Video_Station_for_DSM_722: putting Synology's Video Station back on DSM 7.2.2 and later
Script to install Video Station in DSM 7.2.2, 7.3 and 7.4
At a glance
- What is it?
- This is a shell script that installs Video Station, Media Server and Advanced Media Codecs on Synology DSM 7.2.2 through 7.4, the versions where Synology dropped the package, and it can also install only the media codec components so HEIC thumbnails work in Synology Photos. It suits a Synology owner with an existing library and a missing package, and it is a script that touches a vendor package system rather than a supported product.
- Who is it for?
- Video_Station_for_DSM_722 suits a Synology owner on DSM 7.2.2 or later who has a video library Video Station used to serve and wants it working again, and who is comfortable running a downloaded script as root over SSH or the task scheduler. It does not suit someone on DSM 7.2 or 7.2.1, where Synology still ships the package, and it does not suit anyone who needs a supported installation path.
- Can I use it commercially?
- Yes. MIT is a permissive licence: you can use, modify and sell software built on it, as long as you keep its copyright and licence notices.
- Is it still maintained?
- Yes. The repository last received commits 43 days ago.
- What is it written in?
- Mainly Shell, according to GitHub's language statistics.
Answers come from the project's GitHub data, last synced on October 23, 2026, and from our analysis. They are not legal advice.
Editorial analysis
Why a script exists to reinstall an abandoned package
Synology's Video Station package has been installed more than 66 million times, and the README says a lot of people are very annoyed that Synology decided to abandon Video Station when DSM 7.2.2 was released. The author's account is that many of those people said they would never buy another Synology NAS, and the response was to build a script that makes it possible to install Video Station on DSM 7.2.2, 7.3, 7.3.1, 7.3.2 and 7.4 for people who really want it.
The script itself is a single shell file, videostation_for_722.sh, in a repository that also holds a CHANGES.txt, a LICENSE, documentation for running from the task scheduler, a document on signing in to a Synology account, a README.md and an images/ directory of screenshots.
The versions it installs are named in the README. Video Station 3.1.0-3153, Advanced Media Extensions 3.1.0-3005, and now also Media Server 2.0.5-3152, which supports video and audio conversion. The last of the three is the newest addition and the one that fills a gap, because a video station without transcoding is a file browser.
The repository is MIT licensed, and the README notes that the Video Station icon is copyright Synology Inc. That distinction is a small but telling detail about the nature of the project. The code is the author's, the brand is Synology's, and the package being installed is Synology's own build of Synology's own software.
The release history shows frequent patch versions, with v1.4.20 on 2026-01-10, v1.4.21 on 2026-01-15 and v1.4.22 on 2026-02-07, and the last push to main was on 2026-09-10. The version numbers are the script's, not the package's, and the rapid 1.4.20 to 1.4.22 progression in early 2026 is what a script chasing vendor releases looks like.
The onlyamc option is the part most people actually need
The script has grown a menu, and the README explains why. Version 1.3.12 and later has a menu where you can select to only install Advanced Media Codecs, or skip installing Media Server or Video Station. The CLI flags mirror that menu, and the help text lists the options.
Options:
-h, --help Show this help message
-v, --version Show the script version
--install=OPTION Automatically install OPTION (for use when scheduled)
OPTION can be either:
'all' to install Video Station, Media Server and
Advanced Media Codecs
'novs' to install all except Video Station
'noms' to install all except Media Server
'onlyamc' to only install Advanced Media CodecsThe --install flag exists specifically so the script can run unattended from the task scheduler, and the examples in the help text show the four invocations, videostation_for_722.sh --install=all and the novs, noms and onlyamc variants.
The onlyamc path is the most interesting one, and the README explains it separately. After running the script and enabling HEVC decoding in Advanced Media Extensions, Synology Photos will be able to create thumbnails for HEIC photos again, and you can then uninstall Video Station and/or Media Server if you do not need them. That is a much narrower goal than reinstalling a video streaming front end. It is about restoring a capability Synology Photos had and lost, and it does it with the smallest possible footprint on the system.
If you are the kind of user who wants HEIC thumbnails in Synology Photos and does not care about a Video Station interface, onlyamc is the option that matches your actual need, and the cost of running the script is lower because fewer packages are installed.
Getting the script onto the NAS and running it as root
The install path is deliberately manual. You download the latest version, the Source code (zip) from the releases page, save the zip to a folder on the Synology, and unzip it. There is no package feed, no updater and no registry entry, because there is no such thing as a supported Video Station for DSM 7.2.2 in the first place.
The script is then run as root, and the README gives two routes. The first is the task scheduler, with a dedicated document explaining how to run it from there, and the second is SSH.
sudo -s /volume1/scripts/videostation_for_722.shThe note is that you replace /volume1/scripts/ with the path to where the script actually is. The path in the example is not a convention, it is a placeholder, and the volume name depends on how the user has set up shared folders.
Running as root over SSH is what makes this possible, and the README links Synology's own documentation on how to enable SSH and log in to DSM with root permission. That link is a reminder that on DSM, SSH access is not enabled by default and enabling it is a decision with security implications of its own.
After the script runs, there is a follow-up step in the interface. You open Package Center, then Installed, click Advanced Media Extensions, click Open, sign in to your Synology account if needed, then click Install and OK. The account sign-in step is a Synology requirement for the media codec features, and the README has a separate document explaining it, which suggests it is a common stumbling block.
