DVD to iTunes, looking for recommendations

I have an iPod Nano and while the screen isn't particularily big, I'd like to import some of my DVD TV shows to it anyways. Since iTunes won't import a DVD the way it will import CDs, I guess I'll need a way to rip the DVD's episodes into MP4(?) files and then import them into iTunes.

This is on Windows XP, btw.

I tried Handbrake for Windows, but it just seems to hang when trying to get whatever it needs from the DVD (even if left sitting for 45 minutes).

So...any thoughts or recommendations?