Hi all, thanks for the terrific service which hasn't failed me yet! I have a very quick question which I'm sure will be a breeze to half the geniuses reading this. Basically for ages I've had a top-of-the-range video camera which takes the usual, tiny Hi8 tapes, yadda yadda, and I've always wanted to transfer a few recorded videos onto the computer, be able to edit them, and then - here's the tough part - transfer them back onto VHS. Transferring it back onto DVD would probably be easier, so I don't need help with that. I know I could transfer to DVD, then copy the DVD to VHS, but I was curious if there was a way to skip this step. The most important issue here, which is why I haven't tried it in about five years, is QUALITY: I want to know how to transfer it to the computer - and back - with the * same, full-screen quality * as it was recorded by (even after editing). I have a TV card with all the usual ports, e.g. S-Video, and I happen to know I have a firewire port in my sound card ... although I have no idea how to use a firewire port or what software you need. So, to sum up, what I'm asking is, what cables should I use, what should I connect the video camera to, what software do you recommend, e.g. Pinnacle's Studio, for editing full-screen and keeping the quality, etc. I'm just very stuck and not sure where to go from here. Any help or suggestions would be gratefully received and forever appreciated! All the best, Mark ...

Win XP has its own movie editor - you just have to look for it!! Do a search for "Movie maker" - it has a good reputation and is easy to use.

Your camera will need connecting via a firewire cable AND (very important this)have a DVD Out AND In capability. Most have DVD out but fewer have DVD in (whereby the edited movie can be recorded back onto the tape).

Assuming that your hi end camera has a firewire connection just use that to connect to your PC. It is the best. It allows you to control the camera from the PC.

I have good results using Pinnacle Studio 9.

After editing just use the TV out to connect to your VCR.

Bryan