www.makemkv.com

hi all newbie hear

Iv desided that i want to rip my dvd collection to save on space "around the home" and iv already had a go with a normal random DVD (kiss kiss bang bang)

my first question has to be. is there a "how to" guide I should read

next question would have to be can I reduce the file size from 4G ruffly to 1G

other than that im running on the free beta and iv got the code off the forum to "get full access" etc etc.

Hi welcome to the world of dvd back up and compression
If you want to get down and dirty (learn everything) with compressing, go here: http://forum.doom9.org/

if you just want something simple to compress your dvds I would recommend Handbrake. It is free, open source (built on x264 and ffmpeg) and IMO the best noob-friendly x264/ffmpeg gui around.
http://handbrake.fr/

Thanks skittle

Iv tride a hand full of program now. By far the best was had been makemkv then handbrake. Other program are all in one but take 2 hours plus. Make and handbrake takes under a hour.