Well, PPRuNe Pop, 'tis funny you should raise the subject as I've just had to replace my DVD player which had eaten its laser after less then 2 years....
I bought the excellent Panasonic DMR-E55 DVD recorder (with multi-region hack). This has lots of inputs and outputs and I've now transferred 'Strategic Air Command', 'High Flight', 'Conflict of Wings', 'Out of the Clouds' and others from VHS to DVD. The Panasonic system uses 'DVD-R' discs for 'one-time' recording and you can 'finalize' them and play them on any other DVD player. Or it can use re-recordable DVD-RAM discs, but those can only be played on compatible DVD-RAM players....
The most basic way of transferring from VHS to DVD is to take a 'video out' feed from one of your VCRs and plug it into the 'input' sockets of the DVD recorder. The DMR-E55 will accept RF, 3 x phono (left, right and video), RGB, composite or S-VHS - take your pick! Just pop in the disc, select the correct input, start the tape and then hit record when you get to the bit you want. Easy peasy - honest!
My set-up is a little more complex as I have a Sky receiver, DVD recorder and VCR all feeding the TV. The Sky receiver feeds RGB via one Scart lead to the DVD recorder (AV2) and the DVD recorder passes it on to the TV's RGB Scart socket (AV1). The other Scart from the Sky receiver goes to the VCR's 'in' socket; the VCR's other 'in/out' Scart socket is connected to an adapter which connects to the TV's non-RGB socket (AV2) and also to the DVD recorder's rear panel 'input' sockets - 3 x phonos (AV4). To complicate things further, there's an RF daisy chain which takes the roof aerial input to the Sky receiver, from that to the VCR, from that to the DVD recorder and from that to a distribution splitter feeding the aerial sockets of the main TV and the kitchen TV...... That gives me 9 channels in the kitchen, 6 terrestrial plus Sat, VCR and DVD. Assigning the frequencies was somewhat laborious though!
Which means I can record from Sky to DVD or VHS, terrestrial to DVD or VHS and from VHS to DVD. You will be surprised how well your old VHS tapes transfer to DVD!
Next is to get a jobber which will allow me to connect the laptop to the DVD recorder to record certain 'canned' synthetic AAR exercises onto DVD for the 'day job'. Which must mean that it's a 'work tool' - and tax deductible! Sorry, Fat Gordon, that's another £250 off my net income which your grasping hands won't be taxing
PS - Leave the ads in, I suggest. They will have an historic value of their own in years to come! "Grandad - what was 'Hai Karate'? Did people really do the 'Shake and Vac' dance? And what was a Hamlet?"