I’ve found a very good donateware program for converting video for the iPod. It’s called iPodMe, and it works very well. Select videos you want to convert, select a profile and screen size. Can add additional files to be converted while it is currently converting.

Well worth checking out

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I recommend DVDFab for ripping DVDs. Just download the installer, and when it starts, it will ask which version you want to run.

A 30 day trial to the full-blown version, which has built-in functionality for splitting and merging dvds in various ways. There is also an option that never expires that allows for copying of the dvd to your hard-drive. Either then entire DVD or just the main title.

Once it’s on your hard drive, you have to convert it.

If you have Nero, Nero Recode is very good for taking a dvd and converting it to iPod format. Also works for most data files.

I imagine Roxio has tools that are similar to this, but have no personal experience.

If you don’t have Nero, then Super is a very good free converter. It doesn’t handle dvd files ‘elegantly’, but works very well for everything else. The interface is a bit tough to work with initially, so expect a learning curve.

Super will convert DVD files, but a movie is broken into 1GB files on the DVD. So, you’ll end up with 4 or 5 files/movie, instead of one file.

I haven’t looked for other free options that will convert a DVD nicely, so don’t have any suggestions.

Also, if you do decide to purchase Nero, don’t buy it directly. Right now, the Nero site is showing $79.99 US for download, but you can buy it boxed at Future Shop/Best Buy for $69.99.

If you’re really comfortable with computers, then Super will work, and there are likely programs around that will convert a DVD nicely. If you’re willing to invest a little money to have an easier to use experience, I would suggest Nero or Roxio.

Also note that this conversion is very CPU intensive. If you have a relatively new dual-core computer, expect the conversion to take about 1/3 of the length of the movie. i.e. a 1 hour movie would take 20 minutes to convert. If you have a really fast machine, it will obviously be faster.

For television shows, I recommend uTorrent for downloading, and EZTV for finding show downloads. If you’re interested in this as well, I can provide more specific information.