Excellent and useful suggestion! I was lured by the siren call of a smaller file size to store and work with.

Here was what I was planning to do:
1. capture the entire tape, squish it into another format (was gonna be MPEG-1)
2. using the smaller files, edit out the scenes that I want for the final movie
3. render those down to something manageable
4. output to VHS and create files for a DVD (another dad has a DVD burner and doesn't yet know how to use it -- we're gonna burn that bridge later!)

Sounds like I should:
1. capture the tape & render to DV .avi (1/5 of many gigs is still smaller & I might be able to squeeze the original sources onto a set of backup CDs that way -- after trimming off the fluff...)
2. edit away in DV .avi format
3. go ahead with final arrangement, titles yada
4. do the output as planned.

now if I can only figure out why VF vid capture seems to act like is putting the video capture files onto my C: drive instead of my E: drive....

thanks a bunch -- this really will help...

Dparrott,
You can go to file->project properties->folders tab to identify your media folder that capture files will be stored in. Also, for clarity, capture in DV and produce your show to the DV template (.avi) to get the best results. Hope this helps.
Randy

thanks!!

that does the trick for the saving to the E: drive...

still have to do the unplug-the-DV bridge/re-plug-the-DV bridge thing to get VF2.0/vidcap to recognize the camera and start accepting input.

unfortunately, it takes some camera input and then trips out complaining about some sort of error (invalid argument supplied). since i have tried a couple of other products, i'm wondering if I haven't cluttered up my system a little much. perhaps the solution there is to reinstall Win2K so that I can get back to just the DV bridge and maybe that problem will go away.

any thoughts peoples? you guys have given some pretty decent advice so far...

Dparrot,
This is a long shot...try going to capture->options->preferences->general tab and unclick your enable DV device control. It may be that VF is having problems controling your camera through the Dazzle device. We have to do this same thing when using the pass through technique. Give it a try. You'll have to manually control the camera but so what...at least you'll be able to capture the tape.
Randy