How to connect VLC Media Player to a NAS and play all your content without transcoding

If you have a NAS at home full of 4K movies, music, and TV shows, you'll probably want to open everything directly with VLC without any transcoding , so you can enjoy it whether you're on the couch or miles away from your local network. Many people start with Plex or the NAS's own apps and end up frustrated because their model can't handle transcoding or because they simply want the file to open as is.

In this article, you'll see, in detail and without beating around the bush, how to connect VLC Media Player to a Synology or QNAP NAS, both locally and remotely , which protocols to use (HTTP, SMB, NFS, WebDAV, DLNA), what syntax VLC supports for accessing your remote content, and how tools like Video Station, DLNA, or even streaming from VLC on your PC to your mobile device fit into all of this.

Key concepts: NAS, VLC, and why to avoid transcoding

Before we delve into protocols and ports, it's important to understand exactly what we're trying to do when we want to connect VLC to a NAS to play 4K files smoothly . It's not the same as browsing the NAS's web interface and downloading a file; it's different from mounting a network resource or streaming directly to VLC.

A NAS like the Synology DS215j or a home QNAP is usually more than capable of serving files over a network (SMB/NFS/WebDAV/HTTP) , but it struggles when you ask it to re-encode 4K video in real time for Plex or Video Station. That's why it's so important to configure everything so that there's no transcoding on the NAS and VLC handles playing the original file.

In practice, you have two main approaches to enjoying your videos and music from the NAS with VLC: either VLC directly accesses the files hosted on the NAS using a network protocol (Samba, NFS, FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, HTTP…), or you configure a stream from another VLC (on your PC/Mac/Linux) to your mobile or another device , using the NAS as a simple media storage.

If you regularly used Plex and it choked on certain 4K files, the idea is simple: stop asking the NAS to convert anything and have the client (VLC on PC, Smart TV or mobile) directly open the .mkv, .mp4 or whatever file it is, with its subtitles as they are.

Connect VLC to a Synology NAS locally and remotely

On a Synology system, you can usually access it remotely using DynDNS, QuickConnect, or your own domain pointing to your public IP address . The common problem is that when you access it through the web interface and click on a video, the browser simply downloads the file, which isn't what you want if you intend to play it remotely with VLC.

To allow VLC to read directly from the NAS, you need to use one of the network protocols that VLC understands and that Synology itself offers: Samba (SMB), NFS, FTP/SFTP, or WebDAV, in addition to the standard HTTP if you're exposing a web service. On a local network, it's usually as simple as enabling SMB and NFS from the NAS control panel, and then adding a network folder in Windows , macOS, or Linux , so that VLC sees the paths as a normal directory.

When you want to connect from outside your home, the situation changes because you're already using the internet and need to open ports on your router , use a dynamic DNS , and secure the connections . Synology allows you to set up WebDAV over HTTPS, which works quite well with VLC by entering a URL like https://yourdomain.dyndns.org:5006/path/to/file.mkv , provided you've created the WebDAV resource and opened the corresponding port.

Another less sophisticated but very straightforward alternative is to expose a shared route via SMB over your home network's VPN . You set up a VPN (OpenVPN, WireGuard, etc.) on your router or the Synology NAS itself, connect from outside using your laptop or mobile device, and once you're "inside" the LAN, VLC sees the NAS as if you were at home, so you can browse using \\nas-ip\folder or smb://nas.local/Multimedia and open the files without further ado.

If you want something even simpler, you can generate direct links from the NAS and open them in VLC. Some Synology models and apps allow you to create download links that are actually full HTTP URLs to the file . By copying that URL and pasting it into VLC's "Open Network Location" field, you can make the player treat it as a remote stream without going through the browser.

Using DLNA and Video Station on the NAS with VLC and other devices

If you're looking for something truly plug-and-play, a handy solution is to turn on the NAS's DLNA server and use VLC as a client on your TV, PC, or mobile device . Both Synology and QNAP allow you to enable DLNA from their respective control panels, and from then on, any compatible device will see the NAS as a "media server" on the network.

