Android phone video backup

[Scopeyus]

First post here.
**Did a quick search for my subject line and didn't see any suggestions to fix my problem so here comes the post:
I thought I would be able to store copies of my photos AND videos from a google pixel 3, android o/s, phone to the ds918+ using a combination of ds photo and photo station, and view them on a TV. Once the first photo backup task was complete, using ds photo on the phone, I started a ds photo slide show on Apple TV and noticed no videos were present.
I've been working with Synology tech support and they are telling my to use DS File manual backup since ds photo and ds video don't support my video file format.
Is there better, more automated, solution to achieve my goal than clicking around in ds file to set a path and start a task every time I want to offload some files?
I understand photo station is long in the tooth, but it didn't appear to me that Moments would work any better, if at all, for phone backup and viewing photo and video slide shows on TV using Apple TV4.

 

[Rusty]

Would recommend using plex for an all in one place to view all your needed content on your mobile or atv device

 

[WST16]

Hi,

Check PhotoSync. Might be what you’re looking for.

 

[Scopeyus]

Hi,

Check PhotoSync. Might be what you’re looking for.

Thanks. I see Android app, but don't see Photosync in Synology package center or on atv4, so not sure how to make it work

 

[Scopeyus]

Would recommend using plex for an all in one place to view all your needed content on your mobile or atv device

Thanks. Loaded Plex on ATV4 last night but didn't see any way to use it without going Premium. I see it is 120 for life*, so will probably go that route unless someone comes up with a better idea. Frustrating, though since Synology claims to have all this great software. I might have bought a nas with better hardware had I known the packages were limited or of no practical use.

 

[WST16]

There’s no Synology package.

From what I understood, you need a way to copy or move the photos and videos that you shot with your phone to your NAS. Right? Because that’s what this does.
Maybe I didn’t understand what you’re after.

This app allows you to configure a target directory on the NAS and it’ll copy or move files to it (according to different conditions that you may set).

In the shot below, I’m using WebDAV.

 

[fredbert]

This is from using iOS apps...

DS photo and DS file apps on iOS both support geo-fence to trigger uploading of photo backup, whereas Moments doesn't support geo-fences and needs the app to be opened to trigger the backup process.

What format are your videos if DS photo won't back them up to the NAS. Does DS file include this format in its acceptable formats?

If you can get the videos to upload with DS file then Plex should be able to play them. You may be able to use Plex without the Plex Pass, depends on your needs. There's a newer package maintained directly from plex.tv rather than the one offered in Package Center.

If you need to convert the videos on the NAS, and you want to invest sometime to get it going, then there's the option of installing FFmpeg* from the http://packages.synocommunity.com/ site (add it as another package source). You'll have to write a script to convert the videos and then have a task scheduled to run it. Well that's what I'd investigate doing ... or automate mounting the location from my Mac and then doing a similar job based on Handbrake command line tool with a preset I'd create.


*just checked and FFmpeg v2.7.1 is already in DSM but the package will provide FFmpeg v4.1

 

[Scopeyus]

There’s no Synology package.

From what I understood, you need a way to copy or move the photos and videos that you shot with your phone to your NAS. Right? Because that’s what this does.
Maybe I didn’t understand what you’re after.

This app allows you to configure a target directory on the NAS and it’ll copy or move files to it (according to different conditions that you may set).

In the shot below, I’m using WebDAV.

View attachment 499

I see now it is only needed on the phone and I would be viewing photos and videos on atv with another app. So would ds photo be good for that or would you recommend another viewer?

 

[Scopeyus]

This is from using iOS apps...

DS photo and DS file apps on iOS both support geo-fence to trigger uploading of photo backup, whereas Moments doesn't support geo-fences and needs the app to be opened to trigger the backup process.

What format are your videos if DS photo won't back them up to the NAS. Does DS file include this format in its acceptable formats?

If you can get the videos to upload with DS file then Plex should be able to play them. You may be able to use Plex without the Plex Pass, depends on your needs. There's a newer package maintained directly from plex.tv rather than the one offered in Package Center.

