[inkosi]

HI All,

I'm looking at getting a QNAP to setup XBMC on. From what I've seen and read the TS412 (1.2Ghz) isn't recommended and I should at the very least start with a TS419P II (2.0GHz) or the TS420 (1.6GHz)

Am I on the right track here? Does anyone have any experience with these models or any alternatives?

Can I install XBMC on any of these QNAP's?

Should I be considering something else? I like the QNAP as I don't need a separate PC to run XBMC.

These all have 4 bays which is what I'm after. An all in one unit with redundancy.

Thanks for any help.

[Meelisv]

Qnap NAS boxes are meant to be used as standalone NAS. They don't have video output, only web interface. Hence, no point trying to install XBMC on them. As far as NAS functions go, Atom based models with more RAM should be better than Marvell ARM SoC based models with 512MB RAM, though more expensive and consume bit more power.
If you want to all-in-one solution for storing and playing media, it would be better to build your own HTPC. Most likely cheaper too

[joelbaby]

I like the QNAP as I don't need a separate PC to run XBMC.

Don't even think about it. A NAS is built for Storage.
Although it may technically be possible to play movies from a NAS hooked up to a TV... you wouldn't do it.
Do you want the sound of 4 spinning hard disks?

NAS - Storage
Basic HPTC - Playback

You can get a Celeron based PC (Celeron 847, 887, 1007, or better) with about 4G ram for $150-$200.

It is better to have lots of small seperate discrete devices, rather than one supermachine.
This makes upgrading much easier down the track. You also save on electrical power.

[Starstream]

Modern commercial x86 NAS double as XBMC media players.

QNAP, Thecus and Asustor all offer NAS with a build of XBMC that runs on them.

As to which one is best, well the Asustor variants offer best value for money & are relatively quiet in operation, the AS2TE series or AS3 series use the Intel CE5xxx chip series plus they come with a dedicated remote control. The AS2T series lack HDMI output so dont get one of those. Impressions are here and for a beta some report it works well enough and others have bugs.

Thecus offer same models as Asustor though not as cheaply.

QNAP only offer Core i3 or older Atom 2xxx based products (no Atom CE5xxx series), really meant for business sector, last I checked their builds of XBMC weren't too great either.

[inkosi]

Perfect thanks for all the replies guys, a friend is running a QNAP & using XBMC without issue. Just wanted to throw it out to those in the know.

Starstream, thanks for that I'll definatley look into those.

Thanks again