On a QNAP device, for example, simply enable DLNA in the settings and then, from your Smart TV or a VLC-type media player on the TV itself, select the option to search for devices on the network. The NAS will appear, and you can browse your media folders to view virtually everything, avoiding the hassle of dealing with resource-intensive applications or unnecessary transcoding.

Many modern TVs and Android boxes read almost all formats via hardware , so there's no need for transcoding and the NAS simply serves the file as is . In these cases, the bottleneck is usually the Wi-Fi network or the client itself, not so much the NAS. That's why this combination of DLNA + VLC (or native TV apps) works very well on a local network.

If you want a more organized system with cover art, categories, and collections, you can install a Plex Media Server on your QNAP (preferably from the QNAP repository without a random update) and a Plex client on your TV or other devices. Ideally, you should use Plex only for cataloging and, whenever possible, for "direct playback" to avoid overloading the NAS's CPU with converting unusual formats or upscaling to 4K.

Video Station on QNAP, meanwhile, is a fairly comprehensive video management solution, although it's designed more for viewing through a browser or dedicated apps than for seamless integration with VLC. Even so, it's worth knowing about because it organizes home videos, movies, TV series, and concerts into different collections , and allows for direct streaming, collection sharing, and easy subtitle management.

Video Station on QNAP: organization, collections and streaming

Video Station on QNAP is a video management application that installs from the QTS App Center and provides a centralized video library. As soon as you activate the app, the NAS begins indexing your media folders and allows you to organize everything into categories such as home videos, movies, TV shows, or music videos.

To start using it, the first step is to upload or move your videos to a shared folder on the NAS . You can do this by mapping a network drive from your PC or Mac , dragging files directly from your browser to Video Station (which automatically creates folders in /Multimedia or /home), or using utilities like Qfinder Pro to quickly mount network drives.

Once inside Video Station, the interface basically consists of a top menu bar and side panels . From the menu, you can switch between thumbnail, list, timeline, or folder views, search by title, date, tags, rating, or color, and manually refresh the view to force the display of the latest scanned files.

In the settings area you can manage things like which folders will be classified in each category (movies, series, etc.) , which paths are hidden as a content filter, how subtitles are searched for on external websites like OpenSubtitles or Shooter, or privacy details such as always requiring a password before entering private sections or those synchronized with Qsync.

In the playback section, Video Station lets you send content to various DLNA or AirPlay compatible network devices via the "Network Media Player" option. This includes media players in different rooms of your house, Chromecast, and HDMI devices (if you've installed the media streaming plugin from the App Center and enabled Bonjour for service discovery).

Left panel, multimedia collections and folders on QNAP

The left panel of Video Station is where your content sources are organized: Shared Videos, Private Collection, Qsync, Video Collection, Smart Collection, Recents, and Recycle Bin . Each of these sections has its own visibility rules, and it's important to understand them if you're going to share content with others.

"Shared Videos" includes everything in the NAS's shared folders (except /home and Qsync), but only displays content the authenticated user has permissions to access . "Private Collection" contains everything you store in /home, accessible only to you and NAS administrators, which is perfect for personal material.

The "Video Collection" section groups virtual collections : these are lists that point to the actual videos without duplicating files, so you don't waste space. You can create a collection by dragging videos to "Video Collection" or by converting a folder into a collection using the context menu. Anything you delete from a collection doesn't affect the physical file unless you choose to actually delete the file.

"Smart Collections" function as dynamic lists based on criteria such as classification (movie, series, music video, etc.), tags, or specific filters . You create a smart collection by specifying the name, content type, and rules, and Video Station automatically displays the videos that match those conditions, saving a lot of work when organizing large libraries.

Finally, "Recently" groups videos imported during the last month from local devices or cameras, and the "Trash" stores deleted files so you can restore or permanently delete them. Only actual files appear in the trash, not virtual collection links.

Video options: play, open with VLC, share, and transcode

When you right-click on an individual video in Video Station, a menu appears with several operations: Play in browser, Open with VLC, Download, Copy to collection, Set as cover, Add to transcoding, Rotate, Add to shared list, Transfer to a network device, Delete, and various metadata options.

The "Open with VLC" option forces the system to use the VLC plugin or player to display the video within the browser itself . In many home settings, this allows you to take advantage of VLC's codecs and capabilities without leaving the NAS's web interface, although on modern devices it's increasingly common to use the native VLC client directly instead of a plugin.

