Free online AVC to VOB converter

What the AVC format is

In video files, AVC usually means H.264/MPEG-4 Part 10 video. A file ending in .avc commonly contains a raw H.264 elementary stream with no container, menu, chapter, or audio track. Cameras, surveillance systems, screen recorders, video encoders, and editing software can produce this form when they export elementary streams.

Because raw AVC files often lack frame-rate, resolution, and audio metadata, some players cannot open them until the input parameters are supplied. AVC video is not DVD-compatible: standard DVD-Video uses MPEG-2 video, with limited resolutions, frame rates, bit rates, and aspect ratios.

What the VOB format is

VOB, or Video Object, is an MPEG program-stream container used by DVD-Video. A VOB can contain MPEG-2 video, MPEG-1 or AC-3 audio, subtitles, navigation data, and timing information. DVD folders normally store these files in VIDEO_TS, alongside .IFO and .BUP files.

VOB is appropriate when the result must play in a standalone DVD player, be burned as a DVD-Video disc, or be accepted by DVD-authoring software. It is not a general-purpose replacement for MP4: it has DVD-era capacity and compatibility limits, and a valid disc requires authoring data in addition to the VOB files.

How to actually convert AVC to VOB

For a reliable desktop workflow, use FFmpeg to decode the AVC stream and encode DVD-compatible MPEG-2, then use DVDStyler or dvdauthor to create the DVD structure. Renaming input.avc to output.vob does not convert it.

1. Check the raw stream and identify its dimensions and frame rate with ffprobe -f h264 input.avc. If FFmpeg cannot detect them, provide the correct values from the camera or recording system.
2. Encode a DVD-compatible MPEG-2 file. For a PAL source with separate WAV audio, use:
   ffmpeg -f h264 -i input.avc -i audio.wav -target pal-dvd -map 0:v:0 -map 1:a:0 -c:v mpeg2video -b:v 6000k -maxrate 9000k -bufsize 1835008 -c:a ac3 -b:a 192k dvd.mpg
   For NTSC, replace -target pal-dvd with -target ntsc-dvd. Choose the target standard to match the intended DVD player and source frame rate.
3. If the AVC file has no audio, omit the second input and audio mapping, but the result may not satisfy authoring software or DVD-Video expectations. A DVD-compatible audio track such as AC-3 is normally required.
4. Author the MPEG-2 file into DVD folders. With dvdauthor, create dvd.xml containing:
   <dvdauthor dest="dvd_out"><vmgm /><titleset><titles><pgc><vob file="dvd.mpg" /></pgc></titles></titleset></dvdauthor>
   Then run dvdauthor -x dvd.xml and finalize the table of contents with dvdauthor -o dvd_out -T. The generated dvd_out/VIDEO_TS directory contains the VOB files and navigation files.
5. Alternatively, import dvd.mpg into DVDStyler, select the PAL or NTSC project standard, add menus or chapters if needed, and use File → Burn DVD or the option to create an ISO image.

For a one-off conversion without installing software, the online converter on 101convert.com can convert the file for free. Raw .avc input may still require the correct frame-rate or audio information, and online processing is unsuitable for confidential footage.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

The conversion re-encodes H.264 into MPEG-2, so it is not lossless and cannot improve the source image. Keep the MPEG-2 bit rate within DVD limits; increasing it above the source quality only produces a larger file. A single-layer DVD holds about 4.7 GB, while a dual-layer disc holds about 8.5 GB.

DVD-Video normally uses 720×576 at 25 fps for PAL or 720×480 at approximately 29.97 fps for NTSC. Converting a nonstandard AVC resolution or frame rate can require scaling, frame-rate conversion, or cropping. Test the authored VIDEO_TS folder in a software DVD player before burning, because a playable MPEG program stream is not necessarily a valid DVD-Video disc.