QNAP Systems, Inc. today launched the 2-bay TS-251B NAS. Powered by an Intel J3355 dual-core processor, the TS-251B provides home and SOHO users with an excellent cross-device multimedia experience with its 4K media transcoding and streaming capabilities, 4K HDMI output, and a wide range of backup and sharing applications. The TS-251B also provides a PCIe slot to expand its core functionality.

With its PCIe slot, users can easily expand the functionality of the TS-251B. A QNAP QM2 card can be installed to add M.2 SSD caching and 10GbE connectivity; a compatible wireless adapter (e.g. QNAP QWA-AC2600) to create a wireless storage and streaming environment; a USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) card to increase the number of USB ports; or a QNAP QXG-10G1T 10GbE network expansion card to add 10GbE connectivity."The TS-251B is QNAP's first home NAS with a PCIe slot, allowing users to add extra functionality to meet their needs. They can add SSD caching and 10GbE connectivity by installing a QM2 PCIe card to improve system performance while also future-proofing for 10GbE network environments," said Jason Hsu, Product Manager of QNAP. "The TS-251B also features 4K transcoding and 4K-capable HDMI output for users to enjoy a complete multimedia experience at home," Hsu added.

Powered by a 14nm Intel Celeron J3355 dual-core 2.0GHz processor (burst up to 2.5 GHz), 2GB/4GB DDR3L RAM (up to 8GB), a single Gigabit LAN port, and supporting SATA 6Gb/s drives, the TS-251B provides dependable read/write speeds and provides Intel AES-NI hardware-accelerated encryption to ensure the security of sensitive data on the NAS. The TS-251B also supports snapshots, allowing users to quickly recover data in the event of accidental deletion/modification or ransomware attack.

The TS-251B's App Center provides a wide range of productivity tools: "Qsirch" full-text search allows for quick file search; "IFTTT Agent" and "Qfiling" automate user workflows for improved efficiency and productivity; "Qsync" and "Hybrid Backup Sync" simplify file sharing and syncing across devices. A variety of streaming applications, including "Cinema28", "QVHelper", "Qmedia" and "Video HD" allows users to enjoy a smooth multimedia experience using different streaming protocols. Users can also use QNAP's remote control RM-IR004 (sold separately) with the QButton app to customize the functions of the buttons for easy navigation.

Key specifications of new models

• TS-251B-2G: Intel Celeron J3355 dual-core 2.0 GHz processor (burst up to 2.5 GHz) with 2GB RAM (1 x 2GB)
• TS-251B-4G: Intel Celeron J3355 dual-core 2.0 GHz processor (burst up to 2.5 GHz) with 4GB RAM (1 x 4GB)

Tower model; dual-channel DDR3L SODIMM RAM slots (user upgradable to 8GB); hot-swappable 2.5/3.5-inch SATA 6Gbps HDD/SSD; 1 x PCIe Gen2 x2 slot;1 x Gigabit LAN ports; 1 x HDMI v1.4b, up to 4K UHD; 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A ports, 3 x USB 2.0 Type-A ports; 1 x USB-copy button; 1 x speaker, 2 x 3.5mm microphone jacks (supporting dynamic microphones); 1 x 3.5mm line out audio jack.

Availability
The new TS-251B is now available.