Will be getting a linux server, any good distro for video editing (noob) ??

[mordor]

Hey guys

I know almost nothing of linux and will be getting a dedi server with linux on it, since its more expensive with windows,. i want to try with linux first to see if i can work with it.

I've played with linux a couple of times in my own PC, but dont remember almost nothing, so just like to know what would be a good distro to start with, i think i can choose between those:

* Ubuntu Desktop 8.04
* Debian
* Ubuntu Server
* Open Suse 11
* Red Hat Ent. Linux 5
* Fedora 11
* CentOS
* Gentoo
* Slackware 12.1
* Mandriva

I believe CentOS and Debian are the "easiest" ones, am i right ?

I think what i'll be doing is basically just cutting and watermarking videos. Does linux have good tools for this ?

Also, any idea if the usage and encoding will be faster than using a Windows remote desktop ??

What are the basic codec packs and tools i would need to start with ?? Best video tools for those tasks i need ?? I want quality videos

Sorry for the many question, and thanks a lot

[courtrrb]

I use Mandriva for all my video editing and I do mean all. Most if not all of the Linux tools found at this site are available pre-packaged already.

[disturbed1]

Are you renting a VPS? Those look like OS templates. Hope you have one with a minimum of 512MB dedicated.

You'll want something that is easy to install packages, and has a light RAM foot print. Debian and Ubuntu are quite easy to use and manage, with Debian being not nearly as heavy on resources as Ubuntu.

Debian has their own multimedia repo ( http://debian-multimedia.org/ ) and rarewares.org also maintains Debian packages ( http://www.rarewares.org/debian.php ).

Does linux have good tools for this ? Yes
faster than using a Windows remote desktop ?? Loaded question. Is a Ford faster than a Chevy? A Ford Escort is not faster than a Chevy Camaro, but a Ford Mustang is faster than a Chevy Citation Depends on the resources available to each environment.
basic codec packs and tools i would need to start with ?? Ffmpeg, mplayer, vlc.
Best video tools for those tasks i need ?? Avidemux, mencoder, ffmpeg, .....................
https://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/linux-video-tools

[sammie]

Sorry, I don't mean this to sound sarcastic, but I can't seem to phrase it so it isn't.

How are you getting a dedicated Linux server that is more expensive than Windows and don't have a distro?????

Generally speaking, a Linux server is going to be cheaper. Now you can certainly get a high end pro server with lots of install and runtime support that costs big bucks, and they will be pretty nice. But that kind of setup, your installer/support vendor is going to pick the distro.

Plus, servers are by their nature set up very differently than a vido/graphics workstation. Servers are usually pretty low end as far as graphics etc. They don't use it and don't need it. I've seen very high end servers still running on old TTL monitors. There are distributed processing servers, but I assume you aren't talking about setting up a rendering farm.

If you just want a nice desktop workstation you have a bunch of choices. I've had good luck with Ubuntu and Mandriva. I tend to like any Debian based system. Some people swear by SuSe, others Slackware and Red Hat. For a newbie, I sometimes think Linspire is tough to beat, but probably doesn't meet your desire for a real high end.

All of which I am hoping is a nice way of saying go back to whoever you are getting your system from and ask some more questions, do some more research. Pardon the pun but what you are saying doesn't quite compute.

[freebird73717]

Sorry, I don't mean this to sound sarcastic, but I can't seem to phrase it so it isn't.

How are you getting a dedicated Linux server that is more expensive than Windows and don't have a distro?????

I know almost nothing of linux and will be getting a dedi server with linux on it, since its more expensive with windows

I think you misread his post.

[sammie]

Thanks freebird, you are right. But still the rest stands, a server isn't likely to be a good choice for any sort of video or graphics work and he may get a bad taste in his mouth for Linux simply because he is using the wrong box.

What I would suggest mordor is scan the various Distros Linux hardware compatability lists and find out what is supported. You used to be able to get nice Linux based desktops from IBM and from Dell. I think IBM is now only selling Linux servers and Dell only low end boxes. So you may be more into the build it yourself game or several of the commercial distros will sell pre-built boxes or barebones systems with an install and driver list and lists of compatible hardware.

Then spend some time here looking at all the Linux threads look for gotchas and problems as well as sucess stories. If you a newbie you should spend a lot of time figuring out which tools come packaged natively for the various distros and package mangers. It can be amazingly difficult for a newbie to correctly install a program that isn't packaged for your distro.

[disturbed1]

Thanks freebird, you are right. But still the rest stands, a server isn't likely to be a good choice for any sort of video or graphics work and he may get a bad taste in his mouth for Linux simply because he is using the wrong box.

EC2 makes a great video editing/encoding platform - though I think I can see what your trying to say.
When someone mentions server I instantly think enterprise, which entails enterprise encoding, editing, and authoring situations. Perhaps I am alone in assuming this, while you and the OP are concerned with Home based encoding/editing/authoring. Enterprise server clusters can turn projects out in a snap. If you have 300 videos that need to be rendered for online content, you'd be a fool not to employ one of the many offerings available out there. Even a pair of the fastest dual quad-cpu workstations can not begin to compare to the pure raw power of something as mainstream as EC2 - and those are just entry level.

If this is not for an Enterprise situation, follow what sammie suggests.