NDS Streaming - Time For A Better NAS?

Hi

I have a Netgear ReadyNAS Duo with 2 * 2TB drives.  My setup is relatively straightforward as I rip the music on my Mac using XLD and copy the files onto the NAS.  All files are FLAC and are also stored on the Mac, which is effectively a backup for the NAS.

The NAS has worked extremely well with only a few occasions where copying FLAC files from the Mac to the NAS didn't go as planned and the streamer (initially Sonos then briefly NDX and now NDS) was unable to see them.  Normally accessing ReadyNAS Frontview and clicking on ‘Rescan media files’ fixed the problem but on one occasion I had to wipe the NAS and copy all the files from the Mac. Just as well I had a backup.

I haven't taken much notice of developments in NAS technology until recently but am thinking about changing the NAS to a more recent Netgear or possibly Synology model. I would be interested to hear if anyone has updated their NAS and noticed an improvement in the sound quality using a NDS, where the NAS transcodes the music from FLAC to WAV. There is also the question of whether to stay with Netgear or move to Synology.

Finally, I thought the purpose of the NAS was simply to stream the data to whatever device is being used.  However, apps are now available which sit on the NAS.  I assume these interface with similar apps on the receiving device (connected to the TV) and therefore provide improved functionality.  This would be useful as; (i) viewing photos stored on my NAS is far too slow and not particularly user friendly and (ii) I’m sure there is a better way of displaying the AV file names held on the NAS than a rather bland list with about half of the title too long to be properly displayed on the screen!

David