New to list - suggestions invited, please!

[MrWitch]

I know that this is a Digital Video list, but this subject is related...

I am new to Macs, but have used & built PC's for years, and have tried 
to do video capture on my PC, but it crashes too much for it to be 
reliable. I currently have a PM 7300/200 running OS 9.1 and OS X 10.1.5, 
comfortably I might add. What I want to do is capture analog video from 
VHS tapes (about 500 of them!) to a Mac, and then burn Video CD's, Super 
Video CD's, or DVD's from these captured tapes.

I asked on the G-List about the cheapest machine that I could use for 
this, and I have decided on buying a Blue & White G3 or a Sawtooth G4. I 
would like the opinions of this list on the following, though:

I'd prefer a PCI capture card/TV tuner card, but all I have seen for 
Macs are professional cards that cost upwards of $700 or much more. Is 
there a Mac PCI card out there that is inexpensive, can capture at least 
352x288 or better, captures stereo audio, & works with OS 9 and OS X? Or 
do I have to go with a FireWire A/D D/A box that's still overpriced and 
doesn't do as well?

Is there a all-in-one software solution for OS 9 or OS X or both that is 
easy to use, reliable, and inexpensive or free for 
capturing/editing/filtering/encoding/burning VCD/SVCD/DVD's?? If not, 
what programs do you recommend, and where can they be found?

I do have copies of iMovie, Final Cut Pro 3, and Final Cut Express. Are 
these good for what I want to use them for? None (except iMovie, which 
came with OS X) are installed yet. I have some very good friends who are 
Mac nuts who have tried to help me out, but they don't know about video 
stuff...

This is all new to me, so forgive me if my questions are simplistic. 
With the software side, I will need lots of help, so good documentation 
is a must - either on the Web or in the program itself.

Thanks for any help

Michael


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Apple Power Macintosh 7300 200 MHz running OS 9.1 & OS X 10.1.5, w/ 288 
MB RAM
Apple Macintosh IIfx running MacOS 8.1, w/ 40 MB RAM