Unfortunately, spleen access has been locked down so I couldn’t hand out an invite even if I wanted to.

I have always used avisynth/virtualdub exclusively for my laserdisc rips. I can right away recommend that you have windows 7 running and buy a theater750hd pcie capture card if you are serious about results. This is hands down the best cheap capture card I’ve ever come across. It handles tbc correction as well so you don’t need an external tbc to straighten up the picture. The player probably won’t make a huge difference in quality.

As for color correction, etc., I only ever do levels adjustments to get a proper white/black level. Manual IVTC is a whole other bear to tackle. I’d recommend using an automated filter to do that unless you are masochist. If you read through my laserdisc preservations thread there is a lot of good information and scripts on how to accomplish it though.

Best of luck with your endeavor!