Dec99-08: Efficient MPEG Encoding on Inexpensive Hardware


Given the explosive rate at which computer processing power is growing, one question that continuously arises is whether or not there is any practical use for outdated hardware. Because of the highly parallel and resource hungry nature of the popular JPEG and MPEG compression algorithms, it may be possible that a network of inexpensive computers working in tandem could have a price/performance advantage over a single newer computer performing the same task. The team need to develop an application that performs MPEG compression on a small cluster of computers scavenged from around campus. The program will be based on the Berkeley Continuous Media Toolkit and will run on the Linux operating system. This new software will be benchmarked against machine under a similar workload to determine if any benefit result.

Client and Project Advisor: Dr. James Davis

Team Members:
Bryan A. Burkhardt - CprE
Eric M. Stauffer - CpreE
Matthew Virgo - CprE



Project Plan - Feb. 9, 1999
Design Review - April 27, 1999
Final Report - Sept. 12, 1999
Presentation - Oct. 26, 1999