A versatile NAS for large storage needs
Synology’s network attached storage (NAS) devices are generally more expensive than the competition, but we’ve been impressed with their previous models - they’re easy to use and come with a wide range of useful features. The DS415play is particularly pricey (at just under £400 without hard drives), but it can accommodate up to four drives and its new features really set it apart.
Fitting your hard drives is very straightforward. The four drive trays are easily accessed by removing the front panel. You don’t need any tools for this unless you’re inserting laptop hard drives or SSDs, which are physically smaller than desktop hard drives. We installed four 3TB Western Digital Red drives in a matter of minutes. With two or more drives installed, you have the option of using RAID if you want. We used RAID 5, which means that should one drive stop working, all your data is still safely stored on the other.
The DS415play is one of the few NAS devices we’ve seen that can automatically convert video files. Strangely, while this is one of the features that sets it apart from cheaper Synology NAS devices, the app that controls this feature is not installed by default. You have to use the DS415play’s web-configuration interface to download the app, install it and then configure it. Once set up, the DS415play will automatically convert incompatible video files to formats that your networked computer, smart TV or other device can play. Impressively, all of this happens within seconds of starting the video on your device, and it handles all but the most obscure video file formats.
We used this feature to watch 1080p MKV videos on an old Samsung smart TV. We didn’t experience any of the loss in image quality or out-of-sync audio problems that often plague converted videos. However, because the DS415play converts video files as you watch them, you can’t jump to a later scene in the video if it hasn’t been converted yet. Another limitation is that it can’t convert more than one video at a time, so two or more people can’t watch different videos on different devices at the same time. When we attempted to do this it caused image-quality and audio problems, making the videos nigh on unwatchable.
As with previous Synology NAS devices, the DS415play lets you share files, USB printers and drives, with any computer on your network. The web-configuration interface is straightforward and feels familiar because it resembles a Windows Desktop. There are plenty of other features thrown in, including the ability to access your files remotely from any internet-connected computer and control compatible security cameras and store recorded footage, although using more than one camera will cost extra. If you’re still hungry for more, you can get hold of additional features from Synology or third parties using apps. You could run your own blog or an iTunes-compatible media server, for example.
All of this would be for naught if file-transfer performance was slow, but the DS415play excelled at copying large files, with a superb average speed of 97MB/s. Small-files performance wasn’t quite as impressive, but it was still good for a NAS at this price, managing 15MB/s on average.
The Synology DS415play is a great, albeit expensive, NAS. If you don’t need the ability to use up to four hard drives and don’t need the video-conversion feature, then one of Synology’s two-drive models, such as the DS213j is a better bet.
It's expensive, but this NAS is a good choice if you have large storage needs or a huge video library.
SPECIFICATIONS
Accepts 4x SATA3 hard drives or SSDs • 1x Gigabit Ethernet port • 3x USB 2.0 ports • 2x USB 3.0 ports • UPnP media, iTunes, Print, USB disk. Web and FTP servers • 165x203x233mm (HxWxD) • One-year warranty