thanks for all that info, the link doesn't seem to be working though. i will try to recapture again with WinDV and see what results i get. also, i didn't defrag the first time, so i'll do that before trying again. these are in fact LP tapes, but playing back on the same camera they were recorded on isn't an option now (i had briefly borrowed the camera they were recorded on, and no longer have that one, but now have a different one that i own--they are both JVC models so hopefully it won't be too much of an issue).
would running a tape cleaner to clean the tape heads before each playback make a difference as far as dropped frames? or does that only matter in regards to recording?
this was footage shot on a tripod, but i guess i should've clarified the first time, the 1 hr 33 mins isn't the TOTAL length, just the length of that tape (recorded in LP). the whole show was around 2 hours, with the rest of it being on another tape (also in LP), and i'll combine the 2 sections of the show in Sony Vegas.
i don't HAVE to go all the way down to a single layer DVD, although it would be nice. if the quality would be significantly better i guess i could make a dual layer DVD out of it. do you think only compressing to dual layer would make a noticeable difference over single layer for a 2 hr show?
also the last thing for future reference...up till now i've only recorded in LP mode...does using SP make a huge difference in quality that it's worth using? it's just, at only 60 minutes per tape, and having to pick a good spot prior to the 60 minute mark to switch (between songs), i could end up having to use 3 tapes for a show just over 2 hours!