225+ or 425+ Owners - Plex HW Transcoding.

[Rusty]

Well, shit...

 

[Telos]

This decision begs the question ... will hardware transcoding be supported on DSM 8.

Clearly, Synology has lost touch with its user base that brought it to prominence over QNAP.

 

[Telos]

hardware transcoding is not supported on these two models. This is also why it is not listed in the official specifications.

Enough is enough. I call out Synology Support for LYING. The statement "not listed in the official specifications" is disingenuous. I pulled the datasheets for the DS423+ and DS224+, and technically neither of them addresses transcoding ... yet they do that with ease (up to DSM 7.2, at least), and has come to be expected with J4125 units with an iGPU.

Why else would we buy an outdated CPU instead of the AMD-based units?

As the scholar Arnold Horshack would say ... "up your nose with a rubber hose, Synology".

 

[PlichtaO]

I think there must have been an "oversight" when building the DSM for the DS225+ and DS425+. These are based, like all the + models from the year 2025, on the Linux kernel 5.10.55+. However, Rusty clearly stated in this thread that the hardware transcoding works on the Beestation plus, equipped with a J4125 and also running a 5.10.55+ kernel. Logically, there is clearly a difference between the Beestation plus and the DS425+ on how the J4125 IGP is handled.

"Why else would we buy an outdated CPU instead of the AMD-based units?" I completely agree with you! I could have taken a completely different model if it was to make it work with an Intel NUC in addition.
So far, the DS425+ is the most disappointing model I've purchased from Synology. It could become one of the best in my opinion if this hardware transcoding worked!

 

[Rusty]

I think there must have been an "oversight" when building the DSM for the DS225+ and DS425+. These are based, like all the + models from the year 2025, on the Linux kernel 5.10.55+. However, Rusty clearly stated in this thread that the hardware transcoding works on the Beestation plus, equipped with a J4125 and also running a 5.10.55+ kernel. Logically, there is clearly a difference between the Beestation plus and the DS425+ on how the J4125 IGP is handled.

"Why else would we buy an outdated CPU instead of the AMD-based units?" I completely agree with you! I could have taken a completely different model if it was to make it work with an Intel NUC in addition.

Correct, just as Chuck said as well, but this only means that this was deliberate. Why would they wait 4 months to "fix" it?

It is no surprise that they have advertised Plex support in their marketing materials for the BeeStation Plus model, and now played this card. Again, fine, terminate the support, just say it clearly and plainly. How hard is that?

-.-

Guess I made the right call to start looking for an alternative Plex compute solution and leave the Syno HW as pure storage. Killing support for H264/265 phase 1, killing VS, phase 2, killing Plex hw transcode, mission completed. There is no other way to clear the house, but just communicate with the damn customers...

 

[PlichtaO]

For now, I'd rather wait a bit. I'm thinking the team that worked on the Beestation's DSM might not be the same one that worked on the DS225+ and DS425+ NASes. I still have little hope, and in my mind, these two NASes are the improved successors to the DS224+ and DS423+. It would be completely stupid to reuse a J4125 if you can't use its IGPU. Putting an AMD Ryzen on the entire x25+ range would have at least clarified things for Plex users.
Let's wait a bit longer... I don't want to buy an Intel NUC. If our problem is solved one day or another, this NUC would be of absolutely no use to me...

 

[Birdy]

It's known in the Plex NAS Compatibility list.

 

[Telos]

It's known

That was modified on the spreadsheet as information developed. When confirmed the update is as you see it today. Surely you have access to the older spreadsheets.

Also see here and here.

 

[Birdy]

That was modified on the spreadsheet as information developed. When confirmed the update is as you see it today. Surely you have access to the older spreadsheets.

Also see here and here.

How do you get there, i have no access to older ones and why do you always challenge me?

 

[Rusty]

Slow down, people, let's stay on topic, please.

 

[EZTutty]

Had this response from Synology Support today..

"As Plex mentioned, enabling this feature requires integration with the kernel graphic driver. This decision is left to third-party application teams, and we will not enable this functionality ourselves. Please follow Plex’s future updates for further information.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Hope this helps and please let us know if further assistance is needed.

Best Regards,

Technical Support"

 

[PlichtaO]

Had this response from Synology Support today..

"As Plex mentioned, enabling this feature requires integration with the kernel graphic driver. This decision is left to third-party application teams, and we will not enable this functionality ourselves. Please follow Plex’s future updates for further information.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Hope this helps and please let us know if further assistance is needed.

Best Regards,

Technical Support"

I don't know how Synology staff communicate internally, but their answers are quite contradictory! On my side, they told me that the problem was submitted to their teams! I think the best thing to do is to insist heavily by asking them to activate the management of the J4125 IGPU, by filling out a form at the following address: Feature Inquiry | Synology Inc.

 

[Telos]

I think the best thing to do is

... use reliable sellers who do not play silly games with their users, and offer full CPU hardware acceleration/transcoding where present.

 

[EZTutty]

Further response, just to clarify.

As part of our roadmap, starting with products released in 2025 and beyond, even if the CPU supports hardware transcoding, we will no longer provide the driver required to enable it. An exception is the BeeStation Plus, where we specifically obtained the appropriate licenses and paid the required fees, which is why hardware transcoding is available on that model.

We hope this explanation helps you gain a clearer understanding of the situation, and we sincerely appreciate your feedback, as it helps us better address the concerns of our users.


Best Regards,

Technical Support
Dino Hsu

 

[Birdy]

An exception is the BeeStation Plus, where we specifically obtained the appropriate licenses and paid the required fees

What ? Do you have to pay for a driver that's required to enable it ?
So, Synology is making the NAS cheaper as selling point ??????

Then Synology might as well stopping making and selling Home NASs with a transcoding CPU that can't transcode.
And why HW transcoding for Bee Plus only ? Is that the new future for Home users ?

 

[Rusty]

Then Synology might as well stopping making and selling Home NASs with a transcoding CPU that can't transcode.

The cooperation with AMD will continue so we can expect that future models will no longer come with an Intel cpu.

And why HW transcoding for Bee Plus only ? Is that the new future for Home users ?

Yes, it is

 

[Birdy]

There seems to be a workaround.

 

[fredbert]

There does but either the poster on Synology Community has omitted the necessary information to actually find the ‘Beestation project’ or it has been moderated. If the latter has happened then it might be useful to have it posted on SynoForum.

 

[Rusty]

Well, I have all the KO files for BSM for the Plus model, including the mentioned i915.ko.

@PlichtaO and @EZTutty let me know if you want me to send it to you, and you can use the steps to load the drives and see if it will work.

Let's write the steps here, and if they do work, we will open a thread in the Resource section as well.

Send me a PM for the i915.ko file if you want it for testing. If it works, we can arrange a location for it to "live".

1. Place the .ko file on your NAS: Using SSH, copy the file to a persistent location on your Synology. For example, you could place it in a shared folder, like /volume1/docker/drivers/i915.ko.
2. Load the Driver: The magic command is insmod. You'll run sudo insmod /volume1/docker/drivers/i915.ko. Once you do that, the /dev/dri device nodes appear, and apps like Plex can immediately see the hardware.

Making it Survive a Reboot:

To avoid having to manually run this command every time you restart your NAS, you can automate it with the Task Scheduler:

1. Go to Control Panel > Task Scheduler.
2. Click Create > Triggered Task > User-defined script.
3. Under the General tab, give it a name like "Load Video Driver" and select the root user. Set the event to Boot-up.
4. Under the Task Settings tab, in the User-defined script box, just enter the command: insmod /volume1/docker/drivers/i915.ko

 

[Birdy]

Attached i915.ko