Not completely ignorant, but...

I've had quite a bit of on-the-job video editing experience the last few years, and can be pretty good at it when I get time to do it properly. Editing video is a new concern for my industry, and so I've been the one asked to figure out a lot of it, with only a little training from actual human beings and a whole lot of trial and error.

Now, I'm exploring some freelance possibilities that might include video editing, and I've been doing a lot of research into equipment. I can figure out what I could use, device by device, but I'm having a hard time figuring out if that's the best way to do it, or whether there are larger, consolidated systems that will be cheaper and/or more efficient.

So, can anyone here help give me a head start? Offer some advice yourself, or suggest the best sources for this info? And just to make sure I'm clear, I know what software I like (Final Cut, Photoshop), it's the hardware that I haven't got a handle on yet.

Some of the tasks I'd eventually like to be able to perform:

1. Import video from a digital videotapes. I don't even know the proper name of a digital video deck. At work, we connect the camcorder to the computer via FireWire, which puts a lot of extra wear on the camera.

2. Import video and images from memory cards. I doubt there's anything better for that than a card reader, but what do I know?

3. Digitize music from vinyl records.

4. Digitize VHS tapes.

5. Burn CDs and DVDs. Using the computer to do that can't be the best solution if I want to do this a lot.

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting or overlooking, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.