Looking for FOSS video media server options

I have a scenario where a client is wanting to transition from a Bitband media server to something they can have better control over. Here's the scenario:

windows XP clients (200+) using WMP11 (or vlc) connecting over 100/1000 lan want to connect to RTSP VOD resource. The client has already spent alot of money to encode thousands of videos in mpeg2 TS so using flash is not really the best option (but can be done as a last resort if features are good). The server would need to have the ability to stream an entire folder of videos not just individual "publishing points" (to use a MS term).

To compound matters, the servers & clients will be in a remote location from the client so physical access will be limited but broadband access is present.

Here is what I have suggested for now live555 server ubuntu, munin, monit, webmin

configuring a RAID1 using mdadm for storage & of course snmp monitoring.

I've little experience in using any of the DLNA servers so that may even be an option. Basically, the end user would be viewing a webpage through a kiosk type environment & selecting the video from the menu for playback. This may include having 10 different users viewing the same video at the same time.

It seems the REAL & Darwin servers are limited in their output & VLC wants to share individual resources, not a folder. Are their other media servers that might function better or are used in a broader capacity (ie: better support community, docs ?). What options are there ?

From serverfault Pete

• VLC should be able to do exactly what you want. I'm not familiar with the details but the documentation for streaming:

  http://www.videolan.org/doc/streaming-howto/en/streaming-howto-en.html

  describes multiple scenarios including streaming multiple files for VOD:

  http://www.videolan.org/doc/streaming-howto/en/ch05.html

  From Kevin Kuphal

• AFAIK, it's not that Real and Darwin are limited, it's that WMP only support Microsoft's nonstandard flavor of RTSP. To my knowledge, the only RTSP servers that have that capability are non-free (Helix, WMS, Vantrix).

  Pete : Putting aside that WMS isn't FOSS, it is my understanding that WMS supports only wmv/asf format ? Vantrix looks like it's a commercial product as well. VLC is a secondary option however, Helix & Darwin are indeed limited in the FOSS version in how many users can connect & the formats you are able to stream. https://helix-server.helixcommunity.org/2006/devdocs/helix_server_comparision

  Adam D'Amico : What I was attempting to convey is that if you want to stream RTSP to Windows Media Player, your server-side choices are limited to commercial products. I'm fairly certain that's true, but not 100% because I haven't done any VLC hacking.
  From Adam D'Amico