[tvcollector]

I would buy a standalone DVD recorder, and use an old 80s VCR to transfer from.. DVD/VHS combos are complete utter garbage... Using WinTV or any of these types of capture devices tend to be a bad idea.. The signal between the tape and the computer may result in flickery color or other issues with the picture, also not to mention if you don't have a super high speed PC, you'll most likely end up with dropped frames and stuttery speed recordings.. I would use a DVD recorder and then transfer the DVD (.Vob) files to a external hard drive to have an extra back up, or to re-edit and add features to your movies using a movie editing program like Sony Vegas or Power Director.. I would keep the tapes, as someone mentioned they will last for a long time if kept stored in a proper climate..

I've also heard of people going to Goodwills and buying old Tivos and somehow transferring that way, but you would have to talk to someone who knows how to do this.. If I heard correctly some old Tivos need to be treaked to be turned on somehow.. I've also seen DVD recorders out there that do have hard drives, which seems to be rare in the last few years, but as far as transferring the file directly to computer without burning to disc is beyond me...