From My DVDs To My HD: Need Help

[zythyl]

what i want to do is have all my music and videos, dvds, pictures on my pc. i've already got the pics and music, but the dvds prove to be a bit of an hassle. all i want to do is to be able to click a folder labeled "videos" and select which movie i want to watch. i didnt know it would be so much trouble.

i dont want to meddle with .iso right now because i hate having virtual drives mounted and i'm on vista. but if it comes to that, then it comes to that. firstly, what application can convert a dvd into a .avi or .mpeg4 with no quality loss? is it even possible? are .iso's the only format/image format that can retain dvd menus and features without a conversion. can media files even have these features?

if media files can, what rogram would allow me to burn the dvd into a format keeping it's quality and size (usually 16:9 on my dvds)?

i just dont want to clutter my living room with dvds anymore, and after having hooked up my pc to the TV i just want it to be the entertainment hub.

please help!

 

[Trotter]

For mpeg4, Handbrake would be perfect... and free. HandBrake

For avi's, there are many to choose from. Here's a few to check, thanks to Google.
How to Rip a DVD to an AVI or MPG File Using DVDx - wikiHow
DVD to AVI/DivX/XviD
Convert DVD to Avi and Mpeg using bitRipper

 

[KSoD]

You will not be able to have the DVD's on your PC with the Menus and perfect quality without having to go thru the hassle of ISO mounting. It just isnt possilbe. You would have to rip the DVD to MPEG4 or a avi and get quality lose and also lose the menus. There is no other way around it. Unless you use DVD Shrink like EricB first suggested and play the files right from teh Video_TS folders that they created. Which is possible.