VOB (DVD Video Object)
VOB is the container format used on DVD-Video discs to store MPEG-2 video, audio tracks, subtitles, and navigation data. Each VOB file can be up to 1 GB and is part of the VIDEO_TS folder structure on a DVD.
MIME Type
video/x-ms-vob
Type
Binary
Compression
Lossless
Advantages
- + Standard format for DVD-Video discs worldwide
- + Supports multiple audio languages and subtitle tracks
- + Playable by all DVD players and most media software
Disadvantages
- − Large file sizes with MPEG-2 compression
- − CSS encryption may prevent direct file access
- − Obsolete for new content — DVD sales have declined sharply
When to Use .VOB
VOB files come from DVDs; convert to MP4 for modern playback and archival. Creating VOBs is only needed for DVD authoring.
Technical Details
VOB files are MPEG-2 program streams containing MPEG-2 video, AC-3 or DTS audio, and DVD subtitle bitmaps. Navigation packets (NV_PCK) provide chapter points, angles, and menu branching instructions.
History
VOB was defined as part of the DVD specification in 1995 by the DVD Forum. It uses a subset of the MPEG-2 program stream format with additional DVD-specific navigation and content protection (CSS).