Cut VOB

How to Cut VOB Files Online

1. Upload Your VOB File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to load VOB files from a ripped DVD's VIDEO_TS folder, a camcorder DVD-RAM disc, a DVD-R home recording, or a backup archive. Batch is supported — drop in VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, VTS_01_3.VOB and the cutter treats each as its own source. To stitch multiple 1 GiB VOB chunks into a single continuous timeline first, use VOB to MP4 on the whole VTS set to get one unified output container.
2. Set Start and End Time: Type the in-point and out-point as HH:MM:SS (00:04:30) or as seconds (270). VOB carries MPEG-2 video at one I-frame every 0.4-0.6 seconds per the DVD-Video spec, but that doesn't limit precision here: the kept range is decoded and re-encoded, so the cut starts exactly at your in-point. Keep tight clips short (under 1 GiB) so the output fits inside a single VOB if you plan to author back to disc.
3. (Optional) Add Multiple Cut Ranges: Add additional start/end pairs to extract several scenes from one source in a single pass. Each range produces its own output VOB — useful for pulling chapter highlights, ad-free segments, or specific PGCs out of a long disc rip without re-importing the file.
4. Cut and Download: Click Cut. Files process on our servers and download individually or as a ZIP. No sign-up, no watermark, no upload of your DVD rip to a third-party server. Output stays a VOB with standard MPEG-2 video and DVD-style audio, re-encoded at the visually-lossless default preset.

Why Cut VOB Files?

VOB (Video Object) is the container DVD-Video uses inside the VIDEO_TS folder, defined as a strict subset of the MPEG program stream and limited to MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video with MPEG-1/2 Layer II, LPCM, AC-3, or DTS audio. Commercial and home-recorded DVDs split each title into 1 GiB VOB chunks (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB,...) for legacy OS compatibility, so a 90-minute movie usually arrives as four or five files. Cutting VOB is useful for:

• Pulling a single scene out of a DVD rip — Extract the 90 seconds of a wedding toast from a 4.7 GB DVD-R recording or a single song performance from a concert disc without converting the whole title to MP4 first. Only the scene you keep is processed, re-encoded at the visually-lossless default preset.
• Trimming home camcorder DVDs — Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, and Canon DVD camcorders from the 2003-2012 era wrote directly to mini-DVD-R / DVD-RAM as VOB. Cut the 30-second leader of black or color bars off each clip before archiving to a NAS or converting to a modern container.
• Removing commercials from DVR-recorded DVDs — Standalone DVD recorders (Philips DVDR, Panasonic DMR, Pioneer DVR-RT) wrote broadcast captures as VOB. Cut the 4-minute ad break out without going back through an NLE — the kept segments are re-encoded at the visually-lossless default preset, so broadcast quality carries through.
• Extracting chapter highlights for fair-use clips — For classroom analysis, film commentary, or accessibility transcripts, cut the 2-minute scene you need from a personal-archive DVD rip rather than redistributing the full disc.
• Shrinking VOB chunks under hosting caps — A full 1 GiB VOB will not fit on Gmail (25 MB attachment cap), Discord free tier (10 MB as of Sept 2024), or most messaging apps. A 90-second cut at typical DVD bitrate (~6-8 Mbps) lands around 70-90 MB — still big, but workable for Drive, WeTransfer, or a follow-up VOB to MP4 shrink.
• Preparing source for re-authoring — Cut down to the segment you want before importing into DVD Studio Pro, DVDStyler, or Adobe Encore. Smaller VOB inputs scrub faster in older authoring tools that decode MPEG-2 in software.

Default Cut vs Custom Settings — When to Use Which

Property	Default settings	Custom settings
Speed	Proportional to clip length	Proportional to clip length
Quality	Re-encoded at the visually-lossless default preset	Whatever bitrate / CRF you choose
Cut precision	Frame-accurate	Frame-accurate
Output streams	Standard MPEG-2 video + DVD-style audio, re-encoded	Re-encoded to the codec you pick
Container fidelity	VOB output; strict DVD compliance not guaranteed	May break strict DVD compliance
File size	Proportional to duration kept	Variable by bitrate / CRF
Best for	Quick scene extraction at source-matching quality	Smaller file, container change

DVD-Video requires an I-frame at least every 0.6 seconds (every 18 frames at 29.97 fps, every 15 frames at 25 fps), but the cut point doesn't depend on that layout: the kept segment is decoded and re-encoded, so the cut lands on the exact frame you request — a doorbell ring, a goal, a punchline.

VOB Codec and Bitrate Quick Guide

Stream	Codec on DVD-Video	Typical bitrate	Notes
Video (default)	MPEG-2 Part 2 (H.262)	4-9 Mbps (max 9.8 Mbps)	Standard for commercial and home-recorded DVDs
Video (rare)	MPEG-1 Part 2	1-2 Mbps	Used for VCD-style content authored to DVD
Audio	AC-3 (Dolby Digital)	192-448 kbps	Default for US/region 1 commercial DVDs
Audio	MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 Layer II	192-384 kbps	Common on PAL / region 2 DVDs
Audio	LPCM	1536 kbps	Uncompressed; used for concert / music DVDs
Audio	DTS	754-1509 kbps	Optional surround track on many DVDs
Subpictures	Run-length encoded bitmaps	n/a	Subpicture subtitles are not guaranteed to survive the re-encode

The DVD-Video specification caps combined video + audio + subpicture bitrate at 10.08 Mbps. The cut is re-encoded at the visually-lossless default preset, which lands near the source bitrate. To shrink a long cut for sharing, run Compress VOB on the result or convert with VOB to MP4 at H.264 CRF 23 for roughly 4-5× smaller files at visually equivalent quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is one DVD title split into multiple VOB files like VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB?

