Install Packages for Synology QNAP and Other NAS Devices

[sonofjacob]

Hi Paul,

First, I'd just like to express thanks for the incredible support you give to the community - YOU are what sets Conceiva apart from the other companies. Some of them just have iffy support, but you ALWAYS respond.

You can tell where I'm going from the Title of this thread. I've Googled quite a bit and considered buying 'A' below because of the recent announcement of Mezzmo being available for Kodi in 'B' below:

A) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FQ5NOEM...I2BX1ST1YT6CP8
B) http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread...dd-on-released

I know people have raised the request for a package for Synology, QNAP, and other NAS devices and you have stated it's been added to the roadmap for pursuit after v5 was released.

Can you tell me if that's still true, and if it is likely we as consumers could see a package for any of those NAS devices in 2016?

Just asking because Mezzmo is virtually perfect (I HATE even the idea of transcoding so I use Mezzmo to serve files to a WDTV because I can customize the theme for the WDTV and get the layout the way I want it).

Thanks in advance!

PS. I hate Plex

[Paul]

Thanks for the inquiry & kind words. We are currently busy in several areas - (i) solidifying the Mezzmo v5.0 release (fixing reported issues, improving performance, documenting new features, etc.), (ii) improving Mezzmo Android app, (iii) creating a new Mezzmo for Roku app, and (iv) working on several other new features that will be announced later in the year. So, if we were to port Mezzmo server to NAS boxes, then it would only appear in very late 2016. We have not decided to do this port as yet. We'll certainly take your post as a vote for us to do it .

BTW - 'A' is appears to be an Android TV-powered media player. You can certainly uses Kodi (+ our Mezzmo for Kodi Add-on) to play content on it streamed from Mezzmo server - or you can install our Mezzmo Android app onto it, which is fully Android TV compliant and has it own video player with subtitle support, audio channel selection, etc.

[sonofjacob]

Hey Paul,

Just a quick follow up. I bought 'A' and don't like the lack of control for the interface. Plus it had some weird playback issues on video. I'll be returning it.

Wanted to give feedback on the KODI plugin:

SUPER easy and intuitive. The directions in 'B' above however could be re-ordered for clarity. Here is my suggestion:

Installing the Mezzmo for Kodi Add-on into your Kodi setup

1. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Conceiva\Mezzmo\KodiAddOn or C:\Program Files (x86)\Conceiva\Mezzmo\KodiAddOn
2. Locate the Mezzmo for Kodi Add-on in the KodiAddOn sub-folder of your Mezzmo program folder (the file is called 'plugin.video.mezzmo.zip').
3. Copy this file onto a flash drive and plug it into the device Kodi is on.
4. In Kodi, go to Settings → Add-ons → Install from zip file
5. Select the plugin.video.mezzmo.zip file in this folder and click OK.
6. Wait for Kodi to notify you when the add-on is installed and enabled.
7. You can now use the Mezzmo for Kodi Add-on!

I'll work to install Windows 7 on my Synology and see if I can get Mezzmo running that way.

In the future, I think I'll be buying the QNAP for a number of reasons, but mostly because it already supports virtualization.

I am currently partial to this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017YB7T6U...FM57UEQ7&psc=1

I'll watch for any updates in the future from Mezzmo porting to NAS devices.

Take care bud and relay my appreciation to the Mezzmo team!

[Paul]

Thanks for the feedback. We've updated the Mezzmo for Kodi Add-on install notes on the forum and wiki. Thanks for that!

[BeFi]

Hi Paul,

As you know I have been asking for and pestering you about a Mezzmo version for Synology DSM and I would happily pay for a separate full license for each Diskstation on which I would deploy Mezzmo server (I have more than one NAS).

Assuming that Conceiva is not a pro-bono project I see an obvious revenue potential in supporting NASes with Mezzmo. PCs are on the demise for many. The frontend in day-to-day use is more and more the smartphone or a tablet supported by private cloud (aka NAS) or public cloud storage. Thats where the market is heading.

Many NASes have come to the point of being able to transcode video on the fly not to mention their merits as energy-efficient music servers. More and more of the consumer NASes can even output HD video directly via HDMI thus becoming the quiet multimedia hub in the living room in addition to their private cloud services.

