I need to put together a computer system for a multimedia installation at a museum. The system needs to play back two simultaneous, full-screen, 60 minute video projections (video format not decided yet) with a four-channel, 60 minute sound track (source is 24-bit/48kHz). This piece will run continuously six days a week for four months. I am thinking pd could be up for the task. I have used pd for audio work, but never for video, so I need some advice - particularly hardware ideas for now, as I am building the computer from scratch.
Can anyone advise on minimum CPU speed for this kind of playback. Will a dual-CPU system be an advantage when playing back several media streams simultaneously (if I need to run more than one instance of pd)? Perhaps harddrive speed (and number of harddrives) is more crucial?
I have a dual-head Matrox G400 graphics card. Would this be capable of playing back two different full-screen videos? If not, any other suggestions?
The system will be running Linux with only the minimum of necessary software to run the installation. Of practical reasons, the computer needs to be rack mounted. I am thinking a 4U cabinet to ensure air flow without too much noise. I will probably use a Delta 1010 sound card, since the breakout box can be easily rack mounted and it is well supported on Linux.
Any input is greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Frank Ekeberg
Sounds like you're on the right track hardware-wise. I don't know if a dual processor would give you any benefit over just having a decent single one. I've done stuff like this a bit with PDP, since you can specify multiple displays. Mplayer or VeeJay would also do this with less overhead. Your dual-head video card should be sufficient so long as dual-head is supported, otherwise you could get an extra PCI video card and do it with that one. Skip Gnome or KDE and use Black/Fluxbox or LarsWm for even more efficiency. Could Mplayer run without X? That would be even more interesting ;-)
Another option would be to hardwire the "Start" button of two DVD players together so that they synch-start (if synch is needed), and use the surround outputs for discreet audio channels.
Good luck! d.
Sounds like you're on the right track hardware-wise. I don't know if a dual processor would give you any benefit over just having a decent single one. I've done stuff like this a bit with PDP, since you can specify multiple displays. Mplayer or VeeJay would also do this with less overhead. Your dual-head video card should be sufficient so long as dual-head is supported, otherwise you could get an extra PCI video card and do it with that one. Skip Gnome or KDE and use Black/Fluxbox or LarsWm for even more efficiency. Could Mplayer run without X? That would be even more interesting ;-)
Another option would be to hardwire the "Start" button of two DVD players together so that they synch-start (if synch is needed), and use the surround outputs for discreet audio channels.
Good luck! d.
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derek holzer -
Frank Ekeberg H.