Computer Hardware and Software #
- A computer running Windows, Linux, or Mac OS.
- 16GB+ RAM
- i7 Intel processor or equivalent
- 1TB+ SSD
- You need lots of storage space to store your videos and photos. Once your videos and photos have been uploaded to the cloud you can unsync them from your local machine. However, you definitely will want to move you customer files to an external backup drive.
- A second monitor (highly recommended)
- The above monitor is a great monitor. I own one. It has 4 USB 3 ports which come in really handy. If you don’t want to spend that much you can use any old shotty monitor lying around or you can buy a cheaper monitor.
- Insync (Developer Version)
- A Google Drive Account (or Dropbox or OneDrive)
- I have limited experience with Dropbox or OneDrive. If you plan to use either of those services I will not be able to provide much support.
- A large backup hard drive (4TB Portable HDDs are good. )
Choosing the right computer #
Server WTF?
The server is just going to be the computer that serves the Vidiot program at your dropzone.
Server Quality #
Generally speaking, computers that are built and sold as ‘sever’ have a high grade of hardware installed in them. This is because servers are built to run 24/7. If you are a busy dropzone and plan to have your ‘server’ computer running 24/7 for 6 months of the year you may want to purchase a server-grade computer.
Your Server #
Remember, the computer you choose to run the Vidiot program will likely need to run 24 hours a day in some cases. Although you might not be jumping 24 hours a day, the server computer you choose to set up may need to run 24 hours a day as it takes time to upload your tandem video and photos.
Server Considerations #
You can run the Vidiot program from any computer running Apache with PHP. If you are a small 1 Cessna DZ you might be able to get away with a cheap laptop to run the program. However, I would definitely consider purchasing at least one powerful desktop computer to ‘serve’ the Vidiot program.
Other Considerations #
The computer that is right for your DZ will depend on your video program. You will need answers to questions like:
- Do I want an all-in-one server editing station?
- Do I even need to provide customers with an edited video?
- Does my server need to run 24/7 all year long?
- Do I want my server to last?
Any computer dealing with video needs to have some power. I would opt for a computer with a high quality processor and lots of RAM. If you want me to help you just give me a call and I will guide you through the process.
