Beginner needing advice on authoring

[BIFFtheSTIFF]

well i just purchased from bestbuy a plextor dvd writer, its external, and i would like advice on what programs are great to use for beginners like myself. i'd like to be able to rip a dvd (which i kno i can use dvddecrypter or dvdshrink) but to then be able to edit the ripped vob file, what proggy lets me do that simply? i also want to be able to create interactive menus what proggy does that? i also want to be able to take any avi,mpg,wmv file and be able to encode it to a mpeg2 dvd file so i can burn to a dvd-r, what proggy does that easily? if there aren't any freewares for what i mentioned can u also add in how much it will cost to purchase the full version? thanks.

[Baldrick]

<--- tools

please TRY first and when you have specific problems ask.