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1. Install DVD Decrypter. Google for it
2. Install Handbrake
3. Rip DVD with Decrypter to a folder on the HDD
4. Run Handbrake, choose DVD folder
5. Select main movie feature or anything else
6. Tweak bitrate and other settings and / or pick a target device (iPod, PS3, 360 etc.)
7. Click Start
8. Wait a bit, shiny digital copy pops out

Handbrake is a front end over xvid and x264 encoders so you get either an MPEG-2 ASP (DiVX) or H264 AVC file from the process. Depending on your target device you might want to choose one or the other or fiddle with the other settings but the defaults are pretty sane if you don't know what you are doing.

Sure the process might skip supplementals and there may be edge cases with alternate tracks or subtitles that require more effort but x264 is an excellent encoder and the quality is very good. I really don't see why anybody would want to use RealDVD when it DRMs the resulting movie in the process.

There are homebrew programs that can play files using that codec, but it's not as simple as it sounds. I haven't looked into it in-depth, but as far as I know the PSP can't do anything above 480x272 (its screen resolution) without huge slowdown. There are also bitrate limitations: 1024k for video, 96k for audio. In that case you'd have to re-encode most videos anyway, so it may as well be MP4.

What I'd like is a decent transcoder from Sony included with the PSP or something. Red Kawa's PSP Video 9 is dogshit of the highest order, and Handbrake, while utterly brilliant for DVD transcoding, isn't a general-purpose transcoder.

I also recommend the GUI and CLI versions of HandBrake. The CLI can be scripted and the GUI can create a queue. It just so happens I'm ripping Seinfeld; using the GUI to queue up the job (4 episodes and 8 extras ripped at 640x480 2-passs H264, and the four episodes ripped as 320x240 MP4s for iPod) took less than five minutes. To make it easier I just name each file 1.mp4, 2.mp4, 3.mp4, etc. to begin with and then rename the episodes when done. The GUI takes the guesswork out of figuring out what to do for title & chapter; I've only used the CLI for disks that crash the GUI (like 2 of the 4 discs in The Simpsons - Season 10 and The Legend of Drunken Master.) (Note that the CLI can return chapter info but the GUI gives visual previews so you can see exactly what you're getting.)

Handbrake has always used both of the cores on my system for transcoding.

How about HandBrake?

The handbrake project.

http://handbrake.fr/

If someone would be willing to use an "unauthorized" patch, then why don't they just use Handbrake now? It's no more illegal, and just as easy!

There's PLENTY of high quality freeware for the Mac.
http://www.trailrunnerx.com/ If you're into running and like keeping logs.
http://handbrake.fr/ Does DVD->iPod almost seamless. I'm still pounding my head against debian and ffmpeg (What do you MEAN mp4 is an unrecognized format).
http://www.transmissionbt.com/ Is an excellent torrent client, free.

(The later two have since been ported to Linux)

Some of the 'shareware' is pretty cheap also. Graphic converter (http://www.lemkesoft.com/) is nothing short of amazing. $35 too. I'd copy and paste the number of image formats it supports but it might not make it past the filter.

I haven't run across many Linux programs that come close to being that 'pretty' nor as integrated into the OS. I mean Trailrunner will import your GPS info, map it in google earth with one click. It'll track your running times, etc. Sync with your iPod+Nike, heart rate monitors. And it's FREE.

What is available for Ubuntu that won't run on the Mac? Right now my Mac laptop is running Apache2, PHP and MySQL. I have nmap installed and a ton of other 'unix' programs. I always search sourceforge for programs to see if someone's already written something command line.

If you don't like gcc and compiling stuff your self there's always fink which is built around apt-get. fink install ...

There's even a GUI for it so that it's no different than Synaptic.