Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

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danpass
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#31

Post by danpass »

This article, published today, is a good read if you're interested in some background information on why the Raspberry Pi was created, the people behind it and their goals.
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#32

Post by russellhltn »

rmrichesjr wrote:Hmmm, two optimists vs. one pessimist. I'm outnumbered. :-)
Wa, wa, wait. Since when have I been an optimist? ;)

rmrichesjr wrote:If the Raspberry PI is indeed capable of real-time transcoding of several simultaneous streams,
Let's back up a bit. We only need that feature if we think there's going to be a local network bottleneck in delivering content. So we may be getting ahead of ourselves.

But I have another idea. Rather then trying to stream from a central meetinghouse library, what about automating the deployment of content to a local drive? That way each TV is local and completely independent of the WiFi network (at least during showing in the classroom). The network is only used to update content.

Or a hybrid approach where all the content that we expect to be used will be local, leaving the WiFi networks for those few videos that are not local.
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#33

Post by rmrichesjr »

russellhltn wrote:
rmrichesjr wrote:Hmmm, two optimists vs. one pessimist. I'm outnumbered. :-)
Wa, wa, wait. Since when have I been an optimist? ;)
I was counting markjmiller and JohnShaw as optimists, myself as pessimist, and everyone else as undeclared or neutral.
russellhltn wrote:
rmrichesjr wrote:If the Raspberry PI is indeed capable of real-time transcoding of several simultaneous streams,
Let's back up a bit. We only need that feature if we think there's going to be a local network bottleneck in delivering content. So we may be getting ahead of ourselves.

But I have another idea. Rather then trying to stream from a central meetinghouse library, what about automating the deployment of content to a local drive? That way each TV is local and completely independent of the WiFi network (at least during showing in the classroom). The network is only used to update content.

Or a hybrid approach where all the content that we expect to be used will be local, leaving the WiFi networks for those few videos that are not local.
Good point. If the local network is sufficient, then the transcoding burden is eliminated or at least greatly reduced.

An argument against local storage on each TV would be the extra cost of all those disks or other storage devices. An argument against automated downloading to each TV's backpack would be risk of fire. Having several pieces of hardware powered on 24x7 per building, where the hardware is not UL listed as a whole unit, could yield a non-zero fire risk.
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#34

Post by russellhltn »

rmrichesjr wrote:An argument against local storage on each TV would be the extra cost of all those disks or other storage devices.
How much are we talking about? I'm picturing a thumb drive. Maybe a 8GB. On a per-unit basis, it's a minor cost.
rmrichesjr wrote:An argument against automated downloading to each TV's backpack would be risk of fire. Having several pieces of hardware powered on 24x7 per building, where the hardware is not UL listed as a whole unit, could yield a non-zero fire risk.
I'm not wild about being on 24/7, so something would have to be worked out so that there was enough up time to update. I'm just trying to come up with something simpler then swapping the drive every month or so.
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#35

Post by johnshaw »

russellhltn wrote:
rmrichesjr wrote:An argument against local storage on each TV would be the extra cost of all those disks or other storage devices.
How much are we talking about? I'm picturing a thumb drive. Maybe a 8GB. On a per-unit basis, it's a minor cost.
If we are coming up with solutions, we need to think beyond the Come, Follow Me curriculum. The Leadership Training Library, Mormon Messages, Youth Message, Strength of Youth Videos, RS, YW, YM Auxiliary Training, CES Devotionals... all the Seminary Content (videos, music, picture art) - I have approximately 60 GB downloaded at this point, and that's limiting most of my downloads to 720p or less videos - I can easily seeing 100GB to make the media library in the local meetinghouse able to meet the needs that people currently use the online media for.
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#36

Post by rmrichesjr »

JohnShaw wrote:
russellhltn wrote:
rmrichesjr wrote:An argument against local storage on each TV would be the extra cost of all those disks or other storage devices.
How much are we talking about? I'm picturing a thumb drive. Maybe a 8GB. On a per-unit basis, it's a minor cost.
If we are coming up with solutions, we need to think beyond the Come, Follow Me curriculum. The Leadership Training Library, Mormon Messages, Youth Message, Strength of Youth Videos, RS, YW, YM Auxiliary Training, CES Devotionals... all the Seminary Content (videos, music, picture art) - I have approximately 60 GB downloaded at this point, and that's limiting most of my downloads to 720p or less videos - I can easily seeing 100GB to make the media library in the local meetinghouse able to meet the needs that people currently use the online media for.
For 8GB, the per-unit cost would be quite minor. I had been thinking in the 60GB range that had been discussed earlier, in which case cost per unit is not huge but not trivial. 100GB per TV would be even more. The tradeoff is one storage device and high real-time network traffic vs. multiple storage devices and lower (or at least non-real-time) network traffic.
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#37

Post by russellhltn »

If local WiFi is not robust enough, then we are looking at some kind of on-set storage. Even if it's to do a managed cache so that most of the content will be local leaving the remaining content enough bandwidth to use the WiFi.

The alternative is a jack in every room. But that requires getting FM involved.

So I think first up: Minimum stress test requirements.
Second: WiFi Stress test. That tells us what direction we can go or have to go.
Third: Server Stress test, including HDD stress. That tells us what hardware can be used.

As for step 1: I propose it would be the maximum number of Sunday School classes all running different 720 streams at the same time. (Unless anyone can show a reason anyone would need 1080.)
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#38

Post by johnshaw »

I'll see if I can arrange something like this while I have 2 highly technical wards meeting in the same building.
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#39

Post by ggllbb »

russellhltn wrote:
rmrichesjr wrote:An argument against local storage on each TV would be the extra cost of all those disks or other storage devices.
How much are we talking about? I'm picturing a thumb drive. Maybe a 8GB. On a per-unit basis, it's a minor cost.
Each PI requires an SD card, recommended at least 4GB and tested to 32GB. The local storage could be the SD card eliminating the need for a usb flash drive. By the way, the required SD card is a cost not included in the previous posts.
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Re: Next LDSTech Broadcast: Digital Media into Meetinghouses

#40

Post by johnshaw »

Its' not big enough then.
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