How to open VOB files, and turn a DVD into one MP4
VOB files are the video on a DVD, split into 1 GB pieces. How to play them, and how to join the pieces into a single MP4 that plays anywhere.
Last updated
In short: A VOB file is a piece of a DVD's video. VLC plays them on any computer. To keep the video, join the pieces of the main title (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB and so on) into one MP4 with Merge Videos, then remove the interlacing with Restore Old Video.
What is in a VIDEO_TS folder
A DVD holds its video in a folder called VIDEO_TS. The files are named by title: VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB and VTS_01_3.VOB are three consecutive pieces of the first title, each at most 1 GB because that is the most a DVD file system allows in one file. VTS_01_0.VOB, and VIDEO_TS.VOB, are menus. The main film or recording is almost always the set with the largest total size.
Playing them
VLC opens a VOB directly, or the whole VIDEO_TS folder as if it were the disc. Built-in players vary: some handle the MPEG-2 video inside, others need an extra codec. Converting to MP4 removes the question.
Turning a DVD into one MP4
Copy the VIDEO_TS folder off the disc onto your computer first; reading straight from a DVD drive is slow and can fail partway.
Open Merge Videos and add VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB and the rest of that title, in order. Choose MP4. The pieces are joined and re-encoded as one H.264 file, usually about half the size.
DVD video is interlaced, which shows as comb-like lines on anything that moves when it plays on a computer. Run the MP4 through Restore Old Video with deinterlacing on. Doing it after merging means one pass instead of one per piece.
Commercial DVDs
Films bought on DVD are usually encrypted. The VOB files copied from them are scrambled and no converter on this site can read them. This guide is for DVDs you or your family made: camcorder discs, recordings from a DVD recorder, home movies transferred from tape.
Questions
Can I convert VOB to MP4 for free?
Yes. The VOB to MP4 converter and Merge Videos both run in your browser, free and without uploading the files.
Which VOB file is the movie?
The numbered set with the largest total size, usually VTS_01_1.VOB onwards. The files ending in _0.VOB are menus.
Why does the converted video have lines across it?
DVD video is interlaced. Restore Old Video removes the interlacing.