Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
own. It will get you thinking in the right way, and that will pay dividends when your busi-
ness grows larger.
29.2.6
System Design
Work out the various connectivity requirements of your system. What equipment will you
be installing? What sources and destinations do you have? Decide on standards for video
and audio delivery. Make lists of equipment and ascertain whether each one has an
Ethernet connector on the back. If it does, then it will need an IP address allocated. Draw
up lots of lists and make diagrams to help you plan.
It is not necessary to create many complex diagrams. A few sketches of your system
connections will be helpful if you need to do some maintenance later on. The main reason
for this level of detail is to help you see what you are building and plan it properly. We
will come back to this example and build on it later. You should prepare at least the fol-
lowing documentation:
Connection layout diagram showing major equipment and cabling required.
●
A summary of your wiring circuits.
●
A list of sources and destinations with details of their format.
●
A set of competitive price quotations for each major component.
●
A budget plan with capital, building, commissioning, and maintenance costs.
●
For larger installations, a summary of power requirements.
●
Also for larger installations, a summary of heat dissipation.
●
29.3
Purchasing Strategies
Be realistic about what you actually need and what you can get by with for now if money
is scarce. You can probably do without that fastest and best new CPU that has just been
launched. In 6 months' time it will not be the fastest anyway, because a better model will
have been launched by then. Staying just behind that technology curve can save you thou-
sands of dollars. The same applies to disk storage and versions of software.
29.3.1
Good Deals on Hardware
If you are buying Apple Computer hardware, there are several reliable refurbished-
systems suppliers. A refurbished machine comes with a factory guarantee and has noth-
ing substantially wrong with it. So what if there is a small scratch on the case?—these are
good deals.
Look for end-of-life product lines. Right around the time a manufacturer is about to
introduce a new model, the old lines are often sold at reduced prices. The prices decline
even further after the new model comes out. This happens because the distribution chan-
nels need to be cleared of old stock before the new machines start shipping. This is the
smart way to stay just behind the leading edge. These systems are a good value because
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