What are your playback setups?

[planet1]

Feel free to post your preferred playback solutions here .

[morbius]

Guys I really need your help. I'm trying to decide between going for the:

#1. Oppo 203 so that I can bypass the non-Atmos from my LG OLED C6 have the gigabit ethernet connectivity to my DS 418 NAS , can the 203 transcode the large 4K HDR MKV (25-98GB) with its own media server software?

The Oppo 203 will play 4K MKVs just as it does Blu-ray MKVs. Not sure what you mean by transcode, provided your network is able to supply data at a steady 10MB/s or so, you'll have no problems. With direct streaming, there is no need for a high-powered NAS if the client (eg Oppo, Kodi box) is taking care of things downstream.

#2. Upgrading to the DS 418 play version with Intel CPU that is supposed to be able to handle 4K MKV is over their network better using something like Plex which I currently don't use?

Beware that Synology like to hype video transcoding capability but they are very coy about almost non-existent support for most of the mainstream audio codecs (DTS-HD, TrueHD etc). Also in my experience Synology's Video Station package has very poor media scraping performance when building a library compared to Kodi. I myself use a mix of Vero 4K and Raspberry Pi boxes running Kodi, all stream over a wired network from the Synology server. CPU load on the server is minimal.

The ironic thing is at the moment the LG TV has no issues playing back content in MKV HDR 4K 7.1 DTS X, some just missing the Atmos /True HD due to TVs limitations.

Suggest you consider a cheap box like the Vero 4K which can direct stream from a low-spec NAS and support passthrough of all standard HD audio codecs, it will off load all processing from the NAS and support transcoding audio to PCM if you need it. Also support on the forum for its OSMC OS is outstanding.

[Optical10]

Guys I really need your help. I'm trying to decide between going for the:

#1. Oppo 203 so that I can bypass the non-Atmos from my LG OLED C6 have the gigabit ethernet connectivity to my DS 418 NAS , can the 203 transcode the large 4K HDR MKV (25-98GB) with its own media server software?

The Oppo 203 will play 4K MKVs just as it does Blu-ray MKVs. Not sure what you mean by transcode, provided your network is able to supply data at a steady 10MB/s or so, you'll have no problems. With direct streaming, there is no need for a high-powered NAS if the client (eg Oppo, Kodi box) is taking care of things downstream.

#2. Upgrading to the DS 418 play version with Intel CPU that is supposed to be able to handle 4K MKV is over their network better using something like Plex which I currently don't use?

Beware that Synology like to hype video transcoding capability but they are very coy about almost non-existent support for most of the mainstream audio codecs (DTS-HD, TrueHD etc). Also in my experience Synology's Video Station package has very poor media scraping performance when building a library compared to Kodi. I myself use a mix of Vero 4K and Raspberry Pi boxes running Kodi, all stream over a wired network from the Synology server. CPU load on the server is minimal.

The ironic thing is at the moment the LG TV has no issues playing back content in MKV HDR 4K 7.1 DTS X, some just missing the Atmos /True HD due to TVs limitations.

Suggest you consider a cheap box like the Vero 4K which can direct stream from a low-spec NAS and support passthrough of all standard HD audio codecs, it will off load all processing from the NAS and support transcoding audio to PCM if you need it. Also support on the forum for its OSMC OS is outstanding.

Many thanks Morbius

#1. Looks like I need to try the 203 as the DS418 runs through a bonded gigabit connection so the data rate will be more than enough. Just needed confirmation on the solid 4K MKV Network streaming playback which you've now provided.

#2. Yes synology overhyped my purchase NAS against the Intel play version and it wasn't until I went onto the Plex database spreadsheet here I got the answer I need. Anyway with my current gaming PC /Plex plus new 203 when I finally buy it, I think I'm covered NAS library streaming knowing my network data bandwidth and direct stream isn't an issue.

For others who were thinking like me of changing the DS418 Arm v8 CPU for the DS418 play Intel CPU version for the benefit of synology transcoding versus passthrough direct stream hold fire as it looks like Plex Have reversed nonsupport and have seen the benefits of supporting Arm v8 CPUs like they supported the previous generation and are now doing alpha testing as they and I quote quote "we’re very impressed with these processors and think you will be too."

[morbius]

#1. Looks like I need to try the 203 as the DS418 runs through a bonded gigabit connection so the data rate will be more than enough. Just needed confirmation on the solid 4K MKV Network streaming playback which you've now provided.

Before you buy the expensive 203, some further thoughts:

• Many releases have forced subtitles, either embedded in the main subtitle track or in a separate dedicated track. With careful use of makemkv, the mkv file can have one or more subtitle tracks and if one is required to be forced, a default flag can be set. Kodi can be configured to pick this up and provide a seamless playback experience with respect to forced subtitles, where the user never has to remember to turn on subtitles if they are required, yet at the same time the subtitles are off when otherwise not required even though there is a full track available in the file. It's just like playing the disc. Now, although my brother's 203 plays mkv files, we've not been able to find a subtitle option configuration in the Oppo's menu that enables completely automatic subtitle selection from mkv files in the way that Kodi can. It's an all on or all off situation, which is not ideal (if there are 203 owners on here who do know how to make it completely automatic, would be grateful if you could post instructions)

• So the way forward may depend on how much you value Oppo playback (whether via files or discs). All TVs in my home have a Kodi box running against a central SQL database on the Synology server, and the usability advantage of Kodi-based playback is now so great that I have not considered buying an expensive UHD player. I will probably get an inexpensive one at some point, as it is handy to be able to play actual discs without having to back them up first. But before jumping on the 203, do take a look at Kodi, for the cost of a Raspberry Pi you get HD support, and for a little more, a Vero 4K will provide UHD with fantastic developer and community support.