Mac Mini, Synology, Apple TV, iTunes - where to start

Greetings, Fujita Senpai (and, Tam)

I happened to just stumble across this discussion actually while doing a Google search for Synology and it's support (or lack of support) for AirPlay for streaming objectives. Like many, I want to 'easily' (that's the catch word) stream photos and videos (not just music) content from my Synology NAS device to my living room TV.

I currently reside in Tokyo, and there are seldom if ever, blackouts to contend with and worry about. So, UPS is out of sight, out of budget and out of the question for myself. Never bought one in all my years of computing and doubt I ever will but who knows. Circumstances might change.

* Equipment

NAS: Synology DS-1513+, Synology DS-213 (backup NAS)

Computers: Macbook Pro (retina, late 2013) MacMini (2012 last one) AppleTV3

* Desired Objective

Store all my content on the Synology. Have it available remotely and mobile which it is, via their iOS applications... DS Audio, DS Video, etc. And, at home (the issue), I also want to view movies, TV shows, and camera created video content stored on Synology NAS device and streamed to my living room flat panel TV.

* Considerations

I currently have AppleTV3 in the living room and it is there primarily to connect my flat panel TV via HDMI / miniDisplayPort. It also functions to receive content over Airplay or my wired (gigabit) home network via a 3rd party app that will allow me to stream content I access from my Synology NAS to my MacMini / MacbookPro via simple drag and drop to the 3rd party app (Beamer) and then sends the stream to AppleTV3 over the wired Gigabit LAN to display on TV.

I had the MacMini out in the living room previously but pulled it out of service thinking that a full fledged computer there was a wasted resource and decided to just place an AppleTV3 there for the same purpose. I currently use the MacMini as my main productivity machine and use the rMBP as my 'road warrior' machine.

Replacing the Mac Mini in living room with the AppleTV3 was a much cheaper solution, but then, that is pretty much where the advantage ends. There are many restrictions for accessing home network resources because of 'walled garden' policies that exist with the AppleTV3. (1) every thing must route through iTunes and (2) codecs (wrappers) you can playback are restricted.... mp4, mov and that's it! I have lots of data in AVI, MKV, MPG, etc., that will AppleTV3 / iTunes will not accept nor recognize. Thus, all that data is rendered useless at the mercy of a device. I am not about to start spending hours upon hours going through video conversions to accommodate a device.

* Forward Strategy

What I am now rethinking is to bring the macmini back into the living room as the path of least resistance. Although it is a more expensive proposition, to get around the 'walled garden' restrictions imposed by the AppleTV3, is to eliminate it from my system (sell it on auction) altogether and recommission the MacMini to fulfill the function of media control in the living room. It can further function as home 'server' as well since it is integrated into the home network and can be accessed from my backroom via remote display access, etc. As such, I can set up movies to stream from my Synology NAS device to the MacMini to display content on my TV. Being that the MacMini is a full fledged computer and not an AppleTV3, I will not have to deal with access limitations imposed by that product. I can still use iTunes if I like, but there are also a myriad of other players that can also be used as well, transcending the functionality of iTunes / AppleTV. They will allow me to play any codec I desire to play. Again, being a full-fledged computer, the MacMini can also have Plex Media Player which can then also interact with an installation of Plex Media Server on my Synology DS-1513+. Does this make sense? It should work, no? I have not tried it but intend to do so going forward. As policies change at Apple, I need to readjust personal home network policies to still allow me to do what I want to do.

* Final Thoughts

Going back to the concern about power outage, UPS devices, etc., one thought I have going forward is to eventually replace the MacMini in the living room with a basic (save money) Macbook Air model. Considering the technology disrupting nature of Apple as a company, (... History, killing off X-serve, Macbook Pro 17", and other technologies) without having the privilege of attending policy changes in action at Apple inhouse business strategy meetings, I personally feel they are going to let the MacMini die. They have not done any advancement with the product line since 2012 and the Ivy Bridge processor. We're already well into last year's Haswell in the market place for some time now and on the threshold of Intel's nextgen Broadwell. I don't think Apple will kill off their Macbook line (not yet, at least), so, that seems to be some 'life beyond macmini' as a alternative solution to living room deployment. By placing a basic Macbook Air model, closed lid, in the living room, I have every thing that the MacMini provided, but with these added advantages:

(1) Alleviate power failure / UPS concerns. Unlike the MacMini, the MBA will continue running on battery until power is restored, whether sleep mode or actively being used. No need for a UPS.

(2) Mobility failover system. If my main rMBP should ever suddenly fail for some reason, I can immediately disconnect the MBA and let it temporarily become the 'road warrior' until the primary rMBP is fixed.

I love my Synology and DSM 5.0 is a great improvement over previous versions of DSM. My only regret is, they don't include an HDMI port into the design of the NAS as does QNAP. If they did that, I can easily place my second backup NAS unit in the living room doing double duty both as a home media server directly connected to the TV and still also providing backup functionality to my primary NAS as well. In essence, by having such a HDMI-equipped NAS, it would preclude the need for iTunes, AppleTV, or even a directly connected MacMini / MBA altogether. Anyway, for now, that is not reality, so, I will go with status quo and place (replace) the MacMini in the living room. I am waiting eagerly to see what new products are in the pipeline for 2014 as Tim Cook often states in interviews, 2014 is supposed to be the 'big year' for great new product launches coming from Apple. We'll see. 2014 is almost 1/2 over. Anyway, all 'food for thought'. Will appreciate any thoughts any of you might have about this strategy.

I just came across this as I was doing a search for all things to work gracefully between Synology and iTunes, and before I continued buying any further equipment. I might as well share my situation and current setup.

Current setup...

DS1513+ hooked up to my network.

All my media is in the respective folders (music/photo/video) to take advantage of the DS apps.

Music

My iTunes Library (the actual library files) and all the mp3s are stored on the NAS.

Windows 7 Laptop - iTunes Library points to the NAS

Macbook Pro - iTunes Library points to the NAS.

* I can only run 1 instance of iTunes at a time, or else the Library will get messed up. So, I always make sure that whatever laptop I am on, the other one has iTunes closed. This allows me that no matter which computer I am on, whenever I add music, it is available and organized on the NAS through iTunes.

** I found that through this setup of iTunes, when opening and re-opening iTunes, the Library updates (about a 1-2 minute lag) and I have 120 GB of media just through iTunes (music, apps, iTunes movies)

*** This setup also allows me to backup my phone to any device (Windows or Mac) that has iTunes running, since everything is on the NAS.

Video

This contains all my home videos, backups, etc. broken up into folders by category and format.

* I watch everything through VLC from my Windows laptop or Macbook Pro.

** iPad and iPhone use Video Station

*** Samsung TV uses DLNA

Photo

All of my photos are stored according to my OCD formatting (YYYY) and then within each year folder (YYYY-MM-DD) Event Name.

All of the photos are on the NAS

Windows 7 Laptop - has Lightroom 5 installed and that manages, tags, and takes care of all my photos

* I have not come across a way to share the Lightroom 5 Library across both devices.

Future
I have been debating of the following, but I am not sure if they are necessary or will help out in anything. Please feel free to comment and offer suggestions.

- Would a mac mini help in my setup in any shape ? Is it worth it?

- Would getting an Apple TV help in this setup ? (This won't doesn't matter, I might just get so that I can use Netflix, Hulu, etc) instead of always opening up the PS3 or connecting my laptop via HDMI.