A shell script that uses Mplayer to transcode any DVD (including alternate audio tracks and subtitle layers) into a single .mkv file for archival.
Mediainfo is a utility which parses the metadata of media files and tells you the file and/or container format and CODECs used.
Possibly the best collection of audiovisual CODECs for Win32 and Win64 out there. Widely reputed to have no malware or spyware hidden anywhere within.