convert dvd to mp4 with best quality

I've been trying to transfer iDVDs to my new laptop so I don't have to rely on an external drive, but the process is painfully slow. One episode won't even save properly. It's taking me about an hour just to get the files to load in the program, and another 30 minutes to encode and save them. I’m currently using HandBrake, but I’m open to trying other tools if there’s a faster or better option. Any advice?

I’ve also got some homemade videos from the ‘80s and ‘90s, probably recorded on a Sony Handycam or something similar. At some point, they were transferred to DVDs, and now I want to convert them to MP4 files for easier backup, so I don’t have to rely on DVDs that can degrade or get lost. The problem is, no matter what settings I try, the MP4s don’t match the original DVD quality. They usually turn out darker and grainier. I’ve tried everything from HandBrake’s default 1080p settings to SuperHQ 480p Placebo (all using H.264) and a bunch of other combinations, but nothing seems to work.