Final Cut Pro can do this but Vegas can't :-(
The only way I know is to do it after capture is done .
Submit it as a feature request and maybe it'll get added - some day.
Yes, but if you do the renaming at the start and then drag the clips into the project there shouldn't be any problem. On the DV side of things, all this information can be coaxed back into vidcap for recapture later. For HDV? I don't know if you can recapture HDV at all, since I don't use it. People complain so much that I don't expect anything out of HDV capture.
As far as vidcap goes, there is a pref to NOT load clips onto a timeline after capture. Otherwise, even if it did so you could throw away that timeline and start another. I prefer to turn the pref off and I often use vidcap independently of Vegas.
I wonder is one could script a batch renaing tool for use within Vegas?