The DVD-Video specification limits each VOB file to under 1 GiB (1,073,741,824 bytes) so the disc remains readable on operating systems that historically capped single-file size — early ISO 9660 implementations, some embedded set-top players, and legacy FAT variants. A 90-minute commercial DVD at ~6 Mbps typically produces four or five VOB files in the same VTS (Video Title Set). DVD players treat them as a continuous stream via the IFO navigation file. When you cut, each VOB chunk is treated as its own source — for material that spans a chunk boundary, run VOB to MP4 on the full VTS set first to produce a continuous file, then cut.

Will cutting break DVD playback if I burn the output back to a disc?

The cut comes out as standard MPEG-2 video with DVD-style audio, but the streams are re-encoded, so strict DVD-Video compliance is not guaranteed — and either way a cut VOB will not play on its own in a hardware DVD player, because players require the full VIDEO_TS structure including IFO (information) and BUP (backup) navigation files. To re-author, drop the cut VOB into DVDStyler, DVD Flick, or Adobe Encore — those tools re-multiplex (and re-encode to spec if needed) while rebuilding the IFO/BUP to produce a playable disc image. Software players (VLC, MPC-HC, mpv) play the raw cut VOB directly without IFO files.

Can I cut a VOB without losing audio sync?

Yes — video and audio are re-encoded from the same in-point, so audio stays locked to video. One note: the output carries a single audio track, so on DVDs with multiple audio tracks (English + commentary + alternate language) the primary track is what comes through. If sync drifts, check that the source isn't a telecined 23.976→29.97 NTSC DVD with soft pulldown flags that some encoders mishandle.

Does this work on encrypted commercial DVDs?

No. Retail DVDs are protected by CSS (Content Scramble System) and the VOB files on the disc are encrypted. This tool cuts VOB files that are already decrypted — typically VOBs ripped from a DVD you own using a tool that handles CSS (HandBrake with libdvdcss, MakeMKV, DVDFab), or VOBs from home-recorded DVDs (camcorder DVD-R, DVR recordings, DVD-RAM) which are never CSS-encrypted. Encrypted VOBs from a retail disc will load but cut to garbage video. Decrypt first, then cut.

What's the difference between cutting a VOB and cutting an MP4 version of the same DVD?

Cutting the VOB re-encodes the kept scene at the visually-lossless default and stays MPEG-2 — source-matching quality, but a large file with limited mobile / browser support until you convert. Cutting an MP4 made with VOB to MP4 starts from already-transcoded H.264 + AAC — smaller and plays everywhere, but you transcoded the whole title to get there. Recommended workflow for sharing: cut the VOB first, then run VOB to MP4 on just the cut clip — much faster than transcoding the full disc rip and then trimming.

Can I extract just the audio from a cut VOB?

Yes. Cut the VOB to the segment you want, then run VOB to MP3, VOB to WAV, or VOB to AC3 on the result. Cutting first is faster because audio extraction only has to process the clip. AC-3 to MP3 / AAC re-encodes; AC-3 to WAV decodes to PCM. AC3 output is the closest match to what's on the disc.

My VOB came from a camcorder DVD. Why is the cut output smaller than expected?

Two reasons. Consumer DVD camcorders (Sony Handycam DCR-DVD, Panasonic VDR series, Hitachi DZ-MV, Canon DC) wrote VOBs padded inside each VOBU to maintain constant disc write speed on -RW/-RAM media, and that padding doesn't carry into the new file. On top of that, the cut is re-encoded, so the output bitrate can land below the source's padded constant rate. A 60-second cut from a 30-minute disc clip can therefore come out 10-15% (or more) smaller than the raw 60-second slice while looking the same.

What's the maximum VOB length I can cut in one pass?

There's no fixed cap on the cutter — processing happens on our servers, so practical limits come down to device RAM and how long you're willing to wait for the file to load. Multi-GB DVD rips work fine. Note that each output VOB file from the cut is capped at the spec's 1 GiB single-file limit; if your cut spans more than ~20-25 minutes at DVD-spec bitrate (6-9 Mbps), the output will exceed 1 GiB and break strict DVD compliance. For long-form output, either keep cuts under 20 minutes per file or convert to MP4 (VOB to MP4) which has no such cap.

Should I cut VOB or convert to MP4 first?

Cut VOB first whenever you can. The cut only processes the segment you keep, so it's much faster than transcoding the whole source to MP4. Convert only the cut clip afterward if you need MP4 for sharing, web upload, or mobile playback. The reverse workflow (convert full DVD to MP4, then trim) wastes encoding time on material you discard.