VOB to MP4 Converter

A DVD keeps its video in VOB files inside the VIDEO_TS folder: MPEG-2 pictures with AC-3, MP2 or LPCM sound, split into pieces of about 1 GB (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB …). Phones, editors and upload forms want a single MP4 instead. This converter joins the pieces of a title, deinterlaces the TV-style picture and re-encodes it as H.264 with AAC sound — inside your browser, so your family videos never leave your computer. It works with unprotected discs; films sold on DVD are encrypted (CSS) and are refused with an explanation.

How to use this tool

1. Copy the VIDEO_TS folder from the disc to your computer, or open it directly.
2. Choose the VOB files of the title you want (usually the largest group, such as VTS_01_1 to VTS_01_4).
3. Keep "Join the parts of each title", automatic deinterlacing and the original picture size, or change them.
4. Wait for the progress bar, then play or download the MP4.

Formula

Encoding time ≈ number of frames ÷ encoding speed (about 27 frames per second at 480p on a recent computer)

A disc picture is 720 × 480 (NTSC, 29.97 fps) or 720 × 576 (PAL, 25 fps) with non-square pixels; the MP4 keeps that size and the 4:3 or 16:9 flag, or uses square pixels if you choose. Deinterlacing (yadif) turns each pair of fields into a full frame. The "Film" option matches the fields of 24-frame films back into their original 23.976 frames and drops the repeated ones (fieldmatch + decimate). AC-3 5.1 sound becomes stereo AAC at 192 kbps, or 5.1 AAC at 384 kbps.

Example

A 60-minute home video DVD at 29.97 fps has 60 × 60 × 29.97 ≈ 107,900 frames. At about 27 frames per second that is roughly 67 minutes of encoding, and the MP4 at the default quality is typically 700 MB–1.2 GB, about a quarter to a third of the VOB files.

Which files to choose

Each title is stored as VTS_xx_1.VOB, VTS_xx_2.VOB and so on; VTS_xx_0.VOB holds that title's menu. Short VOB groups are usually menus, trailers or extras. Choose all the numbered parts of the main title at once and keep the join option on: the pieces are one continuous stream, so they are joined byte for byte before converting and the sound stays in sync across the joins.