The recording and broadcasting server is a professional server system designed for audio and video acquisition, real-time recording, data storage, encoding processing and network distribution. Its main function is to encode and compress the content input by the front-end acquisition device in real time and save it in a playable file format, and realize on-demand, downloading, live broadcast and other operations through the local area network or the Internet. The recording and broadcasting server can not only be used for local recording, courseware production, and teaching reuse, but also support large-scale remote live broadcast and post-content management. It is the key hub for realizing "informatization + multimedia".
Common recording and broadcasting server deployment forms
According to the differences in actual use environment and functional requirements, the deployment methods of recording and broadcasting servers can be roughly divided into the following categories:
1. Independent hardware recording and broadcasting server
This type of product is usually a rack-mounted or embedded device, integrating audio and video acquisition cards, storage disk arrays, streaming media processing modules, etc. It has extremely strong stability and is suitable for fixed scenes such as primary and secondary school classrooms, courts, and hospital operating rooms.
2. Software recording and broadcasting server (local server)
Users can deploy the recording and broadcasting software on a standard server and access it through an acquisition card or IP camera to realize the acquisition, recording and encoding functions. Suitable for units that are cost-sensitive but have certain IT operation and maintenance capabilities.
3. Cloud recording and broadcasting platform
The cloud recording and broadcasting system built on public cloud services supports elastic expansion and no local hardware deployment. It is particularly suitable for distributed training platforms, online education institutions or cross-regional enterprise training scenarios.
Key considerations for selecting recording and broadcasting servers
Choosing a suitable recording and broadcasting server is not easy. It requires a comprehensive evaluation from multiple dimensions such as technical indicators, application scenarios, compatibility, and security. The following are several key points that must be focused on during the selection process:
1. Input interface and compatibility
The recording and broadcasting server must be compatible with the front-end acquisition equipment actually used, for example: whether it supports multiple inputs such as HDMI, SDI, VGA, and webcams; whether it can simultaneously access multiple video sources to meet multi-angle shooting requirements; whether it supports audio synchronization input and noise reduction processing.
2. Encoding and processing performance
The performance of the recording and broadcasting server directly determines the recording quality and concurrent capability: it is recommended to select a device that supports H.264/H.265 encoding format; multi-core CPU and GPU co-processing are required for high concurrent recording requirements; for remote live broadcast, real-time transcoding and adaptive bit rate functions are also required.
3. Storage capacity and data security
The local storage capacity is at least the average daily recording data × the number of days of storage (RAID5/RAID10 is recommended to ensure data redundancy); support remote storage interface (such as FTP, SMB, S3 protocol); data should have automatic backup mechanism and expiration cleanup strategy.
4. Management system and permission control
An easy-to-use and powerful backend system will greatly improve efficiency: whether it supports unified management of multiple recording and broadcasting terminals on the web; whether it supports permission control of different user groups (such as teachers, students, administrators); whether it can automatically generate recording directories and automatically push playback links.
5. Network and live broadcast capabilities
If live broadcast/remote transmission is required, bandwidth and protocol support are particularly important: whether it supports mainstream streaming protocols (RTMP, HLS, SRT); whether it integrates CDN acceleration services or seamlessly connects with third-party CDN; whether it supports breakpoint resumption, playback authentication, live broadcast recording synchronization, etc.
6. Stability and operation and maintenance capabilities
Whether the device supports 7×24 hours of continuous recording; whether it has temperature control, abnormal restart protection, and remote operation and maintenance functions; whether it provides a complete log record and alarm notification mechanism.
When purchasing a recording and broadcasting server, you should not only focus on the price, but should use "stability, compatibility, scalability, and security" as the core evaluation criteria. According to the actual usage scenario, choose the adaptation solution of hardware, software or cloud platform, and combine the API capabilities and technical support provided by the manufacturer to build a truly efficient, intelligent, and scalable recording and broadcasting system, which is a wise choice for the future.
