64bit Linux and Video

[harjo02]

I've been using XP Pro for some time on AMD 1800+, 512M RAM, 120G HD, and obviously a bit underpowered. Good enough for capture, rip, author, etc, but for transcoding and NLE/real time editing, it sucks.

I'd love to build a 64bit Linux machine but not sure if the money will be better spent on a higher end 32bit XP setup.

Any thoughts on good interoperability and stability mobos and cpus for 64bit Linux?

Any thoughts on which distro is the most mature and widely used 64bit?

Any thoughts on 64bit editing/transcoding apps?

Any thoughts on where I'd see higher performance on high end 32bit XP setup vs middle of the road 64bit Linux (given that all/most hardware is the same)? My thought is that a middle of the road 64bit Linux would out perform 32bit if for no other reason than I'd have much more efficient and increased use of memory addressing space...........moving bigger chunks faster.

[Garibaldi]

I've been using XP Pro for some time on AMD 1800+, 512M RAM, 120G HD, and obviously a bit underpowered. Good enough for capture, rip, author, etc, but for transcoding and NLE/real time editing, it sucks.

I'd love to build a 64bit Linux machine but not sure if the money will be better spent on a higher end 32bit XP setup.

Any thoughts on good interoperability and stability mobos and cpus for 64bit Linux?

Any thoughts on which distro is the most mature and widely used 64bit?

Any thoughts on 64bit editing/transcoding apps?

Any thoughts on where I'd see higher performance on high end 32bit XP setup vs middle of the road 64bit Linux (given that all/most hardware is the same)? My thought is that a middle of the road 64bit Linux would out perform 32bit if for no other reason than I'd have much more efficient and increased use of memory addressing space...........moving bigger chunks faster.

I haven't done too much research into 64bit distros yet, but I'll try and help with what I do know. I read a review on www.osnews.com about someone who set up a 64bit Debian install. I know there is a Debian port for 64bit, but it may be in the /testing or /unstable branch, but it is most likely still okay to use. The guy who installed it said that it worked great for most applications. He said that there were a few that he could only run 32bit so he created a "32bit environment" for it inside his Debian install, and he said it all worked fine. Debian (IMO) has always been a great distro and I would recommend it for 64bit too.

[edDV]

If you find any good MPeg2 encoders running under 32 or 64 bit Linux let us know. I can't think of any video application advantage to 64 bit except for effects or MPeg calculation.

It would be nice to have more machines rendering on a network.