You can have a look at DSM anyway, if you don't own one already... http://www.synology.com/products/dsm_livedemo.php?lang=enu
Bubs #1 is due in a few months so there's going to be a lot of interest from family in the UK for plenty of photos and videos - and at all hours of the day. Plus I might want to check-in from work. And the audio streaming might be handy in the middle of the night when some lullabies are needed ASAP! So media streaming sounds my favourite app already. The apps would also keep me entertained. I've owned one NAS in the past and it was a nightmare trying to get DNS and other functions sorted on it. Looks like it's OOTB with the Synology though...
My favorite feature is the audio station media functionality. The NAS is becoming a key element in any home media setup and synology appear to be pioneers in this aspect!
My personal favourite addition in DS4.2 is the addition of the High Availability functionality. Being able to configure multiple DiskStations in a High Availability cluster further adds to the DiskStation's already impressive suite of redundancy and backup features. This feature would make the DiskStations even more attractive to Large businesses / Enterprise customers as it now provides functionality that only high end storage solutions currently offer. Good work Synology!
Video Station - Being able to add a TV Tuner dongle and record onto my NAS removes the need for a seperate PVR... leaving me more cash for bigger HDD's
My favourite new feature is the expanded quick connect functionality. By removing the need for configuring port forwarding at the router, remote access to Synology applications is now a much more accessible (and much safer!) feature for the less-technical user.
Fantastic. There are so many great functions and features I would like to try and use. To add to this you can add even more for more customisation. However the main area where I think this will shine is the audio/video/photo portal. To add to this you can even add a DTV dongle to record TV. I like sharing media around the house but i have never been able to share recorded TV from FTA shows. This can do it. To add to this, this also allows me to access all my media not only in my home but also externally on the go with a smartphone or tablet. This device with DSM 4.2 becomes a central storage point for everything and everyone with easy access for everyone from anywhere. I would love to try this product to try all the features this can offer not just the media features.
While DSM 4.2 has many improvements over 4.1, for me I'd have to say the one I will use the most is photo station. The new interface will make it much easier to navigate through photos from my mobile devices. I have used a DS212j for a couple of years now and the remote interfaces have been OK, but I am looking forward to the improvements from DSM 4.2. Time to download 4.2 and try it out....
Boss Rhyme Multimedia support that’s like a boss Drag and drop support has me moist like moss When you see me in the street uploading pictures of ya mum You’ll know I’ll get it done, Cloud Station looks fucking fun My NAS brings all the Devs to the Yard And they’re like “all getting hard” When I’m dancing with your sister 2-step verification means.... you’ll never have access to the dirty pictures I take of her in bed later. - ChiefBoss 2013
Looking forward to having more apps (especially for Android, glad to see we aren't neglected) to connect with the NAS on the go. When I get NBN at home this thing will be awesome as (streaming all media to my phone on the go). Most importantly looking forward to the Photos app so I can instantly store my photos from the phone onto the NAS as a safety measure, so if the phone dies before I get a chance to copy them over, they'll already be there
My favourite bit was where it done this thing with the hard drives and stuff and it was like BLAM! and the girls were all like "Wow" and I was like "Cool bro" and then we just chilled. true story.
My favorite feature is being able to access all the DS applications remotely without having to forward ports in the router.
AirPlay baby! Yes I know there's all these new "pro" features in 4.2, like beefed up virtualization support, more integrated packages like MailStation, and better mobile apps and compatibility, but for me the killer new feature of DSM 4.2 is the integration of AirPlay. Being able to play files from my Synology directly on my AV system through my AppleTV is something I've been wanting to do simply for ages.
My favourite feature by FAR is the mobile support - access to files, photos and audio over a cloud!? Tell me I'm not dreamin!
There are couple of things about the new DSM 4.2 that have become "must-have-oh-my-god-I-can't-wait" features for me. One is the "Windows Live Photo Gallery Integration" *happy dance* All of my photos (all 130Gb of them) are currently on my old NAS box (a DS411j by the way) and I use Live Photo Gallery to tag and organise them, having all that synced straight to Photo Station would be delightful. Combine THAT with QuickConnect and suddenly things become very streamlined in terms of getting photos onto the NAS box from anywhere, organising and sorting them quickly and making them available to family and friends to view. And that's not even mentioning the real time photo sync that is supported. So the ONE feature that is my must-have feature? "Streamlined Simplicity". THAT is the feature that gets me very excited in DSM 4.2
I am currently personally experiencing some of the new features of the beta. My synology went down a few weeks ago, I rebooted it, it said that its doing a parity check, 7 days later, problems were not solved, nothing was working yet it says its 100% ok, install the beta, it again checks parity, and much faster this time, should only take 5 days, hopefully it fixes itself this time properly.
Hi FuzzyKaos, I am sorry to hear the issues you have had with your DiskStation. Have you submitted a support ticket to us? If not, please do contact our support team here. We are happy to help!
it is hard to just pick one feature but the instant access for when on the road so i can get my work files off it when needed is a very good feature