I'm getting more interested in keeping my own digital media at home, including movies I've purchased, TV shows, and game clips or VODs that I'd like to preserve. I want to connect the system to my home theater so my wife and I can watch everything locally, without making the media available remotely or sharing it over the internet.
Would a small PC with additional internal or external storage be the simplest and most affordable option, or would a dedicated NAS be more suitable? I've been looking at Synology DiskStation units, but I'm not sure whether they include RAM and storage drives or are sold as empty enclosures. I'm essentially looking for a DVD-player-like setup with several terabytes of storage, where I can download media to the device and play it directly on a TV or monitor. Recommendations for hardware and software would be appreciated.
5 Answers
Building a NAS from spare parts is also perfectly viable. Even fairly old hardware can serve files and run Jellyfin, especially when the playback device handles the video decoding. Free software such as TrueNAS or OpenMediaVault can manage the storage, but it takes more setup than an appliance like Synology. A used PC with room for multiple drives could give you much more storage per dollar.
What you’re looking for is generally called a NAS, or network-attached storage. Most Synology and similar units are sold without hard drives, so you have to buy the storage separately. Some include built-in RAM, but the amount depends on the model and it usually isn’t upgradeable very far.
You don’t need a rack server for this. Rackmount cases are usually expensive, noisy, and designed for larger installations. A small desktop case or repurposed computer can run storage software such as TrueNAS or OpenMediaVault, and older hardware is often powerful enough for local media playback. You can start with one or two drives and expand later, while keeping separate backups for anything important.
A practical approach would be to start with a mini PC and attach storage over USB, then add a dedicated NAS or direct-attached storage only if your collection grows. If you’re only playing files locally, the mini PC does not need to be especially powerful. However, if you want lossless 4K audio and video formats, make sure your TV or playback device supports them; a dedicated media player may be more reliable than relying on the television’s built-in apps.
A cheap used PC or mini PC plus a large external or internal hard drive will usually cost less than buying a Synology enclosure and drives. The tradeoff is that you’ll need to configure the operating system and media software yourself. For a simple setup, Jellyfin can organize your collection and provide a TV-friendly interface. If your television already supports a Jellyfin app, you may not need another playback device.
That makes sense, although the extra cost of buying several hard drives is what worries me most.