VOB to MKV Converter

How to Convert VOB to MKV Online

1. Upload Your VOB File: Drag and drop your .vob files (or the whole VIDEO_TS folder one file at a time) or click "+ Add Files." DVDs split titles across multiple 1 GiB VOBs — upload each segment and each converts to its own MKV. To stitch them back into a single playable file, use a desktop tool like MKVToolNix after conversion.
2. Pick Video Codec and Quality Preset: Default is H.264 with the "Very High" Quality Preset, which is a solid match for DVD-resolution source (720x480 NTSC or 720x576 PAL). Switch to H.265 for ~40-50% smaller files at similar quality, or keep MPEG-2 if you want a near-lossless remux with no re-encoding artifacts. For a target output size, use Specific file size or Constant Bitrate (4 Mbps is plenty for SD DVD content).
3. Set Resolution and Trim (Optional): Leave Resolution on "Keep original" to preserve the native DVD frame size, or upscale to 1080p/720p via Preset Resolutions if your player only does HD scaling well. Use Trim → Time Range to cut commercials, FBI warnings, or studio idents off the head of the file.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert." Each VOB is re-muxed into MKV on our servers — no sign-up, no watermark, no sign-up.

Why Convert VOB to MKV?

VOB is the container DVD-Video uses to store MPEG-2 video, AC-3 or MP2 audio, subpicture (SUB/IDX) subtitles, and navigation packs — but the format has hard constraints baked into the 1996 DVD spec. Files are capped at 1 GiB per segment (an old FAT32 compatibility limit), titles are split across VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, and most modern players choke on the IFO/BUP navigation files that VOB depends on. MKV (Matroska) is the open-source container that fixes all of this: one file per movie, no size cap, native support for multiple audio tracks, soft subtitles, and chapter markers.

• Consolidate ripped DVDs into single files — A 90-minute DVD is typically 3-5 VOBs because of the 1 GiB-per-file limit; converting to MKV gives you one clean Movie.mkv instead of VTS_01_1.VOB through VTS_01_5.VOB plus IFO/BUP siblings.
• Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby libraries — All three media servers prefer MKV over VOB because metadata, chapters, and subtitle tracks are recognized natively; VOB folders usually require an extra DVD-folder plugin and don't surface chapter thumbnails.
• Smart TVs and the Nvidia Shield — Modern TVs from Samsung, LG, and Sony play MKV via USB; almost none of them play raw VOB. The Nvidia Shield, Apple TV (with Infuse), and Roku Ultra all index MKV directly from network shares.
• Preserve every audio and subtitle track — DVDs often ship with director commentary, multiple language dubs, and SDH subtitles. MKV carries every track as a switchable stream; converting to MP4 typically forces you to pick one audio and burn in subtitles.
• Archive at native quality without DVD-folder overhead — Choose MPEG-2 as the output codec to do a near-lossless re-mux (same video bitstream, new container) and ditch the VIDEO_TS folder structure entirely.

VOB vs MKV — Format Comparison

Codec Choice for DVD Source

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my VOB subtitles transfer to the MKV?

MKV can carry VobSub (the SUB/IDX bitmap subtitle format DVDs use) as a native subtitle track, but you need a tool that reads the companion .SUB and .IDX files alongside the VOB. This converter focuses on the video and audio streams inside the VOB itself; if subtitle preservation is your top priority, rip the DVD with MakeMKV first (it copies all subtitle tracks 1:1) and then use compress MKV if you need to shrink the result.

Why is my DVD split into VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, etc.?

DVD-Video uses a 1 GiB cap per VOB file — a holdover from when the spec was finalized in the mid-1990s and some operating systems couldn't handle larger files. A 90-minute movie at the typical 6-8 Mbps DVD bitrate runs ~4-5 GB total, so the disc splits it across multiple VOBs that play back as one seamless title. To get a single MKV out, convert each VOB here, then concatenate them with a desktop tool like MKVToolNix — or rip the whole title with MakeMKV first to skip the split altogether.

Should I pick H.264 or H.265 for a DVD rip?

For SD source (720x480 or 720x576), either codec produces a tiny file because the resolution is already low. H.264 is the safer pick — it plays on literally every device made since 2010. Pick H.265 only if you're targeting Plex direct-play to an Apple TV 4K, Nvidia Shield, or 2017+ smart TV, because the file size savings on SD content are smaller than they'd be on a 4K source.

Can I convert VOB to MKV without re-encoding?

Yes — pick MPEG-2 as the Video Codec and either Constant Quality or a Constant Bitrate close to the source rate (4-9 Mbps is typical for DVD). The video bitstream is repackaged into the Matroska container without going through another lossy encode, so quality is preserved bit-for-bit. The output file size will be very close to the input.

Why won't my smart TV play the original VOB files but it plays MKV?

VOB depends on the surrounding VIDEO_TS folder structure — VIDEO_TS.IFO (the table of contents), VTS_01_0.BUP (backup), VTS_01_0.IFO, and the numbered VOB segments. Most USB players in TVs only see the .vob files, not the IFO, so they can't reconstruct chapters or seamless playback between segments. MKV bundles everything into a single self-contained file the TV can index directly.

Will the conversion preserve multiple audio tracks (English, Spanish, director commentary)?

MKV supports unlimited audio tracks natively, and this converter writes whatever audio streams are present in the source VOB into the MKV output. If your DVD ripper extracted all audio tracks into the VOB, they'll all be in the MKV. If your VOB only contains the primary English track (some rippers strip extras), that's all the MKV will have — re-rip with MakeMKV in "all audio tracks" mode if you need the alternates.

What's the output bitrate for an SD DVD rip?

DVDs encode at roughly 4-9 Mbps for video (the format's max is 9.8 Mbps including audio). At the default "Very High" Quality Preset with H.264, expect 1.5-3 Mbps output — visually indistinguishable from the source because H.264 is ~2x more efficient than MPEG-2. For a true archival copy, switch to MPEG-2 codec and Constant Bitrate matching the source (use a tool like MediaInfo to read the source rate).

Can I trim out the FBI warning and studio idents before converting?

Yes — open Trim, switch to Time Range, and set the start time past the warnings (typically 15-30 seconds) and the end time at the credits roll. The output MKV starts at your chosen mark with no need to re-edit later. For more granular cutting across multiple segments, use Video Cutter after the conversion.

Is there a file size limit on uploads?

The converter runs on our servers, so uploads aren't pushed to a third-party server for processing. file size limits depend on your upload bandwidth and our server-imposed quota and browser — a typical 4 GB DVD rip (split across 4-5 VOBs of ~1 GiB each) processes one segment at a time without issue on a modern laptop with 8 GB+ of RAM.