your best bet for a low buck solution is to search for some video capture cards. be wary of these for 2 reasons. some are exactly that:
capture only cards. and also most, if not all, require using your souncard for audio input. this is not a problem most of the time, but they can cause headaches because of out of sync video/audio. i would say not to expect much out of the cheaper products. the next solution is more expensive, but would give you the plug in and go situation you want. dazzle makes some pretty decent products, like the
DVC 150 and the DVC 100. the main difference between the 2 is one uses USB 1.1, and the 150 uses USB 2.0. I think that the 100 costs about $140 U.S. online, and the 150 costs around $160 U.S. The 150 will have a better picture than the 100, and most likely better sound, too. Hope this helps, or at least gives you a starting point to begin the search.
just a note, don't buy through the manufacturer's website, use some kind of price comparison site. my favorite for here in the states is
pricewatch 
analogue camcorder capture
Linear Mode
