Help with video outputs

[Leonofhyjal]

Hey, so first off let me explain the situation I need help with. My brother is moving his business into a new building and he needs a way to run 6 different video sources to a munch of tv's (roughly 70 displays) thoughout the 2nd and 3rd floor of the building. I've got the daisychain feed that goes to the tv's under control. Just using tripplite cat6 to hdmi splitter/transmitters. Now to get to the fun part. Right now he's using 6 very old Dell Optiplex 780 workstations as his 6 difference video sources. He wants to go overhaul that mess into 1 rack mounted PC. The requirements he needs for this PC are: 6tb of storage (so nothing crazy, they replace the video feed files pretty often), ecc memory, 6 core/12 thread preferably, BUT it needs to be able to push 6 different video sources at the same time/while being managed with 1 local display in the server room. 

 

Now I know I can just put in 2 video cards and i'll have more then enough outputs, but what is a good software to manage them all at once off of 1 local display? Idealy I just want to have 6 tiles that I drag and drop 6 different media player windows into and have it work. Thanks for any insite you guys may have, I just haven't had to configure something like this thats all inclusive before. Plus my brain is mostly fried from all my school work this week >.> Let me know if you have any questions. 

[tt2468]

3 minutes ago, Leonofhyjal said:

Hey, so first off let me explain the situation I need help with. My brother is moving his business into a new building and he needs a way to run 6 different video sources to a munch of tv's (roughly 70 displays) thoughout the 2nd and 3rd floor of the building. I've got the daisychain feed that goes to the tv's under control. Just using tripplite cat6 to hdmi splitter/transmitters. Now to get to the fun part. Right now he's using 6 very old Dell Optiplex 780 workstations as his 6 difference video sources. He wants to go overhaul that mess into 1 rack mounted PC. The requirements he needs for this PC are: 6tb of storage (so nothing crazy, they replace the video feed files pretty often), ecc memory, 6 core/12 thread preferably, BUT it needs to be able to push 6 different video sources at the same time/while being managed with 1 local display in the server room. 

 

Now I know I can just put in 2 video cards and i'll have more then enough outputs, but what is a good software to manage them all at once off of 1 local display? Idealy I just want to have 6 tiles that I drag and drop 6 different media player windows into and have it work. Thanks for any insite you guys may have, I just haven't had to configure something like this thats all inclusive before. Plus my brain is mostly fried from all my school work this week >.> Let me know if you have any questions. 

You will probably be better off with 6 intel nucs running a media center system that supports remote control.

[Leonofhyjal]

4 minutes ago, tt2468 said:

You will probably be better off with 6 intel nucs running a media center system that supports remote control.

We can't have anything remote about it as they work on goverment contracts so none of it can be networked outside of the office. Is there not a piece of software that can let me just manage 6 outputs on 1 monitor? 

[ProjectBox153]

10 hours ago, Leonofhyjal said:

Right now he's using 6 very old Dell Optiplex 780 workstations as his 6 difference video sources.

You calling my OptiPlex 780 old???

 

As for the question at hand, I think you may be better with multiple, lower powered GPUs running in one machine. You'll have enough outputs, but you'll have to manage individually what is one what display. What software are you using? 

[Leonofhyjal]

1 hour ago, Jamiec1130 said:

You calling my OptiPlex 780 old???

 

As for the question at hand, I think you may be better with multiple, lower powered GPUs running in one machine. You'll have enough outputs, but you'll have to manage individually what is one what display. What software are you using? 

I'm actually thinking about using unraid for the 6 vm's. Now i've just gotta find a motherboard that I like that has onboard graphics lol. Any mobo's you guys recommend? I'd really like to stick with 2011v3 if I can find one with onboard video. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

33 minutes ago, Leonofhyjal said:

I'm actually thinking about using unraid for the 6 vm's. Now i've just gotta find a motherboard that I like that has onboard graphics lol. Any mobo's you guys recommend? I'd really like to stick with 2011v3 if I can find one with onboard video. 

stay away from unraid. vms are messy and not offically supported

 

you want one file server(id get something like a synologyor qnap)

 

then a ton of little media players connected to it. you could if you want use thinkclients like dell wyse

[Leonofhyjal]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

stay away from unraid. vms are messy and not offically supported

 

you want one file server(id get something like a synologyor qnap)

 

then a ton of little media players connected to it. you could if you want use thinkclients like dell wyse

Could I still use things like these for the outputs? I'm pretty sure that's a no go. 

 

https://www.tripplite.com/hdmi-over-cat5-cat6-extender-splitter-transmitter-video-audio-1920x1200-1080p-60hz-4-port~B126004/

https://www.tripplite.com/HDMI-Over-Cat5-Cat6-Extender-Extended-Range-Wall-Plate-Receiver-Video-Audio-1920x1200-1080p-60Hz~B126-1A0-WP-1

 

Wouldn't I need a thinkclient at every tv display in the building that way?? That's just crazy and impractical >.>

[Leonofhyjal]

Just now, Leonofhyjal said:

Could I still use things like these for the outputs? I'm pretty sure that's a no go. 

