Hey, guys. A guy I know just recently tossed me an authored dvd and wants me to rip it, and re-edit. I used the program Handbrake... I turned it into an avi. omg. and an mepg-4... I was able to play back the mpeg-4 version. However, I can't important any of these file types into my timeline in final cut pro. Are there any other programs which can turn the file type into an mov. file, or convert the mpeg-4 to mov.?

You will have better result with MPEG Streamclip ... which is free. You need the MPEG Playback Component but you should have that, if you have Pro. Streamclip will allow you to rip the DVD to a DV format that FC likes better

You could also check out dvxdvd, a commercail product that works pretty well, but go for the free option first

I just did that very thing for an artist I worked with last week on a movie trailer. Don't you hate it. This was my workflow:

1. Rip as an .mp4 using Handbrake with the H.264 format.
2. Open with Quicktime Pro and just save it. This will result in a .mov file.
3. iMovie will open a .mov when you import it and edit.

If you really want to use FCP then try exporting as a "self-contained movie" out of iMovie and import that into your FCP project.

If you want to use FCP for editing, it really would be better to rip to a DV format rather than H.264 or MPEG4. Streamclip will allow you to do that