VHS to DVD (editting or lossless conversion?)

[fvnesscafe]

I have one vhs tape left that I need to archive on dvd. The tape is of my wedding. It's about 26min from start to finish, it's almost 12 yrs. old, and was made on a poor quality vhs tape by a family member who didn't focus very well. I'm thankful I have what she made, but I'm hoping for what may be a miracle.

I have already converted the tape once to dvd using my stand alone dvd recorder, but I can see quality loss and there were no real options to customize menus and zero editing other than cutting bits I don't need/want to save.

Is there software that can adjust dvd video taken from an old vhs to make it look nicer (less blury, adjust bad lighting, etc.)?
It's been several years since I bought my dvd recorder, is there a vhs to dvd capture methods w/ no quality loss?
Which method would be more expensive editing the dvd from my recorder or starting fresh w/ a different conversion method?
Is it worth buying software/hardware to do it myself (because I'm picky) or would it be better to just hire a professional to do the conversion for me?
If I were to hire someone, what types of things should I ask them before hiring?

All advise is appreciated!

[guns1inger]

Honestly, no. Yes, there are filters that can help adjust for bad lighting, to a degree, although out of focus camera work is something you are stuck with. However to do a conversion like this justice takes the right hardware - proc amp and maybe a TBC - and patience - many hours of tweaking and learning virtualdub filter chains or avisynth. And even then you might only get a few % improvement over what your recorder does. If you are willing to do what is necessary, start your journey in the Restoration forum. Start with the stickies at the top which discuss hardware, then start reading through the posts. LordSmurf's website is worth a read as well. If it all seems too much, it might be worth contacting him to see if he is willing to to the job for you.

[victoriabears]

With one tape and if you did teach yourself the skills would you need them again? Use Lordsmurf is my suggestion, even if it cost $150 imagine the time you would save.