Any video transfer hints out there?

[MuseChaser]

I've got a trunkload of family videos all the way back to the early 80's in Beta, VHS, 8mm(tape, not film) and Hi8 formats. Our Hi8 camcorder still works and it'll play back both 8mm formats. On hand is also a Sony Betamax (don't remember the model.. can post it if it would be helpful) and one of the higher-end consumer JVC VHS decks. Unfortunately, both machines suffer from poor tape handling (tend to eat tapes) and tracking (lots of lines and snow on playback and tracking controls no longer help).

Questions..

1. Recommended USB interface for importing analog video on a Win7 machine? Amazon reviews and the various "topten" clickbait review sites are all over the map as to what's good and what isn't, and I haven't found anything resembling a reliable review site.

2. Repair advice for the VHS and Betamax decks? I've got a nodding acquaintance with schematics and have a multimeter, but no 'scope or real test equipment, and no real skill in their usage anyway. Good soldering skills and not at all afraid to take things apart.

3. Recommended repair folks (anyone here do this stuff?) in the likely event that repair is beyond me?

I know lots of services do transfers, but the prices aren't attractive especially given the huge amount of stuff I have, and I'm too much of a control freak to put the job in someone else's hands anyway.

Any and all advice and/or help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

[BRZyJ]

When I need to do something like that I use a standalone Panasonic DVD recorder with a re-writable DVD-RAM disc. It produces DVD compliant MPEG-2 files in a .VRO container which you can copy to the computer and load up in whatever editing/converting/authoring software.

There are better ways I'm sure but this is relatively painless and does away with having to connect various playback devices to the computer. I see the Panasonics and Samsungs on Amazon and ebay sometimes, ~$200.

I dunno who fixes VCR's these days...I've got a Sony SuperBeta HiFi and two high end Mitsubishi SVHS decks that I'd like to get running some day. Probably no hope of finding proper belts and the like...