How do you convert VOB to MP4? HandBrake for the disc, ffmpeg for the files.
Open the disc's VIDEO_TS folder in HandBrake, choose the longest title and encode it to MP4 with a general preset, or join the title's VOBs with ffmpeg: ffmpeg -i "concat:VTS_01_1.VOB|VTS_01_2.VOB|VTS_01_3.VOB" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac seminar.mp4. Packs start at $4 for 300 minutes, and credits never expire.
From disc to file
A DVD stores one title across several VOB files. Converting puts it back into one.
How VOBs are laid out
A video DVD keeps each title as a run of VOB files of up to about 1 GB each (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB and so on), plus small menu files such as VTS_01_0.VOB. DVD video runs roughly 1.8 to 3.6 GB an hour, so one long title is several VOBs.
HandBrake, step by step
Copy the VIDEO_TS folder to your computer, open it in HandBrake, choose the title with the longest duration, pick a general MP4 preset and start the encode (labels differ between versions). HandBrake does not unlock copy-protected commercial discs; this is for discs you made or have the right to use, such as recorded lectures, seminars, ceremonies and training sessions.
Audio only is enough
A transcript needs the sound. ffmpeg -i "concat:VTS_01_1.VOB|VTS_01_2.VOB|VTS_01_3.VOB" -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 128k seminar.mp3 skips the video encode, finishes in a fraction of the time and makes a file a fraction of the size. The MP3 fits this box; a full MP4 over 500 MB continues on the upload page.
Then the transcript
Timestamps on every line, a brief with the thesis and takeaways, chapters, the names, numbers and dates mentioned, and a chat over the text. Speakers are named in the summary, key quotes and chapters. Exports: TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT, JSON.
A box of DVDs
Seminar discs from years ago play on a drive most laptops no longer have.
✗ Still on disc
Each talk split across VOB files and menus.
- Several VOBs per title
- Menu files mixed in with the talk
- 1.8-3.6 GB for every hour
- Laptops without a DVD drive
- Watching to find one point
- No text to quote from
✓ Converted and transcribed
One MP4 or MP3 per disc, then full text.
- About 115 MB per 2-hour MP3
- 2 hours in about 4 minutes
- Chapters across each talk
- Key points and figures listed
- DOCX for course notes
- Packs from $4 for 300 minutes
Illustrative transcript
A seminar recorded to DVD, converted from its VOB files.
Invented for this page; no real seminar, organisation or speaker. Times follow the joined title.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $4 (300 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$4/300 min
5 hours of audio — $0.80 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 300 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$18/3,000 min
50 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 3,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
Bulk pack
$32/6,000 min
100 hours of audio — $0.32 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 6,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
VOB to MP4: answers
Do I need to convert VOB at all?
For a transcript, usually yes: VOB is split across files and not a format most uploads take. Convert to MP4 or, simpler, extract MP3. If the same recording exists as an MP4 or a YouTube or Vimeo link, use that instead and skip the disc.
Which VOB files do I include?
The ones that belong to the main title, in number order: VTS_01_1, VTS_01_2 and onward. Leave out the _0 files, which usually hold menus. HandBrake's title list does this for you.
How big will the MP4 be?
An H.264 MP4 at a typical setting for DVD resolution is often 0.5 to 1 GB an hour, against 1.8 to 3.6 GB for the VOBs. The MP3 route is about 58 MB an hour at 128 kbps.
What does a seminar series on DVD cost?
Packs start at $4 for 300 minutes, and credits never expire. One 2-hour disc is 120 minutes. Every recording starts with a free preview of its opening minutes; a longer disc is previewed and a pack transcribes the rest.
How long does it take?
About 2 minutes per audio hour once uploaded, so a 2-hour disc is ready in about 4 minutes. The conversion on your own computer depends on its speed; audio-only is much quicker than a full MP4 encode.
Languages, exports and privacy?
99 languages are detected automatically. Background music on a disc is not transcribed; the speech is. Exports: TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT, JSON. Recordings are transcribed on our own servers and are never used for training.
Related
Related pages
A seminar series on DVD. Searchable text, disc by disc.
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