Convert M2TS to VOB — Free Online Tool
Convert M2TS Blu-ray and AVCHD footage to VOB format for DVD-compatible playback. This tool re-encodes the video stream from H.264/H.265 to MPEG-2 and transcodes audio to AC3 (Dolby Digital), the native codecs required by the DVD-Video specification.
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FFmpeg Command
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Note: Browser-based encoding uses approximate quality targets. For precise CRF compression, copy the FFmpeg command above and run it on your desktop.
Estimated output:
Conversion Complete!
DownloadHow It Works
M2TS files from Blu-ray discs or AVCHD camcorders typically contain H.264 or H.265 video alongside AAC, DTS, or Dolby TrueHD audio — none of which are natively supported by the DVD-Video VOB format. This conversion fully re-encodes the video stream to MPEG-2, the mandatory video codec for DVD-Video, using a fixed quantizer scale controlled by the -q:v parameter. The audio is transcoded to AC3 (Dolby Digital), the standard lossy audio format for DVD. Subtitles can be carried over if present. Because both the video and audio streams must be completely re-encoded rather than remuxed, this conversion is computationally intensive and will take longer than a simple container swap. The output file is wrapped in the VOB container with the -f vob flag to ensure correct DVD-compatible multiplexing.
What Each Flag Does
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
ffmpeg
|
Invokes the FFmpeg command-line tool. On this web tool, FFmpeg runs entirely in your browser via WebAssembly (FFmpeg.wasm) — no file is sent to a server. |
-i input.m2ts
|
Specifies the input M2TS file — a Blu-ray BDAV or AVCHD transport stream that typically contains H.264 or H.265 video and audio formats such as AAC, DTS, or Dolby TrueHD. |
-c:v mpeg2video
|
Re-encodes the video stream to MPEG-2, the mandatory video codec for the DVD-Video specification and the only video codec natively supported inside VOB files. |
-c:a ac3
|
Transcodes the audio stream to AC3 (Dolby Digital), the primary audio format for DVD-Video. This replaces any AAC, DTS, or lossless audio track from the M2TS source with a Dolby Digital stream compatible with all DVD players. |
-q:v 4
|
Sets the MPEG-2 video quality using a fixed quantizer scale, where 1 is the highest quality and 31 is the lowest. A value of 4 strikes a balance between good visual fidelity and manageable file size for standard DVD output. |
-b:a 192k
|
Sets the AC3 audio bitrate to 192 kilobits per second, a standard Dolby Digital bitrate widely supported by DVD players that provides acceptable stereo or surround sound quality. |
-f vob
|
Forces FFmpeg to write the output using the VOB (DVD program stream) container format, ensuring correct MPEG multiplexing structure rather than defaulting to a generic MPEG-2 transport stream. |
output.vob
|
The name of the output file with the .vob extension. This file contains multiplexed MPEG-2 video and AC3 audio in DVD-Video format, ready for use in DVD authoring software or direct playback in compatible players. |
Common Use Cases
- Archiving Blu-ray rips or AVCHD camcorder footage to DVD-Video format for playback on older standalone DVD players that cannot read H.264 or HEVC content
- Downconverting high-definition M2TS recordings to standard-definition DVD VOB files for burning onto DVD-R discs using authoring software like DVD Styler or ImgBurn
- Preparing Blu-ray source footage as VOB files for import into legacy DVD authoring workflows and NLE systems that only accept MPEG-2 program stream inputs
- Converting AVCHD camcorder .m2ts clips to VOB for playback on car entertainment systems or set-top boxes that support DVD discs but not modern HD codecs
- Generating VOB-format video files from Blu-ray sources to test DVD player codec compatibility or to create reference test discs with known MPEG-2/AC3 content
- Downmixing multi-track Dolby TrueHD or DTS audio from M2TS source files to a standard AC3 stream embedded in a VOB, making the content compatible with basic Dolby Digital decoders
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, there will be a noticeable quality reduction, and it is unavoidable. M2TS typically stores video in H.264 or H.265, which are far more efficient codecs than MPEG-2. To match the same visual quality, MPEG-2 requires a significantly higher bitrate. Additionally, VOB is a lossy-only format, so there is no lossless path. The default -q:v 4 setting produces reasonably good MPEG-2 quality, but the output will not match the sharpness and detail of the original Blu-ray source, especially at high motion or fine texture areas.
Subtitle stream support depends on the subtitle format in the source M2TS. Blu-ray PGS (Presentation Graphic Stream) bitmap subtitles cannot be directly placed into a VOB without conversion to DVD-compatible subtitle bitmaps (SUB/IDX format), which requires additional processing beyond a simple FFmpeg transcode. Text-based subtitle streams may be handled differently. For full subtitle support in a DVD-compatible output, dedicated DVD authoring software is recommended after generating the VOB.
DVD-Video has a maximum resolution of 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL), so if your M2TS source is 1080p or 4K Blu-ray content, FFmpeg will scale the video down to fit within DVD resolution constraints when the format flag is applied. This mandatory downscale from high-definition to standard-definition is the primary reason for the perceived softness, compounded by MPEG-2's less efficient compression compared to the H.264 or H.265 in your source file.
M2TS files commonly carry audio in formats like AAC, DTS-HD Master Audio, or Dolby TrueHD — none of which are supported in the DVD-Video specification. VOB requires audio to be AC3 (Dolby Digital), LPCM, or MP2. This tool transcodes the audio to AC3 at 192k by default, which is a standard Dolby Digital bitrate compatible with virtually all DVD players. Some audio quality loss occurs during this transcoding step since AC3 is a lossy codec.
To adjust video quality, change the -q:v value: lower numbers (e.g., -q:v 2) produce higher quality at larger file sizes, while higher numbers (e.g., -q:v 8) reduce quality but shrink the file. The valid range for MPEG-2 is 1 to 31. For audio quality, change the -b:a value to options like 128k, 224k, or 384k — higher bitrates yield better AC3 audio fidelity. For example: ffmpeg -i input.m2ts -c:v mpeg2video -c:a ac3 -q:v 2 -b:a 384k -f vob output.vob
Yes. On Linux or macOS, you can use a shell loop: for f in *.m2ts; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v mpeg2video -c:a ac3 -q:v 4 -b:a 192k -f vob "${f%.m2ts}.vob"; done. On Windows Command Prompt, use: for %f in (*.m2ts) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:v mpeg2video -c:a ac3 -q:v 4 -b:a 192k -f vob "%~nf.vob". Note that because M2TS to VOB requires full re-encoding of both video and audio, batch processing is CPU-intensive and will take considerable time per file.
Technical Notes
The M2TS to VOB conversion is one of the more demanding format conversions because it involves full re-encoding of both the video and audio streams with no opportunity for stream copying. The MPEG-2 video codec used in VOB has a maximum supported resolution of 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480 (NTSC) for DVD-Video compliance, meaning HD content from Blu-ray or AVCHD sources will be downscaled. The -f vob flag is required to force FFmpeg to write the correct DVD program stream multiplexing structure rather than a generic MPEG-2 transport stream. Chapter markers present in some M2TS sources are not preserved in VOB output via this method, as DVD chapter support requires full authoring with an IFO structure. Multiple audio tracks from the M2TS source (e.g., a director's commentary track) can be mapped explicitly using -map flags if needed, since by default FFmpeg selects only the best single audio stream. The VOB format does not support transparency or modern HDR metadata, so any HDR color information in a Blu-ray M2TS source will be tone-mapped or clipped without explicit HDR-to-SDR conversion flags. For files exceeding 1GB, the desktop FFmpeg command displayed on this page is recommended, as local processing will be faster and unrestricted in file size.