CABLE HOOKUP help needed! TV + DVD + VCR + 8mm VCR . . . on Digital Home Theatre

HOOKUP help! TV + DVD + VCR + 8mm VCR . . . on Digital Home Theatre

Hi everyone, I just got a new Cyberhome Progressive Scan DVD player
and I would greatly appreciate anyone helping me (a real dummy with
cables) help me get the most out of the HTh (Home Theatre) componentry
I have.  I'm sorry this is somewhat long, but it will be a useful post
for others to read who might want similar setups.

BRIEFLY:  10 years ago (almost to the day) when I bought this Sony HTh
one of the greatest advantages was the abundance of jacks vis the
Picture-in-Picture (PIP) features + its Dolby Surround-Sound.  That's
important to understand because I've had TWO VCRs hooked to those
jacks up to now, one recording to the other.  There are 5 questions I
have —

1)      Since there are no "Y/Pb-Cb/Pr-Cr" PROGRESSIVE SCAN jacks on the
        back of my TV does this mean that I cannot use this feature of my
        ((New)) DVD player?  I guess I can't complain since I paid $24.99
        for it hee hee.

2)      Would I add the ((New)) DVD player to my existing setup by the use
        of a SPLITTER? a SWITCHBOX? or other? — and who gets split, if the
        only two components capable of RECORDING are (still) the two VCRs?

3)      Can I (Should I) make use, for the first time, of the S-VIDEO JACK
        on my TV by hooking it to the S-Video on my ((New)) DVD player?
        Will that produce the sharpest video from the DVDs I play?

4)      If I decided to connect the S-Video on my TV to the S-Video on my
        ((New)) DVD player, would that disrupt the picture from the other
        two VCRs which _don't_ have S-Video . . . given that that cable
        will, nonetheless, be plugged into the TV?  Am I "layering" this
        video jack over the other video jack available to the ((New)) DVD
        player . . . or does this SUBSTITUTE for its regular video jack,
        and I use just the one?  How would the presence of an S-Video cable
        into my TV affect the other video connections which CANNOT read
        an S-Video signal?

5)      I don't have an amplifier connected to my HTh because (for my
        taste) it's quite loud enough just having connected the TV to its
        companion towers.  But that's movies — now that I can play my
        audio CD's through the ((New)) DVD player, will I be forced to
        buy an amplifier to hear anything off of them?  Will I have the
        same quality of sound with my audio CD's that I do currently with
        my TV shows and movies (through my existing setup) — or MUST
        I buy an amplifier to hear anything from my audio CD's?  

— and, of course, guidance on WHAT-JACK-WHERE and WHAT-ORDER (re
signal strength) to maintain the best recording options, including TV
programs, between the two VCRs?
—  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —
COMPONENTS SUMMARY:

OPTIMA 8mm STEREO VCR
MITSUBISHI VHS STEREO VCR
((New)) CYBERHOME DVD (Player only) w/S-Video jack
SONY 32" PIP w/S-Video jack
     +
DOLBY SURROUND-SOUND Sony Speakers
—  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —
RECORDING SETUP

I prefer to record (er, things heh) to the 8mm VCR — as opposed to the
VHS — primarily because the little 8mm cassettes are so much smaller
than VHS, are quieter, and are just more pleasant to handle.  I have a
ton of movies on my 8mm cassette library, not to mention TV programs.

My TV's PIP is cabled to select from one of _4_ sources, as follows:
TV
INPUT 1 8mm
INPUT 2 (not generally used, these are the jacks on the FRONT of the
TV)
INPUT 3 VHS

Summarized:
VIDEO OUT ("Input 3") on the VHS —> goes to VIDEO IN ("Input 1") on
the 8mm

•^•     •^•     •^•     •^•     •^•     •^•     •^•     •^•     •^•

I'll conclude there and hope that I've been precise enough <grin>. 
Many thanks to anyone who would like to help me get this set up to
make the best use (not perfect, just best) of what I now have.

Angel