I need help in setting up my computer to copy VHS tapes and Direct TV
digital recordings to DVD. The DVD's will be for personal use only. I
have fair mechanical skills but somewhat less skilled at setting up
computer programs.
Please be specific as to what equipment and/or software to buy as in a
NEC 3500A DVD burner, NERO 6 software or ATI RADON 9800 card etc. I
normally use good quality RCA cables for my A/V hook ups.
The following are the systems and specs of my equipment.

Dell DimensionTM  4600
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology (2.80GHz, 800 FSB)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
512MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz (4x128M)
40GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
Single Drive: 48x CD-RW Drive
48x CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo Drive


The DISH 721 is a two-tuner, Digital Video Recording (DVR) satellite receiver 
2 sets RCA-type audio/video outputs
? 1 S-Video output
? 1 optical digital output for Dolby® Digital and PCM digital audio


The VCR has RCA and S-Video output

I'm not sure of the difficulty of this question. Please let me know.

Well alls you need is the software and the video card with the poper
connections. I would suggest somethins like this
http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?Part_Number=128-A8-N331-AX
but if it isnt in the budget then i would see about going for
something cheaper. You don't need a highend tv tuner video card like
that.

Thanks for the suggestion davids77 but this looks more like something
to be used as output to a TV. I'm only wanting to burn DVD's and then
view the DVD's on other devices.

There's many product in the market can do that in a ease.  The setting
you're looking for is more advance.
For the basic user(just hook up the VCR and Output to DVD).
1.  Get a DVD recorder(they're cheaper now and you can hook it up
directly with a VCD).
Here's an example
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001G0FFI/qid=1098726163/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-8386520-3613761?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846

For a little more advanced user:
1.  P4 Intel 2.8(more is better)
2.  ATI AIW 9800 or a good Video Capture card or a good external video
capture device:
Plextor ConvertX Digital Video Converter
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001CJF3A/qid=1098726363/sr=8-3/ref=pd_csp_3/102-8386520-3613761?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846
3.  Most of the card come with the video capture software.
4.  Fast Hard Drive(SATA in RAID or SCSI will be better).
5.  A better sound card (sound blaster audigy will be good enough).
6.  All video capture card will come with the S-Video(S-video is more
clear than the RCA cable).
7.  Any DVD burner will works(the Media-Brand of the DVDs make the different).
8.  If you need some DVD software to create the DVD like Movie Factory 3 from ulead
http://www.ulead.com/dmf/runme.htm

Try the link below;

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/docloader_n.asp?templ=10&doclink=/WebVideo/digitalvideocreator90/English(UK)/doc/key_features_uk.html&Product_ID=2252&Langue_ID=2&loc=spec&division_id=

Hi, If you have not yet found a suitable answer, please post here again.
I do what you require every day of my life as a way to earn extra
money since I am retired from the IT industry now (have been in IT
from 1974 - 60 next birthday)

In short (will give exact details if required) if you want to directly
create DVD's from your VCR (Should be Stereo, VHS or Betamax), there
is only one capture card I have found that works every time, the card
is made by "Adaptec". I use the software supplied and a LG DVD Writer
most of the time. One of my other computers has an A-Open DVD Writer
in, and works just as well.

As far as I am concerned, the specs of you Dell is just fine, at some
time you should consider adding a larger 2nd hard drive, they are very
cheap now days. For starters however, it will do just fine. All you
will rquire is the "Adaptec" card and a DVD Writer

Kindest regards - Grottoman

Thanks for the help grottoman.
 Would you please expand on your answer. I went to the Adaptec site
but I'm not sure what to look for. Is a capture card the same as a I/O
card? What type of card would work on my system? SCSI, ATA, etc. Do I
need a Macro-buster to make backup DVD's of my VHS tapes?
TIA, sunspot

Hello again Sunspot,

Well here we go with what I think is a very easy and cost effective solution.

The kit to purchase from Adaptec is called "VideOh! PCI AVC-2000"
   In the box will be all you need to connect your VCR or Sat. TV to your PC.

Steps are very simple :-
   1) Power PC down and make sure Mains Power Source also disconnected
   2) Open case and slot AVC-2000 PCI card into available slot
   3) Close case, connect power and power up PC
   4) While PC is booting, open CD/DVD drive and pop in supplied Adaptec disk
   5) The Adaptec Menu is very easy - Install driver and Capture Software
   6) It is not required, but I prefer to re-boot after installation!!
   7) Included with the kit you will find an AV cable with 6 RCA
connectors, 3 connectors at each end. At each end you will find a
yellow(Video), Red(Right Stereo) and Black(Left Stereo)connector. Plug
one end into the colour coded sockets on the Adapted AVC-2000 card now
installed in your PC and the other end of this cabel into the colour
coded OUT sockets located at the back of your VCR.
   8) Make sure your speakers are switched on and correctly connected
to your PC, they are as important as the rest of your Video Capture
system. NOTE!! Since you have directly connected your VCR to the
AVC-2000, no other audio connection should be attempted - all is taken
care of.
   9) As I mantioned before, I use the latest LG DVD Writer as well as
the latest offering from A-Open, I am sure what-ever you have or
purchase will work as well. My Personal preference in Media is DVD+R,
I find 99% of consumer DVD players will play DVD+R format, some
players have a beef with DVD-R.
   10) So now it is time for you to Launch the included Software and
start playing. Remember to set NTSC or PAL, dependant on your region
(I use PAL in our country).

