Suggestions for Capture Cards

[OregonJim]

Hi Folks. I have been streaming my Amateur Radio club meeting using ustream.tv for several years now, but since ustream is now fully commercialized, I want to find another way. I would like to use Linux (I have lubuntu 12.10 installed) on a dual-core Atom machine with 4 g memory. The capture card I have is a PCI-based Pinnacle PCTV 800i, and I believe it is capable of doing a pretty good job, with decent video quality.

In the past we have used video/audio switchers with remote wireless as well as wired microphones, but as this process matured and the software for the capture card and streaming system got more complex, it is almost not worth all the effort for such poor quality results. Hence Linux and VLC.

I want to be able to capture standard video or HD and stream it to a streaming server at a friend's interconnect site, and want to use VLC to do so. I have not attempted to do this sort of thing in Linux, though, so I may be better off with a different video capture card, a different Linux version, or both. And a detailed How-to would be nice for my tired, old brain as well.

If you have any suggestions, please do reply. Since Amateur Radio clubs are there for public support as well as the hobby aspects, money can indeed be a problem, so please consider that before you reply with a suggestion to get a $150 capture card.

We have several SD Video cameras (RCA outputs, some have S-Video) at the present time.

Thanks for any and all guidance, it is most appreciated.

73 Jim KI7AY