Free online VOB to F4V converter

What the VOB format is

VOB, or Video Object, is a DVD-Video container used on movie discs and DVD backups. It commonly contains MPEG-2 video, AC-3 or MPEG audio, subtitles, menus, navigation data, and multiple program streams.

DVD authoring tools and disc-production software create VOB files. You usually find them in a VIDEO_TS folder, with the main movie divided among files such as VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, and VTS_01_3.VOB. VIDEO_TS.VOB generally contains menu content rather than the main feature.

What the F4V format is

F4V is an Adobe Flash Video container based on the ISO Base Media File Format, closely related to MP4. It was designed for Adobe Flash Player and commonly stores H.264/AVC video with AAC audio.

F4V can provide smaller files and broader software compatibility than DVD VOB, while retaining modern compressed video and audio. It is mainly useful for older Flash-based publishing systems or applications that explicitly request the .f4v extension; modern browsers and services generally favor MP4, WebM, or other newer delivery formats because Flash Player was discontinued.

How to convert VOB to F4V

FFmpeg is the most flexible desktop option because it can select streams, convert MPEG-2 to H.264, encode audio as AAC, and write an F4V container.

1. Copy the DVD or backup to a local drive and identify the VOB files belonging to the main title. If the title is split across files, join only those sequential parts. On Windows, use copy /b VTS_01_1.VOB+VTS_01_2.VOB+VTS_01_3.VOB title.vob. On macOS or Linux, use cat VTS_01_1.VOB VTS_01_2.VOB VTS_01_3.VOB > title.vob.
2. Install a current FFmpeg build and open a command prompt or terminal in the folder containing title.vob.
3. Run ffmpeg -i "title.vob" -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -c:a aac -b:a 160k -movflags +faststart "output.f4v".

The command selects the first video and audio streams, re-encodes DVD MPEG-2 video as H.264, encodes audio as AAC, and writes output.f4v. Lower crf values increase quality and file size; values around 18–23 are a practical H.264 range. Change -map 0:a:0 to another audio stream when the VOB contains multiple languages.

For a graphical workflow, open the VOB in a desktop converter that offers H.264 video, AAC audio, and an F4V output container, then choose Format → F4V or the equivalent output setting. If no F4V preset exists, FFmpeg is preferable because changing the filename extension alone does not convert the container or codecs.

You can also convert the file for free on the 101convert.com website without installing software.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

VOB MPEG-2 video normally must be re-encoded because F4V workflows expect H.264 or another supported codec; re-encoding causes some loss. Keep the source resolution and frame rate unless the target application requires another specification. DVD video is commonly 720×480 at 29.97 fps for NTSC or 720×576 at 25 fps for PAL.

VOB subtitles, DVD menus, chapters, and multiple angles are not automatically preserved in a simple F4V conversion. Select subtitle streams separately and burn them into the picture or export them in a format supported by the target application. Test the result in the actual legacy player or publishing system, because some F4V implementations accept only specific H.264 profiles, audio sampling rates, or metadata.