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What hardware would I need to run a webserver to stream audio/video content to 40-50 users?
- Thread starter Lyfer
- Start date
sciencewhiz
Diamond Member
1.5mbps is 192 kiloBYTEs a second. Divide that by 50, and you only get 4 kilobytes/sec per connection.
If they are all accessing the same information, then just about any computer you dig up will be ok. However, if they are all accessing different files, you should definetly look at dual CPUs and raid (preferably scsi raid).
Of course, that assumes that you have 50 concurrent users. Or did you mean 40-50 total, without them being concurrent?
If they are all accessing the same information, then just about any computer you dig up will be ok. However, if they are all accessing different files, you should definetly look at dual CPUs and raid (preferably scsi raid).
Of course, that assumes that you have 50 concurrent users. Or did you mean 40-50 total, without them being concurrent?
bob4432
Lifer
your bottleneck will definately be the bandwidth. you could run a 500MHz AMD or P3 (or even less), 512MB RAM with win2k pro / xp pro / home and apache or you will have to go win2k serv to run iis with more than 10 simultaneous connections. you may want to look into mp3pro for this application, that way you would need less bandwidth. for your application there would be no benefit with 2 processors. remember you are just giving out a file, not encoding stuff on the fly.
Andromeda - i have used this script in the past and it works excellent. 🙂
Andromeda - i have used this script in the past and it works excellent. 🙂
Yep 2 main issues, the biggest is bandwidth. Plus it's the most expensive by far.
Next issue is I/O. Fast harddrives in a array is the solution.
You'd want dual cpu's for better mutlitasking, however they need not be high-end Xeons (or opterons, although that would be ideal). A couple moderately priced Althon MP's would be the ticket. You don't need super fast ones, just 2 of them to handle the threads.
XP pro, wouldn't be my first choice. Linux would, but it's to much for some people. Win2k or if there is decent software support, idealy win2k3.
Definately look into multicasting. Save bandwidth, allow higher quality connections.
Most flexible video streaming I am aware of is Video Lan Server. It can stream MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 files, DVDs, digital satellite channels, digital terrestial television channels and live videos on the network in unicast or multicast.
Originally designed for Linux (and probably works best on, Windows is harder to work with for developers.) I beleive though it can run on windows. It has clients for all operating systems.
Completely free, unlimited use, unlimited connections, no liscencing or registration required at all.
IMHO much better quality stuff then you can get thru the .wma stuff.
Examples for required bandwidths:
0.5 to 4 Mbit/s for an MPEG-4 stream,
3 to 4 Mbit/s for an MPEG-2 stream read from a satellite card, a digital terrestial television card or an MPEG-2 encoding card,
6 to 9 Mbit/s for a DVD.
If you do live stuff like streaming from cable tv you'd need a decent enough CPU to handle it. 1.5ghz+
For audio streaming check out something like
Icecast. It's a Ogg vorbis streamer. Higher quality (good sound for the same size stream) then mp3 stuff, plenty of clients aviable to it. Of course better quality then windows media or realplayer.
. It's a Ogg vorbis streamer. Higher quality (good sound for the same size stream) then mp3 stuff, plenty of clients aviable to it. Of course better quality then windows media or realplayer.
Or even shoutcast. They have servers for both linux and windows.
Next issue is I/O. Fast harddrives in a array is the solution.
You'd want dual cpu's for better mutlitasking, however they need not be high-end Xeons (or opterons, although that would be ideal). A couple moderately priced Althon MP's would be the ticket. You don't need super fast ones, just 2 of them to handle the threads.
XP pro, wouldn't be my first choice. Linux would, but it's to much for some people. Win2k or if there is decent software support, idealy win2k3.
Definately look into multicasting. Save bandwidth, allow higher quality connections.
Most flexible video streaming I am aware of is Video Lan Server. It can stream MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 files, DVDs, digital satellite channels, digital terrestial television channels and live videos on the network in unicast or multicast.
Originally designed for Linux (and probably works best on, Windows is harder to work with for developers.) I beleive though it can run on windows. It has clients for all operating systems.
Completely free, unlimited use, unlimited connections, no liscencing or registration required at all.
IMHO much better quality stuff then you can get thru the .wma stuff.
Examples for required bandwidths:
0.5 to 4 Mbit/s for an MPEG-4 stream,
3 to 4 Mbit/s for an MPEG-2 stream read from a satellite card, a digital terrestial television card or an MPEG-2 encoding card,
6 to 9 Mbit/s for a DVD.
If you do live stuff like streaming from cable tv you'd need a decent enough CPU to handle it. 1.5ghz+
For audio streaming check out something like
Icecast. It's a Ogg vorbis streamer. Higher quality (good sound for the same size stream) then mp3 stuff, plenty of clients aviable to it. Of course better quality then windows media or realplayer.
. It's a Ogg vorbis streamer. Higher quality (good sound for the same size stream) then mp3 stuff, plenty of clients aviable to it. Of course better quality then windows media or realplayer.