  The software is very easy, if you have any questions regarding
using, please post questions here again!!

Kindest regards

Grottoman

Thank you again Grottoman.
 That is the same model card I was looking at on searches via internet.
I now have a NEC 3500 burner ready to install with Nero 6, Suite 3
software. I may also buy the "1 Click" brand of copy software.
 I have a question on your #8 commemt above.
 I do not have speakers hooked up on my computer. Do I need them and/or why?
 "no other audio connection should be attempted" If my RCA audio
cables are hooked up between the VCR and the card, what else could I
hook up that would cause problems?
 One other question related to your comment about an extra hard drive
for video. After reseaching, I do agree that I could use a larger
drive. What would you recommend that will work in my Dell maybe in the
100GB range? Also, would it be an EIDE, SCSI or Serial drive?
 Thank you so much for your kind help Grottoman. I myself am 54 years
old and new to IT. I am on the learning curve, as they say.
 Best to you, sunspot.

Hi Sunspot - G again

About point #8 - possibly I worded it a bit badly.
A small note of explanation required here. When I first embarked on this
"MediaSwitch" project of mine, most hardware suppliers assured me
their hardware and software combo would work - I'm not talking about
firstly capture onto PC, then edit and then render and then burn to
DVD, I'm talking about the fastest possible solution to backup my VHS
movies directly to DVD. Many of the video capture cards I purchased
did not have dedicated audio input, but made use of the PC's sound
card to capture the sound from the VCR. Some even had the feature
where the Video capture card had another audio out that then had to be
fed back into the PC's Line in and so on, so it was all very messy
cable wise.
So from those experiances, I just wanted you to have it nice and easy
and simple, from VCR to Capture card with cable supplied.

I am not very familiar with Dell products, they have only been in our
country for a few years and are still a bit on the pricey side, so I
don't know if the sound in you PC is linked through Screen speakers,
internal speakers or seperate units, but am sure you baby has sound.
Well, when you capture video the speakers are an intergated part of
the monitoring process! Handy and fun.

Now about your hard drive. I worked for "Big Blue" for many years, and
so tend to err on the reliable side rather than the newest and fastest
(and sometimes not the most reliable) side. Those chaps at Dell I'm
sure did a good job when they designed your PC, so if it were me
adding a 2nd drive to my computer, this is what I would do!

Have a look at what make of drive is installed at present - from your
specs you mentioned 40Gig - 7200rpm, lets assume it is a Seagate
Barracuda, for the best reliabilty and least chance of any clashes I
would install a 120Gig Seagate Barracuda (nats 7200rpm). Make sure
both are set to cable select and that the 40 Gig is the last drive
connected on the 80 core ribbon cable!!

The other option I have used when a different make of drive is used,
it to mount the drive in a USB 2.0 external hard drive bracket, I have
used this with Video Capture with no problems at all. This option does
have the extra bonus of now being able to hook this hard drive onto
another computer with great ease!!

Wow, sorry I am so long winded!
Kindest regards for now
Grottoman - PS! I'm in Africa, where are you??

Thank you grottoman. I belive you have put me on the right path now.
I'll open up the case and see what brand is in there now.
 Dells are competitive in price here in the States (Alabama). I got my
system for <$500 delivered (no monitor).
 You were not long winded in the least. A novice needs all the
information he can get.
BTW, I was thinking you might have been Dutch.
Thank you so much for your help and advice. If you ever need
information on modern flashlights, let me know. It's a hobby of mine.
Yours, Dana

I have copied most of my home VHS tapes to DVD and have also captured
several TV programs and transferred to DVD.  I use a Sony VIAO which
is set up for the processes.  The only problems that I have
encountered relate to copyright material.  TV programs that are
encoded to be protected can only be played back on the PC on which
they are captured if the capture card recognizes the protected code
(copyright).  I believe that most new cards do.  Simalarly, my TV
capture card will not capture copyrighted VHS tapes when the VHS
player is connected directly to the capture card.  I am in the process
of trying to determine the best product to deal with these problems. 
I believe that Adaptec or ADC may have suitable products to handle the
VHS problem and possibly the TV program problem as well.  Web sites
are:  www.adaptec.com  and  www.adstech.com    Good luck with your
projects.