I have the same 1995 VHS set - THX, widescreen, Dolby Surround - and I was originally planning to copy them onto DVD. After doing a bit of research, I found that the recommended device for playback of VHS tapes is an SVHS VCR with built-in TBC. In the UK, brand new VCRs of this type by Panasonic or JVC go for around 140GBP. You can now get a top of the range laserdisc player, that used to sell for 800GBP, for less than 100 on eBay, which leaves you 40GBP to try to get the discs. So I decided to go the laserdisc route.

I can't really say anything about DVD recorders because I've never used one, I know they have built-in circuits for picture enhancement - noise reduction (do they have TBCs as well?) but it takes all the fun out of it! If you want a quick fix, get the recorder, but if you want to take your time and start learning, get a capture card for your PC (it is also a lot cheaper!)