Thank you LS, that *pretty much* clears it up. My only question is, assuming I capture with virtualdub (or CMC if I can get it to work) in AVI format AND do my color correction and the like before saving the file, is there any loss in quality if I save the file as MPEG instead of AVI? I'm guessing the bitrate has something to do with it.

Don't use CMC for AVI. It's for NTSC MPEG only.

There is more loss with compressed formats.
MPEG = compressed.
The higher the MPEG source and destination bitrates, the lower the loss on re-encodes.

AVI is just a container.
Huffyuv = uncompressed image (compression data only). No loss for pure re-encodes. Loss comes with editing/filtering.
But AVI can withstand far more passes. That's why it's used as an intermediary for processing.

Make sense?

Ok, so capture my home movies with Vdub in AVI format, do filtering on the first pass, save as an AVI only until I'm ready to make dvds.

Yep.

And sometimes AVI files will have 2-3-4-5 (or more!) passes. Some errors require certain programs. Not everything can be done in one. Sometimes the same filter has to be used 2-3 times. Sometimes it's not wise to do more than 2-3 filter at once, if you're not sure of the results.

Post sample clips (in new threads) when you have errors to fix. I'll advise. :congrats:

Thanks again for clearing that up LS. And thanks for the tips about the filters. TBH, there's not too much footage that needs any hardcore correcting (overall, amongst 20+ hours of footage at least), and even then *I don't think* I need too many filters. I've messed around with Vdubs filters a little bit with my first recordings pass on dvd (back in May of this year, long before I discovered this place) and have a pretty good idea of which filters to use. Or at least which ones I've gotten comfortable with. I made sure to save the filter settings for each event as well (each event needs it's own custom settings). I will definitely post some clips in the near future and you'll see what I mean.

Go WD Hard drive

Ok I'm back on this project (personal matters and other projects sidetracked this one). Now, My choices are:

Fantom 2 TB 7200 RPM USB 3.0/2.0 External Hard Drive with 3-Year Warranty (GF3B2000UP) for $131.99 + shipping on amazon

Another Fantom (same as above) but from some site called Rakuten (based in Japan) for 133.70 (free shipping)

Toshiba - Canvio Special Edition 2TB External USB 3.0/2.0 Portable Hard Drive - Black $104.99 at bestbuy.com

Toshiba - Canvio 2TB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive - Black $101.56 also shipped through the japan merchant

Since I'm buying 2 external HD's, it really boils down to, save myself 50-60 bucks and take the risk with the japanese vendor that I've never heard of, or spend the extra cash and go with amazon.

What do you guys think? I'm unemployed ATM and while I have the money to spend either way, I'm still not crazy about spending an extra 50-60 bucks if I don't need to.

Rakuten is the former Buy.com. They owned several things for years, and are as reliable as Newegg or Amazon. That said, I prefer Amazon for mist items. I prefer the Amazon return policy. It's better than Newegg or Buy/Rakuten.

I'd always grab a 2tb Fantom.

In fact, I'd avoid Toshiba, as those are terrible drives.

Being unemployed sucks, but the job market is improving. The recent return showed 6%, down from ~10% at the height of the recession. I wish you well. I actually don't envy NY cost of living, but the jobs situation is better in populated areas from my experience.

Thanks for kind words KP.