Your PC is thaaaaaat old??? :)
If your video files are that demanding that your PC, albeit an old one, can't cope then you may have the same problem once the file is on your iPad. But one can try.
Open up iTunes.
Click Edit > Preferences > Advanced. Tick box that starts 'Copy files to iTunes Media folder'. Click OK.
This tells iTunes to copy your video file into its library i.e. where all your songs are stored.
Next click File. You want to click either Add file to library OR Add folder to library.
The above lets you copy in one video file or copy in the contents of the folder. I suggest that you just copy in one file to see if your iPad can cope with such a large file.
Find your file or folder in the newly opened window, select it and then click Open.
iTunes will then copy the video into its media library. This will take seconds or minutes depending on xyz. The status will be at the top of the screen.
I don't know what your sync setup ie. copy everything that is on my iTunes onto my gadget OR copy only those items that are ticked on my iTunes onto my gadget. If the latter then you need to tick your video.
If the iPad is struggling as well OR you defintely want to be able watch your video on your PC then you can strink your video file.
You can reduce the resolution on stuff AFTER you have shot the video so there is no need to dumb down your camcorder and put it on a lower video setting.
I use a piece of software called AnyDVD. I've done a full write up in another active thread for people who want to put movies onto their iPad. Basically you tell the software what your gadget is and it will shrink your file down to the optimum size for that gadget and into the right file type for that gadget.
After all that, you may want to return to your original question about cabling up your camera to your DVD player :)
Your DVD recorder has two SCART sockets. The Out socket is the one that feeds into your TV. The In socket is for recording external sources like Sky or in your case videos off your camcorder. At the front on the DVD recorder is a set of red/yellow/white sockets. This is used to receive signals from camcorders and the like. You have a choice of these two sockets depending on what camcorder cable you have.
The TV end of your camcorder cable should be either be a SCART plug or a set of red/yellow/white plugs. If that is the case then whatever you plug into the TV you now plug into the Scart In or r/y/w sockets.
A third alternative for the TV end of the cable to be an HDMI plug (ie none of the above and it looks like a larger USB plug). If it is an HDMI plug at the TV end then you will need a new cable unless ..... Your camcorder should have come with r/y/w cable as well since manufacturers know that not all customers will have an HDMI socket on their TVs. If you do need a cable then pop along to Maplins with your camcorder cable and tell them that the other end needs to be a set of red/yellow/white plugs (I don't know what the tech name is for them). The assistant will know what you mean.
To start recording you need to tell your DVD to record from the appropriate input and not from the TV tuner. There should be a buton on your remote called SOURCE or similar. Hook up your camcorder and start it up and the DVD recorder. Switch on TV to the channel that you watch DVDs on. Go through your SOURCE options until you see your camcorder video playing on the TV. If you can see it on your TV then you can record it.
Hopefully the above is clear and not too confusing :)