What happens on every future DSM update
The README documents the upgrade dance in detail, and it is the part that decides whether this is a tool you can live with. With Video Station installed, you get a message saying Video Station needs to be uninstalled before updating DSM. You uninstall Video Station, and the README says explicitly not to tick the box to delete Video Station's database. You update DSM. Package Center then shows Advanced Media Extensions and Media Server as incompatible with your DSM. And you run the script again.
Without Video Station installed, the sequence is shorter. You update DSM, Package Center shows the two media packages as incompatible, and you run the script again.
That instruction not to delete the database is the one to take seriously, because it is the only thing standing between a DSM update and your library metadata. The library of recorded watch history, ratings and custom tags that Video Station built up over years lives in a database, and the script plus that instruction is what lets you reinstall the package against the same data.
So the operational cost of this approach is a recurring intervention. Every DSM update needs a manual step, and if you are not around when the update lands, the media packages stay incompatible until you are. That is a real ongoing cost, and it is the price of the software Synology chose not to ship.
The security warning in the README deserves to be read twice
The README carries a warning box about recent zero-day exploits in Synology Photos and Synology Drive Server, and it notes that Synology patched them quickly. The point it makes is about Video Station's support status rather than the exploits themselves: Synology has not made Video Station End-Of-Life, as it is still available for DSM 7.2 and 7.2.1, which are both still getting security updates, so Synology should patch Video Station if any security exploits are found.
That is a careful argument and it is the crux of the whole project. If a future Video Station vulnerability is found, the user of this script is relying on the argument that Synology will still ship a patch for a package it no longer offers on current DSM versions. Whether Synology honours that is not something the script can guarantee, and the README is making the case rather than proving it.
The practical consequence is that this is a different security posture from a supported Synology package. You are running a vendor package that your NAS vendor stopped distributing for your OS version, kept alive by a community script, on a system that holds your media library and probably a lot more.
The README also points at the question of DTS, EAC3 and TrueHD audio, which Video Station cannot decode on its own. FFmpeg 7 is available from SynoCommunity, and there are two third party wrappers for it, VideoStation-FFMPEG-Patcher and Wrapper_VideoStation, each with its own installation command. The README gives both, and both are external projects you are choosing to trust on your NAS.
Where Video_Station_for_DSM_722 is the wrong tool
Three cases argue against it. The first is a NAS running DSM 7.2 or 7.2.1, where Synology still ships Video Station and the whole problem does not exist. The script is for the versions where the package was removed, and running it on a version that still has the package adds risk for no benefit.
The second case is someone who wants a supported media server. Video Station has no future as a Synology product, and a supported alternative such as Synology Photos is the path with a vendor behind it. The script is a bridge for people with existing Video Station data and a habit, and it is honest about that in the README, where the author frames it as being for people who really want Video Station.
The third case is a system you cannot maintain by hand. The upgrade dance described above requires someone to notice, uninstall, update, and re-run the script, and to remember the instruction about not deleting the database. On a NAS that a family member also uses, or one in a rack somewhere, that is an ongoing commitment, and if it lapses the media packages are left in an incompatible state.
There is also a licensing and trust point to keep in mind. The script itself is MIT licensed, and that is a genuine statement, but what it installs is Synology's proprietary package distributed by a community channel, and what it can also pull in is a third party FFmpeg wrapper with its own installer. Each of those is a separate decision about running someone else's code as root on a machine that holds your data.
On maintenance, the last push was on 2026-09-10 and the newest tagged release is v1.4.22 from 2026-02-07, so the script is still being worked on and the tagged version is a few months behind the branch.
Editorial conclusion
Video_Station_for_DSM_722 suits a Synology owner on DSM 7.2.2 or later who has a video library Video Station used to serve and wants it working again, and who is comfortable running a downloaded script as root over SSH or the task scheduler. It does not suit someone on DSM 7.2 or 7.2.1, where Synology still ships the package, and it does not suit anyone who needs a supported installation path. Before you run it, read the warning about Video Station's support status, back up your Video Station database, and note that the last push was on 2026-09-10 with the newest release v1.4.22 from 2026-02-07.
Frequently asked questions
What DSM versions does Video_Station_for_DSM_722 support?
The description says it installs Video Station in DSM 7.2.2, 7.3, 7.3.1, 7.3.2 and 7.4, and the README title says 7.2.2, 7.3.x and 7.4.x. Synology still ships Video Station for DSM 7.2 and 7.2.1, so the script is for the versions where the package was dropped.
Can I install only the media codecs without Video Station?
Yes. The --install=onlyamc flag installs only Advanced Media Codecs, and version 1.3.12 and later has an interactive menu with the same choice. The README explains that after enabling HEVC decoding, Synology Photos can create thumbnails for HEIC photos again.
How do I run the script on a Synology NAS?
Download the Source code zip from the releases page, save it to a folder on the NAS and unzip it, then run it as root over SSH with sudo -s /volume1/scripts/videostation_for_722.sh, adjusting the path. A separate document in the repository covers running it from the task scheduler.
What do I have to do after a DSM update?
With Video Station installed you uninstall it without ticking the box to delete its database, update DSM, and then run the script again because Package Center will show Advanced Media Extensions and Media Server as incompatible. Without Video Station, you update DSM and run the script again.
Official sources
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