Converting DVD to .AVI

[thriii]

i have a ton of DVDs and I just recently got a new external HD and i would like to put alot of my dvds o it so i dont have to carry the DVDs around (im not sharing the files with any1!) how do i do this? I searched but I only see converting avi to dvd.. any help would be appreciated also I have a PC in the living room would the avi file work on that?

 

[amnesiak]

Handbrake is the best tool for that. http://handbrake.m0k.org/
very easy to use and i've been using it ever since i found it.

and yes you can watch the avi on your pc too. although i recommend exporting it to mp4 with the h264 codec which is way better.

 

[skimaxpower]

another vote for handbrake. what an excellent program.

Depending on how important quality is to you, I suggest scaling down your resolution if you are scaling down the bitrate too. Something along the lines of 416x240 usually looks great for widescreen dvd rips.

 

[simie]

Also try MPEG Streamclip