[stomachmonkey]

Best way is go out and get a VCR/DVD recorder.

Pop the tape in, pop a blank disc in, hit record, go do something else while it does its thing.

You can get one as cheap as $40 or as expensive as a coupla hundred.

Spend money proportionate to how many tapes you need to convert.

I've got a Panasonic. Paid maybe $80 for it. Has worked fine for 5 years.

The other option is if you already have the VCR and an older non HD Mini DV camcorder you can use it as a pass thru to a PC via Firewire but honestly that's a lot more work and not worth it considering how cheap the VCR/DVD units are.

EDIT: And the other beni to having one is it makes it easier to convert your camcorder tapes to DVD.