While cleaning up things a bit, I realized we have some one-of-a-kind DVDs (wedding videos etc.), so having multiple "soft" backups of these on computer drives makes more sense than having DVDs that will scratch and fade with age. You can always buy another copy of a movie, but last time I checked, our wedding DVD wasn't on Netflix -- even in the comedy section ;-)
My main desktop machine is still Windows, I'm but moving more and more to Linux with VirtualBox etc. I think I'd like to put my media on a Mythbuntu box for access and playback. But for now I need to rip on a Windows machine.
Here are a couple good sources for an overview on ripping DVDs :
* http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/rip-a-dvd/
* http://lifehacker.com/371636/turn-your-pc-into-a-dvd-ripping-monster
Seems like a couple good DVD rippers are :
* DVDFab
* DVD Shrink
These will rip to a DVD into a folder with AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS directories. To play the DVD, I've been using VideoLAN VLC player. Do Open Folder -> and navigate to your VIDEO_TS folder. It will then play with clickable menus etc.
The folks at Life Hacker have come up with a DVD Play program which will help you run your DVDs thru VideoLAN VLC. I couldn't get it to work, but it looks promising.
http://lifehacker.com/360658/browse-and-play-your-ripped-dvds-with-dvd-play