VOB to M4V Converter

How to Convert VOB to M4V Online

1. Upload Your VOB File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select VOB files — typically pulled from a DVD's VIDEO_TS folder (each disc is split into 1 GB VOB chunks alongside.IFO and.BUP companions). Batch is supported; drop all VTS_01_1.VOB through VTS_01_n.VOB at once and each converts in parallel.
2. Pick Quality Preset or Bitrate Mode: Default is the "Very High (Recommended)" Quality Preset, which targets visually-lossless H.264 output suitable for iTunes and Apple TV. Switch to Specific file size to cap output at an exact MB target, Constant Bitrate (CBR) for predictable streaming sizes, Variable Bitrate (VBR) for smaller files at the same perceived quality, or Constant Quality to dial in CRF (18 = visually lossless, 23 = default, 28 = noticeably smaller). The Video Codec dropdown defaults to H.264 — the only codec Apple's M4V spec officially supports alongside AAC audio.
3. Resize or Trim if Needed (Optional): Under Video Resolution, keep original (DVD source is 720×480 NTSC or 720×576 PAL), pick a Preset Resolution (2160p / 1440p / 1080p / 720p / 480p), scale by Resolution Percentage, or enter custom Width × Height. Under Trim, pick Time Range and enter start time + duration in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss format — useful for stripping DVD warnings, menus, and trailers from the front of VTS_01_1.VOB.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared. Download individually or as a ZIP, then drop the.m4v into iTunes / Apple TV / Music app to sync to iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV.

Why Convert VOB to M4V?

VOB (Video Object) is the container format defined in the DVD-Video Book by the DVD Forum and used on every commercial DVD since September 1996. It stores MPEG-2 video, AC-3 / DTS / PCM / MP2 audio, subtitles, menus, and navigation, broken into 1 GiB chunks for legacy filesystem compatibility. M4V is Apple's MPEG-4 container, introduced in 2006 with the iTunes Store and based on the same ISO/IEC 14496-14 spec as MP4 — with one tweak: M4V can optionally carry FairPlay DRM. AAC and MPEG-4 codecs are explicitly excluded from VOB, so the conversion always re-encodes both video and audio. Common reasons to do it:

• Rip DVDs into the Apple ecosystem — drop the.m4v into iTunes / the Apple TV app and it syncs to iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac with chapter markers and metadata intact. VOB files don't index in iTunes at all.
• Watch home-movie DVDs on iPhone — old wedding, school, or family DVDs are stuck as 720×480 MPEG-2 chunks. Converting to M4V with H.264 (the codec Apple devices hardware-decode) produces a single file that plays in QuickTime, the Photos app sharing sheet, and AirPlay.
• Smaller files than VOB — MPEG-2 at DVD bitrates (typically 4-9 Mbps for video) is enormous next to H.264. Re-encoding to H.264 at CRF 20 typically cuts size 60-75% with minimal visible loss for typical home-video content at SD source resolution.
• Single file instead of fragments — a feature-length DVD is split across 3-5 VOB files (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, etc.) because of the 1 GiB cap. Convert and merge them into one continuous.m4v for natural playback.
• AirPlay and Apple TV streaming — Apple TV refuses MPEG-2 outright. M4V with H.264 + AAC streams via AirPlay from any Mac, iPhone, or iPad with no transcoding step.
• Editing in iMovie / Final Cut — both editors accept M4V directly. VOB requires a separate decode pass or a plugin, and iMovie will silently refuse to import most DVD rips.

VOB vs M4V — Format Comparison

Quality and Bitrate Mode Quick Guide

If you'd rather output a more universal container, see VOB to MP4 or VOB to MKV. To shrink an existing M4V further, use Compress M4V.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between VOB and M4V?

VOB is the container format defined by the DVD Forum for DVD-Video discs — it carries MPEG-2 video plus AC-3 / DTS / LPCM audio, with the actual files broken into 1 GiB chunks inside the VIDEO_TS folder. M4V is Apple's MPEG-4 container introduced with the iTunes Store in 2006; it carries H.264 video and AAC / Dolby Digital audio. Wikipedia notes that AAC and MPEG-4 codecs are explicitly excluded from VOB, so a true VOB-to-M4V conversion always re-encodes both streams — it's not a remux.

Will the converted M4V play on my iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV?

Yes — H.264 + AAC inside an M4V container is exactly what Apple's iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS players are tuned for. The output file imports directly into the Apple TV app (and iTunes on older systems), syncs over USB or Wi-Fi, streams via AirPlay, and hardware-decodes on every Apple device since iPhone 4. Files generated here carry no DRM, so they also play in VLC, HandBrake, and modern Android video players.

Can I convert all the VTS_01_*.VOB files from a DVD into one M4V?

Yes. Upload every VOB file from your VIDEO_TS folder (typically VTS_01_1.VOB through VTS_01_4.VOB or VTS_01_5.VOB for a feature-length movie) and enable the merge option. The converter concatenates them in upload order — drag them into the upload area in numerical sequence — and writes a single continuous.m4v. If your VOBs were separated by chapter breaks, those join cleanly because they come from the same MPEG-2 program stream.

Why is the M4V so much smaller than the original VOB?

DVD VOBs encode video as MPEG-2, a 1996-era codec that needs roughly 4-9 Mbps to look acceptable. H.264 — Apple's required codec inside M4V — achieves the same perceptual quality at around 1.5-3 Mbps for SD content because it uses much more sophisticated motion estimation and entropy coding. The default "Very High" preset typically produces an M4V 60-75% smaller than the source VOB with no visible quality difference on the 720×480 / 720×576 source.

Should I upscale the DVD video to 1080p or higher?

You can pick a Preset Resolution of 1080p or 720p, but upscaling DVD source past 480p doesn't add detail — the original frames are 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL) and that's all the information present. Upscaling just spreads existing pixels over more screen real estate, often softening the image. Keep Original is the honest default; pick 720p only if your destination player (older Apple TV, embedded screens) can't accept non-standard SD resolutions.

Does the output file have DRM?

No. Apple's FairPlay DRM is an optional layer that the iTunes Store applies to purchased content; it's never added by a converter. The.m4v generated here is a plain MPEG-4 container with H.264 and AAC streams that any modern player can open, including VLC and HandBrake. Note: if your source VOB came from a commercially encrypted DVD with CSS protection, you'll need to decrypt it before uploading — XConvert doesn't bypass DVD copy protection.

Can I trim out DVD warnings, menus, and trailers?

Yes. Under Trim, select Time Range and enter a start time and duration. Most commercial DVDs front-load 30-90 seconds of FBI / Interpol warnings, studio logos, and unskippable trailers. Set the start time past those and only the main feature gets encoded. Both start and duration accept seconds (90.0) or HH:MM:SS.sss format (00:01:30.500). For more advanced cut points, see Trim VOB to edit before converting.

What's the difference between M4V and MP4?

Mechanically, almost nothing — M4V is the same MPEG-4 Part 14 (ISO/IEC 14496-14) container as MP4, just with the.m4v extension Apple uses to flag iTunes-managed content. The practical differences: M4V can optionally hold Apple FairPlay DRM (MP4 cannot), and Apple's apps (iTunes, Apple TV, Photos) treat.m4v files as first-class library content while.mp4 is treated more like an external import. If you want maximum cross-platform compatibility instead of iTunes integration, convert to MP4 instead.