I'm thinking of copying all my .m2ts files to a NAS for larger, simpler storage solution. I've been trying to find ones that can handle the high transfer rates needed for streaming .m2ts to the ps3 (50mb/s) and also the need for file storage above 4gb. I've been looking at the Qnap TS509 but would like to hear from somebody that what I want is possible before spending a couple grand on this. Thanks.
Anything less then GbE (Gigabit Ethernet) you will not be able to keep up with the movie stream. That and don't expect to be scrubbing between frames very well. Just make sure that what ever you get will show up as a media share on your PS3.
That is simply wrong. GbE is not required to stream HD Video. I have been streaming Blu-ray backups on a 10/100 Mb network for 7 months and have never had a bottle neck because of 10/100 verses GbE. I have streamed some of the highest bit rate movies available WITH HD Audio and there is not a bottleneck problem with 10/100. The link below is a good reference for movie bit-rates. http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=3338 Regarding the OP. I am not going to try to suggest a NAS for you because it is up to you and your requirements and your budget. There are tons of Reviews and Forums available to help you decide what is best for you. If you want a great NAS and you have the cash, get a ReadyNAS Pro.
I've been trying to use smallnetbuilder.com's charts for throughput and it seems that the netgear pro drops below 45MB/s if you combine that with those bitrate charts it seems that this is not fast enough, am I right in that?
I would like to EAT MY WORDS now. I hate to see anyone give incorrect info, yet it seems I may have done just that. Since my NAS and HT area are in different locations in the house, I have been using a Ethernet Powerline Adapter, which I found created a bottle-neck during most (not all) HD playback. Because of this, I have been copying my HD Movies onto a external HDD and connecting it directly to my media player (Tvix 6500) via USB. In two prior tests (once about 6 months ago & once about 2 months ago), I had connected my NAS to my media player via a 10/100 network, and found no playback problems with several BD movie backup files (m2ts files). Using my own statements/comments from above, I tried this again (two days ago) and found my 10/100 network was causing video/audio stuttering when streaming my highest bitrate movies. I did not take the time to troubleshoot this problem therefore the problem could be in the Cables, the network switch, the Media Player, the NAS or because it is a 10/100 network verses a 1-GbE network. Please accept my appologies -because the comments above from (forgot his user name) may in fact be good advice, -that a 1-GbE network may be required for reliable HD playback. I am unable to comment on your question about the ReadyNAS Pro (I do not know about its' real world performance.) I own a ReadyNAS NV+ and absolutely love it.
One other thing... I have not done any research on your comments about the "45MB/s"... but please note two things. 1) MB/s and Mbps are sometimes confused because one is Bytes and one is Bits. 2) The ReadyNAS Pro is a Gb-E capable device, and if connected to an all Gb-E network, you should have no problems streaming HD content.
