AVI to VOB Converter

How to Convert AVI to VOB Online

1. Upload Your AVI Files: Click "+ Add Files" or drag and drop one or more AVI files into the upload area. Batch conversion is supported, so you can queue multiple clips in a single pass.
2. Pick a Quality Preset: The default is "Very High (Recommended)". Drop to "High" or "Medium" if your DVD-5 only has 4.7 GB of capacity and you need to fit roughly 2 hours of footage; pick "Very High" for short clips where you want maximum image quality within DVD's 9.8 Mbit/s MPEG-2 ceiling.
3. Tune Resolution, Bitrate, or Trim (Optional): Pick a preset resolution (480p maps to the 720x480 NTSC or 720x576 PAL frame DVD players expect), set a specific file size in MB, switch between Constant Bitrate and Variable Bitrate, or open Trim and enter a Time Range to keep only part of the source.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Each file is processed in your session and delivered as a .vob file you can drop into a VIDEO_TS folder for DVD authoring — no sign-up, no watermark.

Why Convert AVI to VOB?

AVI is a 1992 Microsoft container that holds almost any codec — DivX, XviD, MJPEG, uncompressed, even H.264 — but standalone DVD players only read DVD-Video discs, and DVD-Video stores its video in .vob files inside a VIDEO_TS folder. The DVD-Video specification (released by the DVD Forum in October 1996) locks the container to an MPEG-2 Program Stream with strict resolution, bitrate, and audio rules. An AVI with the wrong codec, wrong resolution, or wrong audio simply will not play on a Panasonic, Sony, or Philips set-top player. Converting AVI to VOB re-encodes the video to MPEG-2 (H.262) at a DVD-legal resolution and bitrate so authoring software like DVDStyler, ImgBurn, or Nero can finalize a playable disc.

• Burning a playable DVD for a set-top player — DVD players read VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB and friends; they do not read raw AVI. After conversion, drop the VOB into a VIDEO_TS folder and burn with authoring software.
• Archiving old DivX/XviD AVIs to physical media — many camcorder rips and 2000s-era downloads are AVI with DivX or XviD video. A DVD copy survives drive failures and works on any TV with a DVD slot.
• Sharing video with non-technical relatives — handing a finished DVD to someone who does not stream solves the "I cannot get the file to play" problem in one step.
• Authoring chapter menus — VOB is the input format every consumer DVD authoring tool expects; convert first, then add menus in DVDStyler or similar.
• Preserving the 4:3 aspect of older AVIs — DVD-Video supports 720x480 (NTSC) and 720x576 (PAL) at both 4:3 and 16:9, so an old 4:3 home-video AVI maps cleanly without pillarboxing.

AVI vs VOB — Container Comparison

DVD-Video Bitrate and Capacity Guide

DVD-Video caps MPEG-2 video at 9.8 Mbit/s and the combined audio+video stream at 10.08 Mbit/s. Going higher will not play on hardware players even if the authoring tool lets you set it.

Frequently Asked Questions

My converted VOB plays on VLC but not on my DVD player — why?

VLC plays almost anything, so a successful VLC test only proves the file is valid VOB, not that it conforms to DVD-Video's strict subset. Standalone players require the file to live inside a VIDEO_TS folder alongside the navigation files (VIDEO_TS.IFO, VIDEO_TS.BUP, VTS_01_0.IFO, etc.). Use DVD authoring software like DVDStyler or ImgBurn to assemble the full VIDEO_TS structure from your VOB before burning.

Should I use NTSC (720x480) or PAL (720x576)?

Use NTSC if your viewers are in North America, Japan, South Korea, or the Philippines, and PAL almost everywhere else in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The frame rates differ too: NTSC runs at 29.97 fps and PAL at 25 fps. Modern DVD players in most regions accept both, but a NTSC disc sent to a PAL-only TV (rare today, more common with older hardware) can show as a black screen.

How long can a single VOB file be?

The DVD-Video spec caps each VOB at 1 GiB (1,073,741,824 bytes). Longer videos are split across VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, and so on — DVD players read them as one continuous stream via the .IFO navigation files. Our converter outputs the encoded MPEG-2 stream; your DVD authoring tool handles the 1 GiB split when it builds the VIDEO_TS folder.

Will I lose quality converting from DivX AVI to MPEG-2 VOB?

Yes — this is a transcode from one lossy codec (DivX/XviD) to another (MPEG-2), so generation loss is unavoidable. MPEG-2 is also a less efficient codec than DivX or H.264, so to match the same visual quality you typically need 1.5x to 2x the bitrate. Pick "Very High" preset or set 8-9 Mbit/s manually for short clips; drop to 5-6 Mbit/s if you need to fit 2+ hours on a DVD-5.

Can I keep the original AC-3 audio from my AVI?

If your source AVI already carries AC-3 (Dolby Digital) audio, the converter targets AC-3 in the VOB output by default — DVD's most common audio format. PCM and MPEG-1 Audio Layer II are also DVD-legal alternatives, while MP3 is not part of the DVD-Video spec, so an MP3-audio AVI must be re-encoded.

What is the difference between MPEG and VOB if both use MPEG-2?

A VOB file is a MPEG-2 Program Stream that conforms to extra DVD-Video constraints — capped bitrate, fixed resolutions, specific audio formats, and pack/PES-packet alignment that lets a DVD player navigate via chapter markers. Every VOB is a valid MPEG-PS, but most generic .mpg or .mpeg files are not DVD-legal VOBs. Renaming .mpg to .vob will not make it play on a set-top player.

Do you support batch conversion?

Yes. Drop multiple AVI files in at once and they will each be encoded to VOB with the same settings, then download each output VOB separately. If you need a single continuous DVD title, your DVD authoring tool (DVDStyler, DVDFlick, ImgBurn) can stitch the multiple VOBs into one chapter sequence when it builds the VIDEO_TS folder.

What if I just want to play the AVI on my computer instead of burning a DVD?

Then you do not need VOB at all — VLC and MPV play AVI directly. VOB is only useful if your end goal is a physical DVD or DVD-image (.iso) playable on standalone hardware. For computer or smart-TV playback, convert AVI to MP4 instead — MP4 with H.264 plays on every modern device and streams over the web, which VOB cannot do.

Can I trim the AVI before converting?

Yes. Open the Advanced Options panel, expand Trim, switch from Unchanged to Time Range, and enter start and duration in HH:MM:SS. The trim happens during the same encode pass, so there is no re-encoding penalty. You can also work the other direction on a finished VOB with Trim VOB.