When you look inside a DVD folder on your computer, you will usually find a VIDEO_TS folder containing various files with extensions .IFO, .BUP, and .VOB. Judging by file size, it’s clear the VOB files hold the actual movie. But, trying to play them on standard media players often fails, which is why you need to convert them into more common formats like MP4 or MKV.
You may have tried various tools, such as online converters, only to be disappointed by the results. This is because VOB files are not standard video files. Rather, they are fragmented DVD segments that store audio, video, and subtitles separately. Even trickier, VOB files on commercial discs often include encryption (copy protection) that generic file converters can’t handle.
To properly convert VOB files, you need specialized VOB converter software that can not only bypass the protection but also merge the segments back into a complete file. Below, I will introduce the easiest tool for the job, along with a few free alternatives. Let’s dive in!
| Method | Support Encrypted VOB? | Merge VOBs? | Keep Audio & Subtitles? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WonderFox DVD Video Converter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Windows users who want to quickly and easily convert VOB files from commercial or homemade DVDs. |
| HandBrake | No (Require external plugin) | No | Yes | Intermediate Windows and Mac users converting unprotected VOB files. |
| VLC Media Player | No | No | Limited (Prone to sync errors) | Playing VOB files directly without conversion. |
Important: This article is for general information purposes only. We do not condone any copyright infringement. Please verify whether ripping or copying DVDs is legal in your country or region before proceeding.
WonderFox DVD Video Converter is a professional and easy-to-use DVD file converter for Windows PCs, and it’s my #1 recommendation for handling DVD files, including VOB.
Key features:
🌟 Bonus: It also includes a video converter that handles common digital format conversions and video downloader that lets you save videos directly from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and over 1,000 other streaming sites without a hitch.
With support for GPU hardware acceleration, the software also has super-fast conversion speeds. Without further do, click the button below to download the software and follow the next part to start converting your VOB files:
Before start, please free downloadfree download the VOB converter software and install it on your PC.
Launch WonderFox DVD Video Converter.
Case 1: Click the â–¼ button on the Load DVD section and choose Load DVD Folder. Then, select the parent folder of Video_TS and hit OK. The program will load all the available VOB files with the main title marked.
Case 2: Click Add Files to load your individual VOB files.
Go to the Output Format section on the right side of the interface. Choose your desired format under the Video tab. You can also convert VOB to audio, web formats, and device profiles for handy playback.
💡 Unsure which format to use? Here are some tips:
• For lossless conversion of VOB files: MPEG (MPEG2). VOB files are essentially MPEG2 files, so extracting VOBs to MPEG format preserves the original video quality while ensuring fast speeds!
• For universal playback: MP4 (H264).
• To preserve the multilingual audio tracks and subtitles: MKV.
• To reduce file size while maintaining quality: H265. However, please note that some platforms and devices may not support H265 playback.
• For specific platforms: MOV (Apple), WMV (Windows), AVI (older devices), WebM (web pages).
• To extract audio: MP3 format is small and widely compatible; WAV or FLAC formats preserve the original audio quality.
If you have specific needs, you can open the Settings in the bottom right corner and adjust the encoder, bitrate, resolution, and other parameters as needed. Additionally, you can select the desired audio track and subtitles in the task list, and edit the video before conversion.
Click the three dots at the bottom to specify the output folder (ensure the folder has enough space to store the converted files, and it's best to avoid selecting the C drive to prevent permission issues). Finally, click the Run button to start the conversion immediately.
While it needs professional software to deal with complex DVD VOB files, if what you have is a single or self-made VOB files, you can also try the following two free alternatives.
HandBrake is an open-source, multi-platform tool developed to transcode videos, including VOB, to MP4, MKV, and WebM files. Though the export options are limited, it provides a wealth of presets and parameter settings to choose from. Yet, the biggest restriction is its inability to directly process encrypted DVD files. While it's possible to manually download a specific file called libdvdcss to enable HandBrake's decryption capabilities, this method is quite complex and doesn't guarantee 100% success, so it's not recommended for beginners. However, for converting unencrypted VOBs, HandBrake is indeed a good choice, after all, it's free and fast.
👉 Check out how to convert VOB to MP4 with HandBrake
VLC is primarily a media player, but it also features format conversion capabilities. It can convert common video, audio, and DVD files to various mainstream formats such as MP4, MKV, MOV, and AVI. A key advantage of VLC regarding VOB file conversion is its ability to handle CSS-protected DVD VOB files. However, its capabilities are limited to this, as it cannot bypass other types of DVD encryption. Furthermore, because VLC always transcodes videos, you can’t expect high-quality results. Also, VLC tends to have audio sync issues all the time. Therefore, it’s a better choice for you to use it as a DVD player.
👉 Check out how to play VOB files in VLC
VOB files from DVDs are special because they may have complex structures and may be encrypted. You'll need a professional VOB file converter, such as WonderFox DVD Video Converter, to successfully convert them to your desired format. That said, if you have a regular, unencrypted VOB file, you can try the free alternatives mentioned in this article.
That's all for now. Hope this article was helpful!
In Windows 10 and 11, DVD playback has been officially removed, so Windows Media Player cannot play any DVD files, including VOB.
You need specialized software such as WonderFox DVD Video Converter to convert VIDEO_TS folder to MP4. The specific steps are outlined above.
Conversion time varies from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the movie length and the output settings you use. For the fastest conversion speed in WonderFox DVD Video Converter, you can choose MPG as the output format, which might convert a 1.5-hour VOB movie to MPG format in just 5 minutes. Converting to MP4 format may take twice as long.
VOB files are usually encrypted DVD videos. Unfortunately, online converters cannot handle such files. On the other hand, VOB files are usually very large, and online services are not suitable for this type of conversion.
I write about multimedia topics, including video and audio conversion, compression, editing, and downloading. I joined WonderFox in 2020, and my goal is to help readers solve everyday tech problems more easily. In this guide, I have shared with you the best VOB converter for Windows that can help you convert VOB files, whether from DVDs or downloaded elsewhere, to various formats fast and hassle-free. Hope this helps!
I write about multimedia topics, including video and audio conversion, compression, editing, and downloading. I joined WonderFox in 2020, and my goal is to help readers solve everyday tech problems more easily. In this guide, I have shared with you the best VOB converter for Windows that can help you convert VOB files, whether from DVDs or downloaded elsewhere, to various formats fast and hassle-free. Hope this helps!
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