If you need to convert the videos on the NAS, and you want to invest sometime to get it going, then there's the option of installing FFmpeg from the http://packages.synocommunity.com/ site (add it as another package source). You'll have to write a script to convert the videos and then have a task scheduled to run it. Well that's what I'd investigate doing ... or automate mounting the location from my Mac and then doing a similar job based on Handbrake command line tool with a preset I'd create.

Thanks for the reply.
Regarding video format, I thought there was a format compatibility problem too, but the files type says mp4 in the camera folder and that format is listed as supported in ds photo/photo station.

 

[fredbert]

What happens if you change the extension to .m4v, nothing else.

TBH I don't take many videos on my phone but one thing I noticed was that DS photo would back them up, unlike wireless backup of the camera roll with iCloud.

 

[WST16]

So would ds photo be good for that or would you recommend another viewer?

Not using anything on the NAS myself. I just use PhotoSync to backup my photos.

I was under the impression that your problem is copying/moving the files from the phone to the NAS, and that once they’re there, you can play them with the Synology package (DS photo). Not the case apparently.

 

[Scopeyus]

What happens if you change the extension to .m4v, nothing else.

TBH I don't take many videos on my phone but one thing I noticed was that DS photo would back them up, unlike wireless backup of the camera roll with iCloud.

Thanks, but I've been working with the slllooowww synology tech support for a week on this so now just want something that works. The community has been offering great solutions btw so thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Scopeyus]

Not using anything on the NAS myself. I just use PhotoSync to backup my photos.

I was under the impression that your problem is copying/moving the files from the phone to the NAS, and that once they’re there, you can play them with the Synology package (DS photo). Not the case apparently.

Thanks

 

[tb123]

I’m not sure I understand your problem, is it...

1. You cannot get photo and video off of your phone?
2. you can get them off, but they are in the wrong format?
3. the app you are using on ATV can’t play them?

I guess I’m trying to figure out if it’s a backup or a playback issue.

For me, DS Photo and DS file automatically backs up both photos and video just fine from iPhone 7, XR, 11 and Galaxy S7, S9’s when the device hits a WiFi network.

If you use something like Windows File Explorer, can you browse to the NAS and see/play all the expected files?

 

[Scopeyus]

Thanks

yes, you are correct.

I’m not sure I understand your problem, is it...

1. You cannot get photo and video off of your phone?
2. you can get them off, but they are in the wrong format?
3. the app you are using on ATV can’t play them?

I guess I’m trying to figure out if it’s a backup or a playback issue.

For me, DS Photo and DS file automatically backs up both photos and video just fine from iPhone 7, XR, 11 and Galaxy S7, S9’s when the device hits a WiFi network.

If you use something like Windows File Explorer, can you browse to the NAS and see/play all the expected files?

1. I get photos, not videos, using ds photo on android. I get videos, not photos, using ds file (also have an ongoing log in problem with ds file; ds photo logs in quickly and reliably)
2.There is no 'wrong' format. They arrive in the format they arrive in, which is how one would expect. No beef about the format they arrive in.
3. Yes, the apps I use play the files: ds photo, vlc, etc, but as I stated in point 1, the photos and videos don't arrive together. I don't want to copy/paste/move files around to get them back together in the same folder for a slideshow. Also, don't want to use two apps when one should do the job.

 

[tb123]

In DS photo app upload there is an option to “upload photos only”. Do you have that turned on?

 

[Scopeyus]

Thanks. Holy Cow, I see it, and it's turned on by default. Will sync again and let you know what happens.

 

[Scopeyus]

So far I'm unable to get the sync task to restart. I have de-selected 'upload photos only' and created a new folder to upload, but it still won't start. Also have re- booted phone. App says 'Photo backup completed'. Do you have any ideas to force upload? FYI-There are still photos and videos in Google Photos.

 

[tb123]

Take a new photo/video?

 

[Scopeyus]

That worked to start backup running. Both photo and video moved to new folder. Now there is a playback problem. DS Photo only plays photo, not video, in slideshow. Tried to use vlc as a player, but only the video is present in folder. Is there a switch to make DS Photo, on Apple TV, play photos and videos? Also, any ideas why video is not shown in the folder of the same name that DS Photo is finding it?