VOB to AVI Converter

When you need VOB to AVI

VOB files come from the VIDEO_TS folder on a DVD disc. On their own they barely open anywhere: they are part of a DVD structure designed for a disc player. AVI is the format that was the standard for home electronics for many years: old TVs with a USB port, media players from the early 2010s, car stereos with a screen, and DVD players that support files from a USB drive all understand it.

A typical situation: the disc drive in your player stopped reading discs, or the device has no drive at all, while the TV or car stereo only accepts AVI from a USB stick. Then the video from the disc needs to be converted to AVI - and the archive can be watched on the familiar device again.

An honest note first: you may actually need MP4

If your goal is to watch the video on a phone, a modern Smart TV, a computer, or to send the file through a messenger, AVI is not the best choice. It is an old format, and for most tasks the universal MP4 is more convenient: it plays on any modern device and is accepted by every service. For that, use VOB to MP4.

Choose AVI when you have a specific device that understands exactly this format: an old TV, a portable player, a car stereo. If in doubt, check the device manual for the list of supported formats.

What changes after conversion

From fragments of a DVD structure you get regular AVI files that can be copied to a USB drive and plugged into a player or TV. Quality stays at the level of the source: DVD video is standard definition, and conversion does not increase it. The disc menu and chapter breakdown do not carry over into a regular video file - the video itself with its audio will remain.

If the recording on the disc is split into several VOB files, each one is converted separately, and you will get several AVI files in order.

When this is especially useful

• The DVD player stopped reading discs, but the TV plays AVI from a USB drive.
• The car has a stereo with a screen that only understands AVI, and the kids' cartoons are on discs.
• At a summer house or at your parents' place there is an old TV with a USB port and no support for modern formats.
• A portable player for trips accepts AVI, while the movie collection is stored on DVDs.

Common tasks and search situations

• put video from a DVD onto a USB stick for a TV;
• convert VOB for a car stereo;
• an old TV only sees AVI files on a USB drive;
• cartoons from a disc to AVI for a road trip;
• the DVD player no longer reads discs, how to watch the archive;
• copy a movie from a disc to a USB drive as AVI;
• VOB will not open on a media player.

What to check before converting

1. Find out which formats your device actually supports: older hardware often has limits not only on format but also on resolution and file size. The list is usually in the manual or on a label near the USB port.
2. Copy the VOB files from the disc to your computer and make sure they play. A scratched disc can produce damaged data, and then the conversion will not complete.
3. Test one file on your device first, and only then convert the whole archive.

Format and conversion limits

Commercial movie DVDs are often copy-protected: files from such discs may fail to copy or convert. Home recordings and discs from videographers usually do not have this problem.

Legacy hardware is picky: even a correct AVI file may not start on a particular player because of its internal restrictions. If a file does not open, check the device requirements for resolution and size. The conversion result depends on the quality of the source files.

Related tasks

For a phone, a computer, or a modern TV, VOB to MP4 is the better fit - a universal format with no concessions to legacy hardware.

If your footage was shot on an AVCHD camcorder and is stored in MTS files, use MTS to AVI for an old player.