If your QNAP model supports it, you can send a file to the transcoding queue and let the NAS convert it to different qualities (240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p) . On powerful x86 models, this makes sense for sharing with older devices, but on many low-end home computers, transcoding is slow and causes buffering, so it's preferable to stream directly whenever the client supports the original format.

The sharing feature lets you send links via email, social media, or a simple URL . Drag videos to the "Sharing" area in the right panel, choose whether you want to send them by email, post them on social media, or generate a link in formats like URL, HTML, or forum code, and then copy that address for whomever you want. That person will be able to open the URL and access Video Station with the appropriate permissions.

In addition, Video Station can automatically retrieve movie information from the internet (posters, year, director, cast, etc.), provided you categorize the video as "Movie" and there's a recognizable English title. If the information is incorrect, you can edit the title and search again, or even manually replace the cover art by uploading it from your computer or via a URL.

Subtitles, playback controls, and advanced search in Video Station

Another interesting feature of Video Station is its subtitle handling. You can load .srt, .ass, or .ssa files , placing them in the same folder and using the same filename as the video, or import them from the player using the "Import subtitles" option. It also includes an online subtitle search engine that uses video information or keywords to find subtitles.

Within the web player, you have controls to adjust the font, size, color, and even the synchronization of the subtitles . If you notice that the phrases are ahead or behind, you can move them a few seconds forward or backward until they align with the audio without needing to modify the original file.

Within the player itself, you can use buttons such as play/pause, stop, progress bar, volume, resolution selector, subtitle management, network cast, and full screen . For HD videos, there's a specific icon that lets you switch between qualities when the file is available in multiple resolutions or when on-the-fly transcoding is enabled on compatible NAS devices.

In addition to menus, Video Station supports basic keyboard shortcuts : left and right arrow keys to fast forward or rewind, up and down arrow keys to raise or lower the volume, and the spacebar to play or pause. This is quite handy if you're watching content from a browser on a laptop or desktop PC.

On the cataloging side, you can tag videos with labels, ratings, and colors, making it possible to filter by rating, tags, or color labels later . If you select multiple videos at once (using the "multi-select" option or by holding down Ctrl), you can apply bulk changes to tags, ratings, or scores without having to do it one by one.

Multimedia library, privileges and privacy in QNAP

Everything that appears in Video Station depends on two things: shared folder permissions and the NAS's Media Library settings . Even if a video physically exists on a disk, if the folder isn't defined as a media folder or the user doesn't have read permissions, you'll never see it in the app.

On x86-based QNAP models, almost all shared folders (except /recording and /web) are considered media folders by default, while on ARM-based models, only /Multimedia and /homes are treated as such from the start. In either case, you can add or remove paths from the Control Panel, within the Media Management and Media Library sections.

For private content, it's common practice to store personal videos in /home , which is only visible to the owner and administrators. This path is displayed in Video Station as "Private Collection," and you can require an additional password each time someone tries to access that specific section from the app.

It's important to note that Photo Station, Music Station, Video Station, and the DLNA server share the same media folder definition. Adding or removing paths in the Media Library will simultaneously affect what's displayed in all these applications, so carefully consider what you want to index and what you'd prefer to keep hidden.

Finally, the Media Library scan can be done manually or scheduled so the NAS automatically detects new videos in the background. If you upload files and they don't appear in Video Station, the problem is usually resolved by running a rescan from the library settings.

Install VLC and other multimedia clients on a QNAP NAS

In addition to Video Station, many users choose to install desktop applications directly on the NAS when the model allows it, such as VLC, Plex Home Theater, or even emulators like MAME. QNAP has a whole community of developers who port programs to the QTS environment so you can use them without needing a separate computer connected to the TV.

One of the best-known names in this field is Philippe Mande (father_mande on the QNAP forums) , who maintains .qpkg packages with adapted versions of VLC, Plex clients, virtualization tools, and many other applications. Thanks to these ports, you can launch a full VLC suite directly from the NAS and use it as if it were a mini PC connected to your TV.

