Convert VOB to WMV — Free Online Tool
Convert VOB files from DVD-Video discs into WMV format by transcoding MPEG-2 video to Microsoft's MPEG-4 codec and AC3 audio to WMA, producing files optimized for Windows Media Player and Windows-based streaming. This is especially useful for making DVD content playable on legacy Windows systems without requiring a dedicated DVD decoder.
to
FFmpeg Command
Copy this command to run the same conversion locally with FFmpeg on your desktop. Download FFmpeg
Drop your VOB file here
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Settings
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
VOB files use MPEG-2 video and AC3 (Dolby Digital) audio inside a DVD container structure. Since WMV uses the ASF (Advanced Systems Format) container with Microsoft's MPEG-4 video codec (msmpeg4) and WMA audio (wmav2), full re-encoding of both the video and audio streams is required — nothing can simply be remuxed. The MPEG-2 video is decoded frame-by-frame and re-encoded using the msmpeg4 codec at a target bitrate of 2000k, while the AC3 audio is decoded and re-encoded as WMA at 128k. Note that WMV does not support DVD subtitle streams or chapter markers, so any subtitle data embedded in the VOB will be discarded during conversion. If the VOB contains multiple audio tracks, only the default track will typically be carried over.
What Each Flag Does
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
ffmpeg
|
Invokes the FFmpeg tool, which handles all decoding, re-encoding, and container muxing for this VOB-to-WMV conversion entirely within your browser via WebAssembly. |
-i input.vob
|
Specifies the input VOB file. FFmpeg recognizes the DVD container structure and demuxes the MPEG-2 video and AC3 audio streams for re-encoding. |
-c:v msmpeg4
|
Sets the video encoder to Microsoft MPEG-4 v3 (msmpeg4), the native video codec of the WMV format, replacing the MPEG-2 video that DVD/VOB files use. |
-c:a wmav2
|
Sets the audio encoder to Windows Media Audio v2 (wmav2), transcoding the source AC3 Dolby Digital audio from the VOB into the WMA format expected by WMV players. |
-b:v 2000k
|
Sets the target video bitrate to 2000 kilobits per second for the msmpeg4 output, a reasonable default for standard-definition DVD content that balances file size and visual quality. |
-b:a 128k
|
Sets the audio bitrate to 128 kilobits per second for the WMA stream, a common quality level for stereo audio that is significantly lower than the AC3 audio bitrates often used on DVD (192–448k). |
-f asf
|
Forces the output container format to ASF (Advanced Systems Format), which is the underlying container that WMV files use — necessary because FFmpeg uses the ASF muxer to write .wmv output correctly. |
output.wmv
|
The name of the output file. The .wmv extension signals Windows Media Video format, and combined with the ASF container and msmpeg4/wmav2 codecs, produces a file natively compatible with Windows Media Player. |
Common Use Cases
- Making ripped DVD content playable in Windows Media Player on older Windows XP or Vista machines that lack modern codec packs
- Archiving home DVD recordings as WMV files for storage on Windows-based NAS drives or media servers running Windows Media Center
- Preparing DVD footage for embedding in legacy Microsoft Office presentations or SharePoint portals that require ASF/WMV format
- Converting DVD training videos or corporate content originally authored on disc into a format compatible with older Windows-based e-learning platforms
- Reducing the massive size of raw VOB files (which can be several gigabytes per title) into smaller WMV files for easier sharing over Windows-centric corporate networks
- Extracting and converting a single VOB chapter from a DVD rip into WMV for use in a Windows-based video kiosk or digital signage system
Frequently Asked Questions
No — subtitle streams will be lost during this conversion. VOB files can carry DVD subtitle streams (as bitmap-based subpicture data), but the WMV/ASF container format does not support subtitle tracks. If subtitles are important, you should either burn them into the video as a hardcoded overlay before converting, or choose an output format that supports subtitle streams such as MKV or MP4.
VOB files use MPEG-2 video, which is a relatively high-bitrate codec designed for the storage capacity of DVD discs — a single VOB file can represent only a few minutes of video at several megabytes per second. This conversion re-encodes the video using Microsoft's MPEG-4 codec (msmpeg4) at 2000k, which is significantly more efficient. The audio also drops from AC3 (which can be as high as 448k on DVD) to WMA at 128k. Together, these changes can reduce file size by 50–80% depending on the source content.
Yes, some quality loss is expected because both the video and audio must be fully re-encoded. The original MPEG-2 video is decoded and then compressed again using msmpeg4 at 2000k, which is a lossy process. For standard DVD content (480i/480p), 2000k is generally adequate for acceptable visual quality, but you may notice softening or blocking artifacts in fast-motion scenes. You can increase the video bitrate in the FFmpeg command (e.g., changing -b:v 2000k to -b:v 4000k) to reduce visible degradation.
DVD titles are often split into multiple VOB segments (e.g., VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB). This tool processes one file at a time, so you would need to concatenate the VOB segments first before converting. On the command line, you can use FFmpeg's concat demuxer or simply pipe the files together (e.g., cat VTS_01_*.VOB > full_title.vob on Linux/macOS) before running the conversion command.
The video bitrate is controlled by the -b:v flag in the command. The default is -b:v 2000k, which suits most standard-definition DVD content. To increase quality and file size, raise the value — for example, -b:v 4000k or -b:v 6000k. To produce a smaller file at lower quality, decrease it to something like -b:v 1000k or -b:v 500k. Similarly, you can adjust audio quality with -b:a, changing the default 128k up to 256k or 320k for better audio fidelity.
No — msmpeg4 is Microsoft's proprietary variant of the MPEG-4 Part 2 video codec, distinct from standard MPEG-4 (as used in MP4 containers) and entirely different from H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10). It was designed specifically for the WMV/ASF ecosystem and is most compatible with Windows Media Player and older Microsoft software. Modern players like VLC can play it, but it is not broadly supported on smart TVs, mobile devices, or non-Windows platforms the way H.264 is.
Technical Notes
The VOB to WMV conversion involves a complete transcode of both streams: MPEG-2 video (the DVD standard) is decoded and re-encoded as msmpeg4 (Microsoft MPEG-4 v3), and AC3 Dolby Digital audio is decoded and re-encoded as WMA v2 (wmav2). The output is wrapped in an ASF container using the -f asf flag, which is the underlying container for all WMV files despite the .wmv extension. One important limitation is that the msmpeg4 codec in FFmpeg targets compatibility with Windows Media Player 6.4 and earlier behavior, meaning it may not leverage more advanced features of the ASF container. WMV/ASF does not support DVD-style bitmap subtitles, chapter markers, or seamless multi-angle structures present in VOB files — all of these will be silently dropped. If the source VOB contains multiple audio tracks (common on DVDs with multiple language dubs), only the first (default) audio stream will be encoded; you would need to explicitly specify -map 0:a:1 in the command to select an alternate audio track. The resulting WMV files carry DRM capability at the container level, but this tool does not apply any DRM. File sizes will vary significantly based on the source DVD bitrate, but expect roughly 60–75% size reduction at default settings compared to the original VOB.