 

https://www.tripplite.com/hdmi-over-cat5-cat6-extender-splitter-transmitter-video-audio-1920x1200-1080p-60hz-4-port~B126004/

https://www.tripplite.com/HDMI-Over-Cat5-Cat6-Extender-Extended-Range-Wall-Plate-Receiver-Video-Audio-1920x1200-1080p-60Hz~B126-1A0-WP-1

 

Wouldn't I need a thinkclient at every tv display in the building that way?? That's just crazy and impractical >.>

To add to this: All of the feeds need to run the cat6 cabling that's already installed in the building. I already know how i'm going to chain all of the tripplite boxes together (at least for the 6 different feeds), manage, and power them. Again, I just need recommendations on what to use to power the damn thing lol. All i've come up with to use unraid (or some other vm software). I'm not to worried about the nas side of unraid as this system isn't going to have a boat load of storage to begin with, so i'm sure unraid will do just fine. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

5 minutes ago, Leonofhyjal said:

Could I still use things like these for the outputs? I'm pretty sure that's a no go. 

 

https://www.tripplite.com/hdmi-over-cat5-cat6-extender-splitter-transmitter-video-audio-1920x1200-1080p-60hz-4-port~B126004/

https://www.tripplite.com/HDMI-Over-Cat5-Cat6-Extender-Extended-Range-Wall-Plate-Receiver-Video-Audio-1920x1200-1080p-60Hz~B126-1A0-WP-1

 

Wouldn't I need a thinkclient at every tv display in the building that way?? That's just crazy and impractical >.>

Most tv's these days(and almost all commerical ones, which you should be using) have media players build and can be remotely managed. Just connect them to the network(if you worried about spying shove them on a vlan with just the nas).

 

Doing video over hdmi is a huge pain and a very hacky solution.

[Leonofhyjal]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Most tv's these days(and almost all commerical ones, which you should be using) have media players build and can be remotely managed. Just connect them to the network(if you worried about spying shove them on a vlan with just the nas).

 

Doing video over hdmi is a huge pain and a very hacky solution.

The problem is that about half of the tv's aren't smart tv's lol... The pains of buying a space with pre-existing hardware in some locations. I'd really rather not replace those units. 

 

What do you mean about video over hdmi being "very hacky"? those tripplite units run it over cat6, besides a 2 foot cable from the wallplate. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Leonofhyjal said:

The problem is that about half of the tv's aren't smart tv's lol... The pains of buying a space with pre-existing hardware in some locations. I'd really rather not replace those units. 

 

What do you mean about video over hdmi being "very hacky"? those tripplite units run it over cat6, besides a 2 foot cable from the wallplate. 

Then get something like a pi to play media.

 

Your running a ton a cat 6 now without ethernet, there are going to be a ton of wires and thats always a pain.

 

Then your will need either windows with a ton of monitors attached or vms, both aren't great solutions.

[Leonofhyjal]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Then get something like a pi to play media.

 

Your running a ton a cat 6 now without ethernet, there are going to be a ton of wires and thats always a pain.

 

Then your will need either windows with a ton of monitors attached or vms, both aren't great solutions.

Wrong all of the cat6 is already installed... Guys, its only 6 vm's >.> I'll split the signal using the tripplite boxes AFTER the computer. So the number of displays really doesn't matter. Again, just need advise on the pc itself. Everything after that point is already handled lol. 

 

Side question: Do usb keysboards that are connect to a pc via a usb hub still show a hardware ID? Or will I only see the hardware ID for the hub itself? Trying to wrap my head around needing 6 different keyboards for my VM's. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Leonofhyjal said:

Wrong all of the cat6 is already installed... Guys, its only 6 vm's >.> I'll split the signal using the tripplite boxes AFTER the computer. So the number of displays really doesn't matter. Again, just need advise on the pc itself. Everything after that point is already handled lol. 

 

Side question: Do usb keysboards that are connect to a pc via a usb hub still show a hardware ID? Or will I only see the hardware ID for the hub itself? Trying to wrap my head around needing 6 different keyboards for my VM's. 

why use vms?

 

Just use one or two gpu with multi monitors. and put the player on the needed windows.

 

 

[Leonofhyjal]

4 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

why use vms?

 

Just use one or two gpu with multi monitors. and put the player on the needed windows.

 

 

Now don't quote me on this but i'm pretty sure that windows won't detect those tripplite boxes as displays. Soo I'd have to use a VM because to get 6 difference sources from 1 pc (where the displays are over on another floor of the building atleast) each gpu has be act as a standalone unit. 

[Leonofhyjal]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

why use vms?

 

Just use one or two gpu with multi monitors. and put the player on the needed windows.

 

 

Now don't quote me on this but i'm pretty sure that windows won't detect those tripplite boxes as displays. Soo I'd have to use a VM because to get 6 difference sources from 1 pc (where the displays are over on another floor of the building atleast) each gpu has be act as a standalone unit. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, Leonofhyjal said:

Now don't quote me on this but i'm pretty sure that windows won't detect those tripplite boxes as displays. Soo I'd have to use a VM because to get 6 difference sources from 1 pc (where the displays are over on another floor of the building atleast) each gpu has be act as a standalone unit. 

they should show up as anyother display. If it didn't show up as a display then the vm's couldn't use it either.

[tt2468]

On 4/18/2017 at 9:39 PM, Leonofhyjal said:

We can't have anything remote about it as they work on goverment contracts so none of it can be networked outside of the office. Is there not a piece of software that can let me just manage 6 outputs on 1 monitor? 

What I mean is that you can have one pc with the control software controlling the slave nucs over the LAN