Xeon or i7 for video server

[hokaro]

Hello

I need help, I appreciate any ideas

I am building a server. It is a video server. It is connected to our TV studio and to the HotBird matrix and sattelite broadcasting.
What the server will do is:

1) playing the MPEG-2 files from a play-list (these files are transferred to this server via FTP)
2) Playing the streaming which comes from the studio. (the streaming will be over IP, H264 or MPEG format).

in both cases the server will give out an SDI output (Serial Digital Interface) which is an uncompressed video format used for broadcasting.


now, my questions:

1) what will be the best CPU for this server? i7 or Xeon? why?
2) what will be the best SDI output card for this server? a Nvidia FX 3000/4000/5000 series card, or a MPEG/H264-TO-SDI Decoder?
3) what workstation format will be the best? rack? a big mid-tower? blade?

I appreciate any help.

regards
Ed

 

[hokaro]

any ideas?

 

[soundefx]

I think that it depends on the board you want to use. Both the i7 and the xeon will do the job, but they will be on different boards doing the same thing.

The xeon will be for a server on a server board that can hold sometimes over 200GB of RAM. Which is over kill for the average consumer.
In terms of the SDI card, I have no idea.

For the format, that is a personal choice. Rack means getting a rack to hold it in and depending on the size of the case you use, you will be stuck with a specific manufacturer.

Full tower is easier to change parts because you can use desktop components in it. This will give you a wider range of parts that you can use.

I wouldn't use a blade for this because that would mean you would have to get a blade chassis to put it in. Most o them can hold 16 blades, so unless you plan to buy 15 more blades, it is a waste of time and money.