I've got a Panasonic E30 standalone. Its great for tranferring your VHS library to DVD-R. As doesn't have a digital to digital link, you can't copy direct from a camcorder, etc.

However, there are more expensive units that allow digital to digital copies.

I like the unit because its a no brainer. Start it up and a couple of hours later, you've got a DVD. Using my PC is much more complicated but you can do fancy editing.

Simple or complicated. Your choice.