Or even shoutcast. They have servers for both linux and windows.
Ya but it still streaming media and would still be fun to play with. With multicasting you could make it go quite a bit further then thru unicasting.
As long as you only allow 1 continous stream of video going out (say a heavily mpeg encoded DVD movie playing over and over again) you can supply a whole bunch of people with one stream. The network takes care of distributing the stream to all the people watching it instead of sending a new stream to each and every person who is connecting like in traditional server roles.
why not play with it? Seems like he is doing this for fun, instead of profit. 🙂
linky
to parent of previous linky
Pudgygiant
Senior member
And, don't think that anyone's said it yet, but a HDD that FLIES would really help this.
Lyfer
Diamond Member
I was looking into the software, and I think shoutcast suits me best. All I want to do is to be able to broadcast LIVE audio on the internet. It'll probably cheaper to go through a decent webhosting service. What are some good hosting services that will allow me to do this?🙂
BTW How exactly will this work? I was thinking, audio is broadcasted from my pc at home and send live to my hosting service and then broadcasted online via shoutcast software.
Thanx!
BTW How exactly will this work? I was thinking, audio is broadcasted from my pc at home and send live to my hosting service and then broadcasted online via shoutcast software.
Thanx!
I don't know how exactly they would go about doing that, but I got a fews Ideas on ways that would work.
Something like that is something your just going to have to talk about with a webhosting service. Maybe one you choose will have a realplayer server or something propriatory like that, or if they do linux (most do) maybe they have something like Icecast or shoutcast.
Probably cost extra, and they probably just would want to tell you what to use to transmit it and they will take care of the details.
(edit: if you still want to serve your own content check out Speak Easy DSL. They encurage that sort of behavior and even allow you to share your bandwidth with your neighbors and freinds if you like. (As long as nothing changed). That's their selling point. They have plans for Gamers, Hobbyists and home business so you can set up your own servers and use your bandwidth for what YOU'd like instead of what a user agreements say.)
Something like that is something your just going to have to talk about with a webhosting service. Maybe one you choose will have a realplayer server or something propriatory like that, or if they do linux (most do) maybe they have something like Icecast or shoutcast.
Probably cost extra, and they probably just would want to tell you what to use to transmit it and they will take care of the details.
(edit: if you still want to serve your own content check out Speak Easy DSL. They encurage that sort of behavior and even allow you to share your bandwidth with your neighbors and freinds if you like. (As long as nothing changed). That's their selling point. They have plans for Gamers, Hobbyists and home business so you can set up your own servers and use your bandwidth for what YOU'd like instead of what a user agreements say.)
Pudgygiant
Senior member
1and1.com is free for 3 years, 500mb space, 5gb transfer. It's suited me well. I dunno if that'd be enough transfer though.
I am sorry, I was a bit tired when I posted that.
All I am saying is that a nice video feed (or audio feed) to a large number of people is possible (don't know how practicle, though, this stuff is still relativley new) without huge investments in bandwidth.
Technically with 1.5Mb/s at his disposal he could stream something like a 300x400 mpeg4 stream out to 40+ people with no problem if you can do it all thru mutlicasting rather then unicasting.
Or he could serve out 5-6 individual cd-quality (128 kb/s) .ogg or mp3 streams thru the same connection (instead of the video stream) to many many people.
Of course the clients would have to use clients and OS that supports that type of connection, but that's not a terribly big deal.
This is all possible using the Mbone multicast internet backbone.
Instead of sending out new streams to each and every person that connects, you just send out one stream and the routers redirect copies of the packets to each new person that wants to view the stream.
That's all. Maybe It should of been a new reply instead of a quote from you, sorry.
All I am saying is that a nice video feed (or audio feed) to a large number of people is possible (don't know how practicle, though, this stuff is still relativley new) without huge investments in bandwidth.
Technically with 1.5Mb/s at his disposal he could stream something like a 300x400 mpeg4 stream out to 40+ people with no problem if you can do it all thru mutlicasting rather then unicasting.
Or he could serve out 5-6 individual cd-quality (128 kb/s) .ogg or mp3 streams thru the same connection (instead of the video stream) to many many people.
Of course the clients would have to use clients and OS that supports that type of connection, but that's not a terribly big deal.
This is all possible using the Mbone multicast internet backbone.
Instead of sending out new streams to each and every person that connects, you just send out one stream and the routers redirect copies of the packets to each new person that wants to view the stream.
That's all. Maybe It should of been a new reply instead of a quote from you, sorry.
DannyBoy
Diamond Member
i could give you a run down of the exact's behind streaming video / audio.
KasterBlaster (http://www.kyxpyx.net/) supports most universal (streamable) file formats, and also has many features including multicasting, on-demand & live streaming, etc etc.
PM me if you want more details.
Dan
KasterBlaster (http://www.kyxpyx.net/) supports most universal (streamable) file formats, and also has many features including multicasting, on-demand & live streaming, etc etc.
PM me if you want more details.
Dan
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