The process usually involves going to the QNAP forum where these packages are hosted , downloading the version corresponding to your model and architecture, and manually installing it from the App Center using "installation from local file" mode. From there, the application appears on your QTS desktop and you can configure it like any other program, including options to play content stored in the NAS's internal folders.

This approach has the advantage that you don't need dedicated external hardware in the living room , since the NAS acts as a file server and simultaneously runs the VLC player or Plex client directly over HDMI or via streaming to another screen. However, it does require a model with a CPU and GPU powerful enough to handle smooth video at your intended resolution.

By combining this option with Video Station, Plex or DLNA, you can set up a very versatile environment in which the NAS centralizes all the content and decides at each moment which application is the most suitable : VLC for rare formats, Plex for large collections and external synchronization, DLNA for universal compatibility with TVs and older devices, etc.

Use VLC as a streaming server from your PC to mobile and other devices

Another very flexible way to leverage VLC in combination with a NAS is to use the NAS only as file storage and delegate streaming to a PC, Mac, or Linux running VLC. In other words, you mount or share the NAS folder on your computer, play the file with VLC, and simultaneously have VLC broadcast an HTTP stream to which your mobile device or any other device connects.

On macOS, for example, you can open VLC and access the Streaming/Export Wizard from the File menu . There, you choose "Stream to Network," select the file on your NAS (mounted as a network drive) as the input, and choose HTTP as the streaming method. You specify your Mac's local IP address and the port you'll be using, something like 192.168.0.102:8000, and decide whether you want to transcode the audio or video or send it as is.

If you're working with audio only, it's common to leave MPEG Audio at 192 kbps or something similar, although you can adjust the bitrate depending on your connection quality. Then you choose the encapsulation format (MPEG PS, OGG, etc.) and indicate whether you want to play locally as well as stream. Once the wizard finishes, you press play in VLC and your Mac becomes a small streaming server.

On Linux, the process is very similar: in the Media menu, choose "Broadcast," add the file from the NAS, and in the wizard, specify the new HTTP destination with the desired port (8000 in this example). Select the output profile, for example, "Audio - MP3," and decide whether or not to enable transcoding. To keep things simple, it's usually best to broadcast without transcoding if the client supports it , especially on local networks.

On Windows, the VLC interface is virtually identical to that on Linux, so the steps are the same: stream the file from the NAS folder, configure HTTP as the destination, and open the corresponding port in the Windows firewall. It's important to check in the firewall that VLC is allowed access to private networks and that port 8000 (or whichever port you're using) is authorized for both incoming and outgoing traffic.

Connect VLC on Android (or other mobile devices) to the PC stream

Once your PC, Mac, or Linux machine is streaming from VLC, all you need to do is open the VLC client on your mobile device to listen to or watch what's coming from the main computer. On Android, for example, you open VLC, go to the option to open MRL (Media Resource Locator) or "Open Network Stream," and enter the URL with the correct protocol and port.

If you're on the same Wi-Fi network, something like http://192.168.0.102:8000 will suffice (adjusting the IP address to match your computer's and the port you configured). Press play, and your phone will connect to the VLC stream, allowing you to listen to your music library or watch videos from your NAS while moving around your home without having to copy files to your phone.

If you want to do the same from outside your home network, you need to open the port on your router and forward it to the device broadcasting the signal. In that case, the URL in Android's VLC would be something like http://your-public-ip-or-domain:8000 , always taking extra security precautions and, if possible, using a VPN or strong passwords.

On iOS or other systems, the logic is similar: open VLC, select "Network" or "Network stream," and provide the exact URL of the stream. As long as the computer has VLC running and the file on the NAS is available, any client can connect and play it as if it were a personal radio or television.

This technique is especially useful if you don't want to deal with ad-heavy third-party apps, because VLC covers virtually everything you need on both the server and client sides , and it does so for free and without any weird issues.

By combining the capabilities of a NAS (Synology or QNAP) with VLC's streaming player and server capabilities, you can have a very powerful system where your 4K files, series, and music are played without transcoding, from anywhere and on almost any device , as long as you take care of aspects such as folder permissions, firewalls, and open ports, and choose the protocol that best suits you in each case: SMB, NFS, WebDAV, HTTP, DLNA, or a simple direct stream from VLC.