Converting VOB.

[ZenFractalJam]

i need help bros, i cannot find a program to Convert Vob. to MPEG. or AVI or sanything that WMA will read, i found FLASKMPEG but it wont conver the audio or i cant fig it out, please rescue me ,
a bro

[U2Lynne]

You don't want to convert them, you want to get a program like VLC to play them. Get it at videolan.org.

[h_vargas]

the more recent versions of Windows Media Player (if you're on a PC) will play DVD files (VOBs), i believe.

also, here's a nifty trick, in case you can't (or don't want to) upgrade to a newer version of Windows Media Player... set your computer to show the file extension, if it doesn't show '.VOB' at the end of the VOB files (on a PC, open up a folder like My Documents | go to Folder Options | click on the View tab | and un-check "Hide extensions for known file types"). then, click on the VOB files | then click the F2 key | and rename the extension from .VOB to .MPG... and Media Player will play the files (even older versions of Windows Media Player). ;)

[pawel]

Windows media player will not play VOB files unless you have installed a third-party software, like mentioned above VLC, WinDVD or PowerDVD.

[RainDawg]

Correction, Windows Media Player WILL play VOBs and DVDs, but you need to purchase the extension to the base version. PowerDVD and WinDVD are also pay for use programs, but why anyone pays for any of these solutions is beyond me.

Lynne mentioned VLC, which is great. I personally use Media Player Classic, which I find to be a touch more reliable and has a nice interface (just my opinion). Both are great programs and will do the job, all with free open source software.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/


DON'T, BY ANY MEANS, CONVERT THE FILES YOU HAVE!!!! There is no such thing as a lossless video conversion, and converting this file to anything else will cause additional quality loss. For the good of the trading pool, please play the files as they are without converting to other formats first.

[RainDawg]

By the way....an additional note on playing DVDs with Windows Media Player, here is a link to the options you have for DVD decoding plugins:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/mp10/getmore/plugins.aspx#DVDDecoder

As Pawel said, they are all third party...and not free.

[h_vargas]

interesting. i didn't know that WMP required a third party mpeg codec in order to play DVD files... i guess because i've had a legit version of PowerDVD for a long time, well before even having a DVD burner.

also, there *is* a free mpeg-2 codec to play DVDs from WMP:

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Stinky_MPEG_2_Codec.htm

however, from the reviews i read about this codec, it appears to be completely hit or miss for people. still, it's a freebie, so i guess one can't complain too much if it doesn't work.

[Spelunker]

DON'T, BY ANY MEANS, CONVERT THE FILES YOU HAVE!!!! There is no such thing as a lossless video conversion, and converting this file to anything else will cause additional quality loss. For the good of the trading pool, please play the files as they are without converting to other formats first.

What if he doesn't have a DVD burner and he only wants to watch it himself in a vcd?

[U2Lynne]

What if he doesn't have a DVD burner and he only wants to watch it himself in a vcd?
Well, his original question simply said he wanted to be able to play the file on his computer.

But really, just as with audio (go ahead and convert it to mp3 *for your own personal use*) I would tell someone to go ahead and convert it to VCD format and burn it *for their own personal use*, but they definitely should not go and trade it in VCD format. It's almost better to ask in the thread for a b&p of the show rather than go and convert it if you don't have a DVD burner. (Or go work a couple of extra hours so you can burn one - they are pretty cheap these days.)