Getting an Archos 5 media player - specs: 

MPEG-42 (ASP@L5 AVI, up to DVD resolution)
WMV (MP@ML, up to DVD resolution) included WMV protected files
M-JPEG (in QVGA resolution)

With optional software plug-in:
HD support: MPEG-4 (ASP 720p) & WMV HD (MP 720p)
MPEG-2 MP@ML up to 10 Mbps (up to DVD resolution) and AC3 stereo sound (5.1)
H.264 up to DVD resolution with AAC

I want to first burn some of my dvd collection to a PC hard drive, then after Christmas (when I actually get the media player) load them onto the Archos 5.

Having never done this, what's the best software to use for these conversions?  Thanks