Need advise regarding setting up a VLC streaming server

[sridhar_vlcnewbie]

Dear all

i am planning to setup a streaming video server with the following requirements.
I got more than 200 machines in my network. I got a collection of VCDs and DVDs
which i want to share across the network.I came to know from your site that inorder to
stream a MPEG4 , it requies 0.5 to 4 MB speed through network interface, 3 to 4 MB for
a MPEG 2 and 8 to 9 MB for a DVD. So for a 100 MBPS network , ican play at the maximum
50 MPEG4 or 25 MPEG2 or 10 DVD Tiltles.
IN unicast , if my guess is right, 20 users can access 20 MPEG2 videos from the
server. So please let me know , how many users can access a Multicast video from the
server with 100 MBPS network card., ie, how many clients can access a single video streamed from the vlc server? I am using an IBM Server with 3 GHz intel processor and
2 GB of RAM.

what difference this will make if i switch the entire or part of the network using Gigabit ethernet.


Please advise me.


Thanks

Sridhar

[arsenicum]

Multicast allows you to have virtually unlimited number of connected users. The idea of multicasting is like a TV station broadcasting over the air - it simply broadcasts regardless of number of viewers. In this case you will have a permanent load in your network (which is equal of streming out of 1 stream) even if no one watches you stream, but in other hand that load would be nothing compared to the scenario when you serve each client individually. I would recommend you to take a closer look to the multicast options in the VLC.

[fkuehne]

Note from moderator: Please choose the correct forum to ask your question. Your problem isn't Mac OS X specific. That's why I have moved it to the general discussion forum.