Help With Converting VIDEO_TS to .AVI

[c4ry]

Ok, I am new to the forum deal so let me know if I leave out some needed info.

My goal is to back up my DVDs onto an external hard drive media player (or build a nice, fast tower to keep hooked up to my TV with plenty of drive space). The way I am looking to do it is finding a program that will convert multiple VIDEO_TS folders to compressed .AVI files (sort of like in a queue VIDEO_TS1 to .AVI, VIDEO_TS2 to .AVI2 instead of converting 1 at a time and by compressed I mean somewhere around 600-900 MB.) Hope that made sense to someone... Anyway, do away with the VIDEO_TS after they are converted that way I can fit a lot of movies on one drive.

I hope I made myself clear enough, I guess what I am asking: Is there a program that converts the _TS folders to .AVI (compressed to 600-900 MB) or do I have to convert them to .AVI then compress? The idea is to be able to just click one file and the whole movie plays instead of playing it in seperate chapters.

The programs I have right now are AnyDVD, CloneDVD2, WinAVI, VirtualDub (not really sure how to use the last 2 I listed. I seen a Batch Convert option in WinAVI that seems to be what I am going for but when I add the folder it gives me an error: "Access violation at address 01D2277F in module 'Major.dll'. Read of address 00000190.")

This is probably a very simple thing to do or there is something right under my nose that I have overlooked, but I am about to pull my hair out! Please Help! Also I hope that I didn't make this too confusing!

Thanks in advance!

[lowellriggsiam]

So far the simplest way I have found is dvddecrypter -> iso then inport the iso file with fairusewizard, what you are left with is a brilliant 700mb avi file. There are others here that have suggested handbreak, it is also good but you'd have to play with it as it has a learning curve with all its options.

[c4ry]

So far the simplest way I have found is dvddecrypter -> iso then inport the iso file with fairusewizard, what you are left with is a brilliant 700mb avi file. There are others here that have suggested handbreak, it is also good but you'd have to play with it as it has a learning curve with all its options.

Thank you for your input, I like the looks of Handbrake, it seems to be what I am going for and you are right it has a lot of options and I have no idea what all of this stuff is, but I will keep tinkering with it and hopefully figure it out soon!