MrCrispy

what do you use to encode - CPU/hw?

I know that encoding times/quality is dependent on many factors, but can someone give me a general idea of what I can expect for converting my library to hevc. Assume average bitrates for the input media and the default Tdarr setup. - how much time would it take to convert a 1hr video to h265 - what kind of reduction to expect? - input media ranges from SD to 1080p. Is it worthwhile to convert SD/480p or just leave them alone? - if I get an Nvidia card, can I then run 2 nodes on same machine, one using Intel, other one the gpu? Right now I have an Intel 8th gen cpu for QuickSync. I know Nvenc will be faster. I've also read there is a drop in quality which can be compensated by an increase in output size? Is this correct? Would just like to get a general idea. The 2 cards I am looking at are the Quadro P400 or a 1050 Ti, what is the difference in encoding speed between them (in general does a card costing 2x encode 2x as fast?)

Thank you, that answers my qn. I am assuming you have the default setup which replaces files as they are encoded?

Right, but all the guides recommend using a fast drive like ssd for this. Its at the very least a different folder, so my qn remains the same.

I'd read in another thread that as Tdarr executes each plugin it copies the file to its temp/working folder (which is on cache), writes the output file, which is then copied to the original location, then the next plugin is run and repeats the copies so on, and someone had replied that this was going to be fixed later so that all plugins run on intermediate file. Is this still the case?

Thats what I thought. so with their setting, any directory can be split across disks. with the benefit of hard links. So would it be correct to say that an unRaid share is a FUSE file system and thus hard links cannot work across shares? Is this a popular setup? do people generally use different split levels and multiple shares? would like to hear some opinions.

The well known trash guides recommend a single share with split level = 'automatically split any directory' as shown here - https://trash-guides.info/Hardlinks/How-to-setup-for/Unraid/#__tabbed_2_1 I understand they've done this for maximum flexibility. A lot of people prefer keeping tv shows or at least seasons on the same disk and definitely movies. Is there any way to use other split strategies with their setup?

There are some good deals on mini/sff pc's with Intel 7th/9th gen cpus, usually Core i5. Like the i5-7600, i5-8500 etc. Newer ones like 10th gen and newer are far more expensive. Are these good enough for general purpose use? Running a bunch of dockers for the usual purposes, and perhaps a few vm's. I'm guessing the main cpu use comes from VM since docker containers hardly use any cpu and will be idle most of the time, with disk bandwidth more of a limiting factor, correct? Also it seems like these cpu's will support hw 4k transcoding and encoding as well?

what is the new url for this link in the OP - http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=3666.0 I tried forums.unraid.net/topic/3666 but that won't work.

When does this take effect? If I want another key, can I purchase the Pro key now and be guaranteed it will be for lifetime, even if I don't activate it for a few months?

I hope its ok to ask questions here about Tdarr usage in general? My Unraid server is dead (hw issues) so I will be using a cheap sff pc I bought and I'm new to this. My goal is to convert to hevc, having looked at Tdarr, Unmanic and FileFlows it was not clear what to pick but Tdarr seems the oldest and most configurable so I'm picking that. I have a few questions - - my hw will be 2 sff mini pcs, with an Intel Core i5-7600 and a 8500T, they are an HP EliteDesk and Dell Optiplex, both with 8GB ram. I will install a Linux distro (Debian or Ubuntu I think) on both and tdarr via docker. - from everything I've read Intel QSV is the sweet spot, cpu takes too long and Nvidia sacrifices quality. From Wikipedia it seems both 7th and 8th gen support QSV, correct? - is there any reason to use VAAPI and not QSV, I'm assuming QSV is better? - separate instance vs nodes - I don't want to pay for the premium version just now, the free version doesn't let you assign libraries to nodes. so e.g. if I have 2 different libraries I want to transcode, is it better to have to instances (one on each pc) with hdd's connected with the media needed, vs having one master node, in which case I'm guessing there will be a lot of network transfer since the media will be randomly assigned? the advantage with a single master seems to be unified stats - workers vs nodes - does node mean a separate physical machine (vm) and worker a thread on that instance? is there a guidance on how many workers/nodes can be run based on cpu? does cpu even matter or is it all dependent on the iGpu? and most imp - - what plugins are recommended, there are so many. e,g do I use Tdarr_Plugin_JB69_JBHEVCQSV_MinimalFile or Tdarr_Plugin_bsh1_Boosh_FFMPEG_QSV_HEVC or one of the many migz ones, and what tweaks do people make? - can someone give me a rough idea of the speeds/time I can expect for conversion with above hardware? - I read in some posts that Unmanic is faster/smaller file size. is this because of a lower crf/preset in their default plugin or is there something else going on? which of the 3 tools do people recommend? I'm asking here because the Unraid forums are some of the most helpful and knowledgeable, thank you in advance.

