Why Flash Media Server

Hi All,
As it stands currently, I'm developing online teaching applications that faculty can use in their classes, as well as encoding and uploading videos to our Windows Servers.  For database management, I'm coding server side scripts in PHP, and dumping everything into MySQL.  Then embedding all the content into Moodle (which is hosted by a 3rd party).
I'm looking at a Flash Server Solution for a couple of reasons:
1) Delivering Streaming video instead of Progressive Download
2) Allowing instructors to encode and upload their own videos (similar to YouTube) without having to go through my office
3) Providing extra copyright security - in order to use some copyright videos, we have to ensure that only the students who are enrolled in specific classes can access the data.  As it stands now, a smart student with the right URL can download anything we have up on our Windows servers.
Some Questions and concerns:
1) I don't know Cold Fusion.  Will I have to rewrite all my scripts for that?  Can Flash Media Server run PHP?
2) This is probably a really stupid one, but... Is Flash Server it's own platform, or does it have to run on a Windows or Linux box?
3) Does it need its own dedicated machine?  Can you run a virtual server with Flash Server?
4) Which of the different flavors of Flash Server are best?
5) What kind of hardware specs are we looking at?  We have 20,000 students and maybe a few thousand at any one time would have to access
Sorry about all the dumb questions.  I'm mostly an app developer, but am in the position of having to make this decision, and then defend the decision if I decide to puruse a Flash server solution.
Thanks for your help.

Hi riquigley,
Following are quick answers on a few of your questions.  Hopefully other folks will add their thoughts and also answer the questions I have skipped over.
4) Which of the different flavors of Flash Server are best?
-- FOR STRAIGHT VIDEO STREAMING USE Flash Media Streaming Server.  THE PRICE POINT IS LOWER THAN Flash Media Interactive Server (aka FMIS. FMIS IS ONLY NEEDED FOR INTERACTIVE APPLICATIONS, E.G. MULTIUSER, CHAT, ETC.)
-- COMPARE EDITIONS PAGE HERE:
http://www.adobe.com/products/flashmediaserver/compare/
2) ... does it have to run on a Windows or Linux box?
-- YES.  FMS IS A SERVICE THAT RUNS ON AN OS.  WINDOWS AND RED HAT LINUX ARE SUPPORT. FULL REQUIREMENTS HERE:
http://www.adobe.com/products/flashmediastreaming/systemreqs/
3) Does it need its own dedicated machine?  Can you run a virtual server with Flash Server?
-- DEDICATED MACHINE *NOT* REQUIRED.
-- HOSTED SOLUTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TOO.  HOSTED SOLUTIONS MAY OFFER: A) BETTER QUALITY; B) LOWER TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP; C) QUICKER START TO LAUNCH.
-- SEE LIST OF HOSTING PARTNERS, AKA CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) HERE:
http://www.adobe.com/products/flashmediaserver/fvss/
1) I don't know Cold Fusion.  Will I have to rewrite all my scripts for that?  Can Flash Media Server run PHP?
-- COLDFUSION NOT REQUIRED.  EITHER PHP OR COLDFUSION CAN BE USED TO MANAGE METADATA (INCLUDING SQL DATABASE INTERACTION).
-- PHP AND COLDFUSION HANDLE ALL HTTP REQUESTS AND RETURN DYNAMICALLY GENERATED PAGES TO THE USERS' BROWSERS.
-- FLASH MEDIA SERVER HANDLES ALL RTMP REQUESTS.  DYNAMICALLY GENERATED PAGES FROM PHP WILL INCLUDE THE RTMP URLs THAT THE FLASH/FLEX SWFs USE IN THE BROWSER TO REQUEST THE RTMP STREAMS FROM THE FLASH MEDIA SERVERS.
hth,
g

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