Dvd Backup H.264

[clockradiokurt]

Hi, I am new to this forum and have read some of the guides and forum posts, and still not getting a clear answer to what I am trying to achieve. I want to backup my dvd collection so that I can access it on my network with my computer or xbox 360, plus I am considering getting appletv, for my living room. I have decided to go with H.264 codec for my movies since it seems to be compatible with all the devices I mentioned. I have a pc and a mac, and I would like to convert all my dvd's to H.264 preserving there original quality while trying to conserve space, also I would like to preserve the audio whether it be dolby digital 5.1 or dts. I someone could point be toword a guide or recommend a program that I can use to backup my dvd's would be great.

[mdisbrow]

HandBrake direct from DVD -> H.264. There's an AppleTV preset that works pretty well. I just started using it, and I'm still messing with it, trying to find the best settings, but it works pretty damn well right out of the gate. It's also pretty fast.

I too have a 360 and AppleTV, and you said you would like to preserve the audio. Neither the 360 or AppleTV support typical surround sound audio (AC3). Check out the handbrake forums for a ton of discussion on this. from what I've read, your options are regular stereo, or something like ProLogic.

http://handbrake.m0k.org/

both windows and OS X versions. I've never used it for windows, but I assume it's the same as it is for OS X