That's great! The hardest part of doing a video series is
actually doing it on a schedule and within your limits. But since you asked some pretty specific questions first, I'll answer those, then go on to some more general tips for success (From an unsuccessful content creator).
1: Take it yourself. For SD footage, you can pick up a
pretty cheap USB dongle that will connect to the regular RCA cables (Red, white and yellow) and display on your PC. The sound quality is kind of crummy though, so I would suggest investing another five or so into an
RCA -> 3.5mm audio jack. You can pick those up almost anywhere, then plug it into your computer's Line In port. If you're on a laptop you won't have one so you'll just have to deal with poor sound quality.
You won't actually be able to play games with this setup though, since it introduces some lag into the video stream. Hopefully your TV has a pass-through (Some older big-screens do) but if not, you can pass it through a VCR if you have one, or pick up a
video distribution amp. Spend a little more to get a powered one so the video quality will be maintained.
For HD, I can't make any suggestions on brands, but similar equipment exists, but it comes at a higher price. To replace the EasyCAP the cheapest HD recorder I could find was around $90US, so that could be an issue. Just look around, and maybe ask some people. Also for older games there's nothing wrong with using an emulator (Except that it's illegal--but hey, it's just for recording footage).
As for fair use, any video you take in this method will be fair use as long as it otherwise falls under fair use law--that is, it doesn't make up the majority of your video and is only used for review, satire, or documentary-style footage. This isn't legal advice, so for more info on this see a lawyer.
2: Do 720p for now. If you're sure your computer can handle it, then switch to 1080 if you wish, but I've never heard of anyone complaining about 720. What programs? Well, for my videos, I did live let's plays, then edited the footage later, so I would record in Livestream's Procaster. You may want to use something different, but I will say that it's nice because Livestream automatically uploads your stuff to the cloud after recording. A lot of people use Camtasia (Or is it Camista? I don't know). I've never tried it so I can't offer any tips there. As for post-production, I made the background for my videos in Photoshop, then mix everything up in Adobe Premiere Pro CS3. It's a bit hard to figure out, but it has nice effects for things like drop shadows, lighting and nice supers. You can see the effects
here.
3: What else might you need? If you don't have a decent sound card in your computer--and you probably don't because nobody gets sound cards anymore, I'd suggest possibly picking one up on Newegg or Tiger Direct. A decent one will run about $40, but without it, your microphone will have a very annoying hiss. You might also want to buy a physical mix-board and premix your audio, but those can be a bit more expensive, and it just adds another step to the process.
The
single most important thing that you need for your video, though, is a schedule. I can not stress this enough, and I can't tell you how many projects fail due to lack of a proper schedule. Don't "try for" five or even three videos a week, just because someone else does that. Unless you are absolutely sure you can stick to a schedule, don't even try. In fact, I would suggest before you start releasing videos, you try just
making and not uploading them to your schedule. If you can keep it up for a few months, great! And since you didn't release those videos, you now have a month or so of a backlog in case you
do miss an update!
Again, this is the most important thing, the thing that is most often overlooked, and the hardest part of making videos. A consistent schedule that lets people know when to look for your new videos. Even if your schedule is once a month, and that's all you do, that's better than saying you'll update three times a week, and being late every other time. And never release a video early just because you finished it faster. Keep it for later, and try to produce another video for the next release. It's better to work at least a week or so ahead of yourself than to be constantly trying to beat the deadline, because you will almost always fail.
And don't be discouraged when you start. Your videos won't be popular. For the first year or so, you might only have a few friends watching. A lot of people stop making videos because they think nobody is watching, and they may be right, but as long as you keep updating on a regular schedule, and keep getting your name out there, you will eventually get some level of notoriety.
Another thing to do to get extra viewers is creating fanart for similar videos, or parodies. Look at how often GameGrumps plugs other channels, like that GG animated guy. And again, don't be discouraged if they don't pay attention at first. The popular channels get a lot of chatter, and sometimes stuff they would like gets overlooked. Just because they didn't reply to your last one doesn't mean if you have another idea it can't work.
But be weary of becoming annoying. It's a slippery slope between parody and impression, and derision and imitation. I can't really give better advice on this, because it's something you'll have to judge for yourself. I guess just ask yourself, "Does this add to the original material?"
Don't be afraid to plug your videos. Just get the name out there. Let people know it exists, otherwise nobody will ever watch it. Every now and then you'll see someone who's annoyed that you came to their community just to plug your stupid videos but that's okay,
someone will look, and they may like it.
I guess that's all the information I have. Obviously I'm not a bigtime producer, so you may wish to not believe what I've said, but it comes from years of looking at where I failed and where others have succeeded, and being honest with myself. Hopefully it will help you. Good luck, and make sure you let us know when you
do start posting!