I'm trying to make a youtube fan vid for a show I like, and need a free DVD clip ripper that won't leave a watermark and will actually work. Can anyone help?
Try Any Video Converter after you've moved the DVD's VIDEO_TS folder onto your hard drive. That program cuts clips, and cuts the crap too. It's commercial and every time it finishes converting videos it'll ask you to get the pro version, but you don't have to... it does everything without it. No watermark, no time limits. I use it and trust it, and so should you.
http://download.cnet.com/Any-Video-Converter/3000-2194_4-10661456.html
If you want a totally open-source solution try MediaCoder instead. It's a lot nerdier (I have it but haven't figured it out yet). It's a lot more customizable though. And I'm pretty darn sure it can do anything (like Superman).
http://download.cnet.com/MediaCoder/3000-2140_4-10595575.html
Now watch out for the junk other people post -- trials, spyware... This is from CNet so it's clean and legitimate.