Basics: Getting Started with Catalyst and a Computer
What performance attributes do I require?
The real question is this: what do you need to do artistically with Catalyst to be successful? Your answer may be very vague - do cool stuff - or it may be very specific - play back four Standard Definition movies simultaneously at 30 fps. Whatever your requirements may be, they should influence your purchasing decisions, construction and specification of a Catalyst Software based media server.
Examples of performance related considerations that might apply to you:
Will you be working with High Definition video or movie files? If yes, you may need the best possible machine, at minimum a Catalyst Pro Hardware Configuration.
Playback smoothness and speed - if it's important that you playback >2 Standard Definition movies or video simultaneously while maintaining full fps playback, invest in at least a Catalyst DV Hardware Configuration.
While one size won't always fit all - the Catalyst hardware configuration examples outlined in this Catalyst Support Guide will satisfy most creative needs and budgets. If you need to work with uncompressed or high-resolution movies, you may need to implement a custom hard disk array or special graphics card configuration.
Some hardware configurations can affect performance for multiple layer playback. For example, a Catalyst server running on a Dual 2.0 GHz G5 with all stock media served on an Atlas IV 10,000 RPM SCSI drive can generally playback a maximum of four simultaneous movies at PAL or NTSC resolutions and framerates, or fewer at higher resolutions. The additional layers available in Catalyst Pro software can still be used effectively for masks, video input, images/gobos or for pre-loading movies.
