welp, i made the plunge and purchased an 80G iPod classic!
it's my first one since the iPod Photo first came out. (besides my shuffle, of course) man, i am impressed. it is seriously a huge jump from the basic, music-only ipod to the god of all MP3 players, lol. now i have to start ripping dvds and loading this sucker up!
(does anyone else's make a "weezing" noise when its connecting and searching?"-nevermind, it's typical)
For everyone looking for a DVD to iPod converter, the best one i've found is called "Ideal DVD to iPod Converter." it's super-simple and all-in-one!