping)
Device Type: Fixed Home NAS
Operating System: Windows, Mac, Linux & UNIX Wired Network
Speed: 10/100/1000 Maximum Internal Raw
Capacity: 1.5TB, 8TB, 16TB, 24TB
Rating:

best drive for NAS

Remarkable features of this best NAS drive:

ARM Dual Core 1.1GHz, 2GB RAM, 1GbE LAN, USB 3.0 and HDMI (for Android display).
synchronize files between computers, laptops and mobile devices.
playback media file via HDMI with HD videos and photos.
preconfigured for BitTorrent downloads.
allows remote access via apps and Web.

Frankly, in addition to the aforementioned best NAS hard drives, there are many other functional NAS storage devices which are worthy of buying according to users’ different requirements. Undoubtedly, the most common purpose for people to purchase NAS drive is that users can freely stream/access NAS media files anywhere as long as there is an internet connection. That is to say, you can also watch any new DVD movies on TV, iPad, iPhone and other devices after ripping DVD to NAS drive.

How to Copy/Rip DVD to NAS Hard Drive for Free Storing, Streaming and Backup

To rip DVD to NAS drive, you can take advantage of the professional DVD ripper named MacX DVD Ripper Pro which can effortlessly tackle any DVD to NAS hard drive problem. To be specific, it can rip/backup any homemade & commercial DVDs (new DVD, 99-title DVD, damaged & unplayable DVD) to NAS, hard drive, USB, SD card, media server, etc for storing or directly digitize DVD to MP4, MPEG 2, MOV, WMV, AVI, and many more for playback on DLNA/UPnP enabled devices like iPhone, iPad, Android, Xbox, PS4, computer and TV. World’s No.1 fast speed and original quality reserved. Now follow the blow guide to quickly rip DVD to the former best NAS drives.

Download for Mac Download for PC

Download this DVD ripper on your Mac (macOS Big Sur included); please download Windows version (Win 10/8/7 supported) if needed.

Step 1: Fire up DVD ripper for Mac/PC and insert DVD. Then click “DVD Disc” icon to load DVD content.

Step 2: Select the output video format. Feel free to choose MP4, AVI, MOV, iPhone, iPad, iPod, TV, etc as the output format. Certainly, you can also 1:1 backup DVD to ISO image, MKV or MPEG2 without any loss for storing on NAS.

Rip DVD to NAS Drive

Step 3: Specify an output folder to save the copied DVD and click “RUN” button to start ripping DVD to best NAS.

The software developer calls for copying or ripping DVD to hard drive on Mac and Windows under the concept of Fair Use and does not encourage any illegal reproduction or distribution of copyrighted content. Please abide by the local DVD copyright law before doing it.

SwifDoo PDF Perpetual (1 PC) Free upgrade. No monthly fees ever.

Best DVD Ripper for Mac/Win to Fast Rip DVD to NAS Drive

MacX DVD Ripper Pro allows you to rip any DVD to MKV, MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV, WMV and more for storing on NAS drive or playback on various media players or mobile devices with ease. No.1 fast speed and original quality reserved.

Download for Mac Download for PC

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Digiarty Software, Inc. (MacXDVD) is a leader in delivering stable multimedia software applications for worldwide users since its establishment in 2006.

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Top-Rated Network Attached Storage Devices for Media Management and Playback