Well, a quick update here, on the state of this project. The output from the jrok board is apparently something that current gen capture devices aren't too keen on. I bought two different devices, one a low-cost composite and s-video usb capture "stick", and the other a more pricey component/composite/s-video "gaming" capture device. Both of them get an image, but the results are not great and nothing I could ever stream.
I talked to jrok, and he recommended an old sabrent PCI capture card, which he is certain will work with the output from the encoder. So, I bought one off ebay, and got it last week. The problem is, it doesn't work on any OS newer than XP.
So, just put together an XP dual boot with my current gen computer, you say? Well, that was my idea too, but it turned out to be much more difficult than one would think. My current gen computer won't even boot the xp install disk. I finally got the computer which I've been using as the family file server (archive storage of important pictures, docs, etc.) to the point that it boots XP, and XP is fully updated. The only problem: it doesn't have a PCI slot. So, I had to dig around on ebay until I found a motherboard with the same chipset that has a PCI slot. This particular chipset was apparently the absolute low budget option at the time, cuz all of the mobos I could find are all micro atx with very few bells or whistles. But, I found one, ordered it, and next weekend (thankfully a holiday weekend), I will swap the mobo, screw around with windows xp some more to get it to work on the new mobo, and then work on capturing on that computer, and streaming to my Windows 7 computer via VLC, because of course, OBS does not work on Windows XP, so it couldn't just be as simple as that.
Another parallel path I'm running is acquiring an old Happauge WinTV PVR USB2. This device worked with the capture setup I had going on my street fighter cabinet a few years back. Granted, that setup used a different encoder, but I figure it's probably worth a shot. I owned a WinTV PVR, and was actually trying to use it in the early stages of this project, but couldn't get the software that supports Windows 7 to install. You need the original installation disk that came with the device, and I couldn't find it anywhere. Sadly enough, I took it to the last local electronics recycling drive, about a month ago. As I was digging through drawers trying to find parts to make XP work on the family file server, guess what I found? You guessed it: the original Happauge installation disk. So, again back to ebay, and there are two WinTV PVR USB2's for auction. Dirt cheap, too. But, as you would probably guess, they don't come with cables or the original power supply. And yes, you guessed right again, when I scrapped the previous WinTV PVR that I owned, the power supply went with it. So, I e-mailed Happauge, and lo and behold, they actually still sell replacement power supplies. So, one of those is on order, too.
This project is probably going to be the death of me. If neither of these paths produce a workable stream direct from my cab, then my only other option is to wait for jrok to test current gen capture devices, and make a recommendation...which he said he would do, but who knows how long that will take.
Hopefully, I will be updating this with some good news next week.
