[pawel]

The burner has to have an option to make a disc copy, and not only 'record' - such will pass DVD through analogue stage and/or recompress video and audio.
When it's the blue screen menu, that means it's been standalone recorded to dvd yes?
Yes but new models have also a bit more fancy.
Also what's the story about getting the best possible transfer from a master?
VHS master?: XP mode and LPCM for audio; or if you can setup bitrate: video between 6000 and 8000 Kbps, and LPCM for audio.