In case its a money issue: Have you considered to crowd-fund such a project. I would sign-up as a start

[Paul]

Hi Bernhard,

Thanks for your suggestion. We agree with your analysis and NAS versions of Mezzmo remain a high priority. It's just a matter of the completing higher priority tasks first so we can get to the NAS development. And, yes, better resourcing/funding would certainly help accelerate our development throughput. We may consider crowd-funding; we'll discuss it further here.

[sonofjacob]

Hey Paul,

I hope this note finds you and the team well. I'm following up on this thread as others have asked as well in other threads. It's now 2019 and I'm wondering if Mezzmo will ever have a package for Synology, QNAP, and/or other NAS devices.

I actually bought the Synology DS214play (see A below) back before I wrote this post. The unit has been running so well for 3 years that I basically abandoned Mezzmo, even though I really miss the features. I do remember the software from time to time and occasionally check back. This time was the first time I thought about making a comment because I'm considering replacing the DS214play with a four or five bay merely because I'm beyond capacity on the thing. However, the inability to integrate Mezzmo with a commercial NAS machine is what is preventing me from using it.

I saw the forum post you made back in 2017 (see B below) and thought about adding this there, but I saw it was the first thing requested in that thread. I skimmed the post and it seems consumer interest over time has migrated to integration with Alexa, so I wasn't sure what your team's roadmap looks like now.

A) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
B) http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread...sion-of-Mezzmo

Anyway, I don't suppose the team has much time to work on this, and I don't know if you guys will ever get there, but that's the only thing I want from Mezzmo. It would be great to put it on a server without having to use virtualization.

Best wishes and I'll keep checking back from time to time.

[Peter]

Currently we have no plans for a package for Synology or other NAS device. Many of them now support virtualization so it is much easier to create a virtual machine on the NAS and install Mezzmo. Is there a specific reason you avoid virtualization?

[Rudy]

Currently we have no plans for a package for Synology or other NAS device. Many of them now support virtualization so it is much easier to create a virtual machine on the NAS and install Mezzmo. Is there a specific reason you avoid virtualization?

Many NAS products do not have the CPU horsepower to run virtual machines. A higher-end NAS might, but many that perform just a few tasks beyond basic network and storage duties have just enough CPU resources to handle that, and not much else. My Synology NAS, in fact, does not even have an option for virtualization.

I am thinking, though, that it is better for me to continue using a basic NAS, but then offload the media server duties (and other functions) to a separate network computer. There are plenty of fanless mini-computers out there that could run a basic Windows installation and likely handle Mezzmo perfectly well. In my situation, though, I am looking to use Roon as my music server, and it requires a lot of CPU resources and a SSD for storage of its database. In that case, it makes more sense in my situation to get something like one of Intel's NUCs (with an i5 or better processor), and then run Roon, Mezzmo, and other server processes there, rather than burden the NAS further.

Given the power I would need to run Roon Core, it actually costs the same, or perhaps even a little less, than a higher-end QNAP NAS which is limited in upgradability. I also am not having to replace an entire NAS if my computing needs change--I can simply upgrade the NUC down the road if needed.

I still like my old idea from several years ago about running a small daemon on a NAS which would read a Mezzmo database configured elsewhere. And Linux is still sorely in need of a good DLNA server, in my opinion. I've tried a few and they are all lacking the flexibility Mezzmo offers.

[sonofjacob]

Is there a specific reason you avoid virtualization?

Cost of another Windows license, ease of use, more taxing on the hardware when a software solution is possible, it's a common request by other users of your software. Those are some of the reasons.

I understand that it would take more time, effort, and cost than the Conceiva team is willing/able to spend on it. That's not a criticism, that's an admission of understanding.

It's fine. I just purchased a DS 918+ and it has virtualization on it. I only asked to determine if you've abandoned that part of what was previously stated as in Mezzmo's roadmap. It appears you have.

I may just run the Synology DS Video app instead.

Thanks for your time - best wishes to you and the team.

Edit: PS, Plex still blows. Add that as another reason. Plex has a Synology app, but I hate Plex so I'd only use Mezzmo if they had an app for Synology. For now, I'll just use DS Video. I think you guys may be underestimating the number of Synology owners that would purchase your app if it was available on just Synology NAS machines.