Digital Home Thoughts: All You Need To Know About Ripping DVDs

"Things are not as simple when it comes to ripping DVDs, however. For one thing, the DVD video format is more complicated. Each track on a CD is a WAV file that you can copy or convert, but the content of a DVD is divided into multiple VOB files for the video, with separate audio tracks and a menu system. The menus let you navigate through the video scenes and access alternative soundtracks, captions, camera angles, audio commentaries and extra content... Copying DVDs isn't about piracy - you might just want to make a backup. Because while DVDs are physically robust and long lasting, they're no match for a small child with a jar of peanut butter. Playing the same DVD over and over again doesn't damage it, but the disc can pick up dust and minute scratches as you take it in and out of the case. Enough of them can make DVD playback jump, or more often, stop altogether."

This is a very nice article explaining the various facets of ripping DVDs. It does not, however, actually tell you how to rip a DVD. :? What it does do though, is clear up any confusion you might have had regarding how the content on a DVD is formatted and what a piece of software has to do to convert that to a single file on your hard drive. He does mention the two programs I use: DVD Decrypter (now defunct) and AutoGK. I can personally attest to the ease of use of these programs. If you've ever needed further clarification on what's on a DVD and what hardware and software does with that info, give the article a read.