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Common fix · Video

Open and convert VOB files from a DVD

By Updated How we write these

2 min read

What you’ll end up with

A DVD’s video as MP4 files that play on any phone, TV or computer.

A video DVD stores its content in a VIDEO_TS folder as .VOB files: MPEG-2 video with Dolby or MPEG audio, split into pieces of about 1 GB each (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB and so on). VLC plays them directly, but phones, most TVs from a USB stick and editing apps don’t.

Converting to MP4 makes a home DVD — a wedding, a school play, old camcorder tapes transferred to disc — watchable anywhere, and much smaller.

What to do

  1. Copy the VOB files off the disc

    Open the DVD, go to VIDEO_TS, and copy the VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB… files (the big ones). The small VIDEO_TS.VOB and VTS_xx_0.VOB files are menus.

  2. Convert VOB to MP4

    Drop the VOB files into the Video Converter and choose MP4. DVD video is MPEG-2, so it’s re-encoded to H.264 — it takes a while, but the MP4 is usually a third of the size or less.

    Convert to MP4

  3. Shrink it for sharing

    An hour of DVD video makes a large MP4. To send it by chat or email, compress it to the size it has to fit, or split it into parts.

    Compress the video

Worth knowing

  • Commercial film DVDs are copy-protected, and that protection isn’t removed here. This is for home DVDs and discs you made yourself.
  • Each VOB converts to its own MP4. Joining them back into one file isn’t on this site yet; any video editor puts them end to end.

Questions

How do I play a VOB file?

VLC plays VOB files directly on Windows, Mac and Linux. To play one on a phone or a TV, convert it to MP4.

Why are there so many VOB files?

DVDs split video into pieces of about 1 GB. VTS_01_1, _2, _3 are consecutive parts of the same title; VTS_01_0 and VIDEO_TS.VOB are menus.

Will the quality improve if I convert?

No — a DVD is standard definition (720 × 480 or 576), and converting keeps that resolution. It won’t look worse, and it becomes much easier to play and share.

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