A quick note:
We went ahead here at the planetarium and implemented a display project based
on MAC minis. So far, they've been fine.
We have a windows PC capturing a video stream from a piece of speciality
software and sending it over the LAN, and we have MAC mini's picking up the
stream and driving 37" LCD displays via VGA. All inexpensive and flexible.
Anything we can get on a PC screen, we can send to any/all other PC/MAC
connected screens in the building. Cost per feed around $1,000 including cost
of Mac Mini and LAN cable drop. A 'conventional' off-the-shelf video
distribution system (Extron VGA extender boxes, racked commodity Dell/HP PCs,
Omnivex type software) cost around $3,500 up per screen feed.
We went with MACs as they are hard to compete with as a digital "Swiss Army
Knife". I looked at building windows mini-PCs, but was looking at approaching
twice the price for an inferior spec. Macs benefit from large-volume commodity
pricing and specialized hardware (flash players etc) will always find it hard
to compete.
I'd prefer a PC as it would let me
1) use all my regular support tools (disk imaging, backup, AV etc.),
2) use Microsoft's Windows Media Player
3) and let me do everything on one platform.
I'm using Microsoft Windows Media Services as it's free, but ended up needing
to find a third-party media player (free VLC Player) to give good performance
on the Macs. Microsoft don't offer a Mac media player ...or at least not one
that's remotely useable (trust me on this). This is a major "gotcha" of going
with Windows Media Services in a mixed MAC/PC environment. One of those major
pains you discover in the thick of implementation too, as is should work in
theory but doesn't in practice.
FYI a high-def (approx 720p, 1280x768) feed runs at 28.5 fps using only
500kbits/s of LAN bandwidth. Streaming over the LAN is surprisingly cheap and
easy to do and works very well. Stream and players seem stable too.
I'd love to see an entirely flash-based micro PC with Windows, Ethernet, P4
class CPU and video output on board of comparable vintage for $500 or less
(Acer "Digital Engine"?).
DM
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David Marsh
Chief Technician
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J9
E sysadmin at hrmacmillanspacecentre.com
sysadmin at vanmuseum.bc.ca
T (604) 738 7827 ext. 229
C (604) 813 9667
F (604) 736 5665
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