On other sites there's mixed feedback about this. Some claim to get great results, some claim bad results and some claim they can't tell the difference. You'll probably have to run some tests yourself and decide which one you like. As for me, I never transcode.
Amok DVD has less feature than DVD Shrink. It does not have the option to author a DVD; Amok cannot do a 2 pass encoding(it has the option to encode faster vs. slower, but not in 2 passes, therefore I don't think it can attain the quality of DVD Shrink). Also, Amok I don't think it has the option to autoburn with DVD Decrypte/ImgBurn/Nero.
Gonna have to say i personally did not find AMOK useful. Like Cyp said, it doesn't offer some of the same benefits as Shrink. Personally, i have continued to use Shrink in my normal process, even though it's outdated and no longer supported. So, IMO...Dvd Shrink is the way to go.
Just to throw a monkey wrench in, if you are concerned about quality, use DVD Rebuilder with HCEnc in two pass mode. Otherwise Shrink is good. Especially in reauthor mode where you can choose only the movie (no menus or extras, just like a videotape)...
