Video capture on a T42?

[STLEric]

I've been looking at options for transferring VHS tapes to DVD-Rs with my T42, and I have a few questions, if anyone can help:

1. I've got the 5400 RPM 80GB hard drive (though I do have a 250GB 7200RPM external as well, which would likely be used), 512MB RAM (I plan to upgrade to 1.5GB in the not-too-altogether-distant future), and the Radeon 7500 video card (32MB) - is it realistic to expect reasonable video capture from my computer in the first place? (i.e. Not limited to a low frame rate, no frame dropping, errors, etc.)

2. (Given that the system performance doesn't preclude it in the first place) What's the best option for video capture/RCA input with a T42? I know that the Canopus devices generally work pretty well, but is USB 2.0 video capture reliable, given that most options use Firewire? And if not, should I be looking at PCMCIA cards for Firewire ports?

3. Any other words of wisdom?

Thanks, everybody!

[treker]

Up front. I do not use my T42 to capture video. But I have some experience capturing video to my desktop. Your VHS player probably does not have firewire output, so no need to get a firewire input device. Rather, you would use something like the Pinnacle Dazzle. It takes your standard audio/video output (or S-Video) from a VHS tape player and converts it to USB. The software included is adequate. I have burned many DVDs from my old VHS tapes using it. I got the Dazzle for $12 from bestbuy a couple of months ago. But any analog to digital conversion box should work. I got very good results with no dropouts using the Dazzle and my dekstop with a fast quadcore. I would expect the same with your laptop.

Good luck.