Can I use this outside unraid? I will just be running Debian for now since it only has 2 hdd's.

I remember a few years ago there were many sellers on ebay selling used enterprise DAS like NetApp DS4243, Lenovo SA120 etc for cheap prices, like $100. I dont see anything now, they cost ~$500. Is there something now thats a good deal? I want 12-24 drive storage, attached via SAS card, and reasonably quiet since its for an apartment. What are my best options?

Like the topic says. Besides just file server, interested in seeing what people run on their unRaid boxes, since it can run almost anything via docker. How big is your build, what other components (like UPS) do you have etc. I'm sure there are many cool things people are doing!

I have no interest in a consumer ATX PSU. The SQ versions from SM are quiet enough from every account and not audible over the fans/disks. Did you use active cooling for cpu's or just passive heatsinks?

Goal - make the server quiet enough for apartment use, and reduce power draw. Server will be purchased from ebay seller - X9 board with dual cpu. I don't know how much RAM I should get? I'll replace PSU with the SQ version. For fans, which of these is a better option - 1. get alternate chassis fans from SuperMicro such as FAN-0074L4/FAN-0044L4. Drop in replacement 2. remove fan wall and put 3x 120mm fans. much more work For cpu I'm thinking of low power Xeon such as E5-2630L. Will it make a big difference vs E5-2620? Do I need active cpu cooler vs the passive heatsink server comes with? What changes do you recommend?

Ok, sorry, I should've done google search and I see this has been asked before. I don't mind paying at all, for some reason I recall reading about such sales...

Thanks, understood. I wanted to ask one more thing. I will be adding disks that I've been using for a while (but not in Unraid) and have tested them. Is it possible to add these without preclear?

I think I saw this in the past. I am looking to purchase 2 Pro licenses and I believe there have been bundles for this before?

I'm building a new server and need to move lots of data to it. I can think of 2 ways to calculate parity - 1. copy all data without parity drive. Then add parity drive and let it calculate parity for all 2. add parity drive, then start copying data to each disk Which of these is better? #1 will calculate parity just once for each sector (combining data from all disks). #2 will redo the calculation each time new disk is added. So I think #1 is better - right? There is no risk of data loss in each case as I will be copying from another set of disks.

It'd be nice if there were some screenshots of the new UI and perhaps some details on whats new between releases in the UI. Is there a thread for it? I know I've seen it before but IMO should be part of the notes.

This is most likely totally unfeasible but I'm just wondering since there are a few threads about nginx issues and from what I read haproxy is just as capable and is well regarded as well as more feature rich.

Any plans for this? Docker compose would be a much better way to handle multiple containers and would need less effort from the devs and maintainers and it opens up other options as well. I don't know if there are technical issues preventing this or there isn't enough demand?

When I look at how sales of NAS devices like Synlogy/Qnap are alive and flourishing, and how more are more people are actually building a NAS (on many online forums and communities such as Reddit) it pains me to see unRaid isn't more popular. I think there is plenty of room. One simple thing I can think off the top of my head is to partner with some oem's or sites like Amazon/Newegg, and offer unRaid + prebuilt pc with say 4 drive bays, as an option in the NAS section. I know LT used to sell hardware solutions and other companies also partnered but those sections of the forum are long dead.

I am more concerned about the product itself. AFAICT its still developed by one main developer (Tom), is that true? And there isn't really an alternative to unRaid which is why users tend to be so passionate. I don't know if LT makes a lot of money but my guess is not since the product hasn't really grown in popularity over the years from what I can tell, maybe its just such a niche market? But a lot of the cool things that make unRaid great have come from the community and IMO it deserves to be better known.