Synology Video Station is no longer available
If you use a Synology NAS for your movie and series collection, you need to switch to an alternative: Emby, Jellyfin or Plex.
(Image: c't)
New versions of Diskstation Manager (DSM) – Synology's operating system for its own network-attached storage (NAS) – no longer support the official Video Station app. Synology is discontinuing its development and refers to third-party alternatives.
Video Station was an interface for streaming movies and series, including data-saving transcoding (depending on the capabilities of the NAS processor). Client apps were available for Android, iOS and Windows, among others. This meant you could practically set up your own Netflix with your own content.
Since DSM version 7.2.2-72803 from August 26, 2024, Video Station is history. Since then, another update has been released without the app: 7.2.2-72806. These updates can only be installed if the Video Station app is uninstalled first.
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Three alternative media server apps
Synology lists three alternative media server apps in a support article: Emby, Jellyfin and Plex. DSM installation packages are available for Emby and Plex; Jellyfin runs exclusively as a Docker container with the Container Manager. The existing film and series library can be imported with all three options. The article explains the procedure in German.
Users should not postpone DSM updates because of Video Station, as the new versions also close security gaps. The longer you wait and skip updates, the less secure the NAS becomes.
The end of support is particularly annoying for owners of older Diskstation systems, for which Synology advertised Video Station as a core component. In the Synology forum, a member quotes the manufacturer support:
"Unfortunately, Video Station is not available on DSM 7.2.2. It was originally developed over 13 years ago to organize and stream purchased media files locally. With the advent of online video streaming, this method has become less common. Thank you for your understanding."
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