I tried several converters and rippers, but the two programs that work best for me are a shareware program called MakeMKV for unlocking the disc and making an MKV file, which is then handed over to HandBrake. Handbrake is extremely flexible and has a LOT of really obscure setting choices, so I recommend browsing the web for settings that others have had success with. Almost all of my conversions are for high definition home viewing, but Handbrake offers many compression options to port your videos to your phone or tablet.
When you search for reviews on this sort of software, some of your prominent results will be those "top ten" review sites. Don't trust them, they don't know what they are talking about. Or they are disguised ads for their top choice.
NOTHING you use will guarantee that your results will be playable in Windows Media Center. It's a piece of cr*p. My favorite playback applications are PowerDVD or XBMC. I only use WMC for viewing live cable shows.
NOTE: I ****ONLY**** make copies of videos that I own, for convenience. That way I don't have to store a few hundred discs with my home theatre console and go pawing through them to find the one I want. None of this copyright violation stuff.