I'm in the process of researching the purchase of a NAS for use as a media sharing machine, streaming movies to the TV, and general all file storage.

I've been looking at the ds416 play as a really good choice for what I would like, but been getting concerned about making sure it's future proof and has the power behind it for streaming and "sharing media" seamlessly. Mostly concerns about only 1 GB of RAM, and the dual core in the 416 play. The other ones I've been eyeing is DS 916 and the ds1515 , for the ability to upgrade and starting with higher specs as well.

For usage idea, I typically download movies on mkv 720p or 1080p, and at my most I had approx 500 "files" running at once with a total of ~800 GB. I plan that size to get bigger with a NAS, but it will start definitely smaller. The other thing I was considering was light homelab setup in the near future as a means of self teaching/curiosity.

That being said is the price tag of the 916 or 1515 worth anything for my scenario over the 416 play? Or should the 416play be sufficient for a number of years?

Links:

DS 416play   

DS 916  

DS 1515