Beagle,
I'm beginning to see the light! Thanks for the lucid description- things are much clearer now.
Since most of my VCR recordings that I may want to transfer to DVD are not of great quality in the first place, the present set-up will probably do. However, if I ever get an hour or two to experiment, I'll give your set-up a go. (Definitely when, in the near future, I upgrade to a Plasma or big LCD screen.)
Thanks again,
Tosh