for our impending trip, we are using some frequent flyer tix. which generally means we get junk for choice of flight. we leave early tomorrow and have some significant time in what business people call "lay over." so i am ripping some dvds to mp4 format and plugging them into my ipod for myself and the lady to watch. i would like to say i could read, but in honesty, i get too distracted watching people to concentrate on reading.

how does one do this? i am using handbrake which is super easy to use (at least for mac, can’t speak for pc).

1. open program, load dvd.. choose "source" and pick your dvd
2. the program will load all the chapters & generally pick the biggest one, that is your movie by all accounts
3. on the right you can choose you file type and size. i have done ipod-hi rez (1 – 1.5 gig) and ipod-low rez (300 – 600 mgs). it will automatically create file on your desktop
4. then move file into your itunes (know that if you move it into the movies folder on itunes it will not duplicate the file, which mac is prone to do) or just watch them on quicktime.
5. note: it does take quite a bit of time to do a hi-rez job, not as much for low-rez. so plan for those

there you go, you are ready to go on vacation with movies on your ipod.