vob files won't open

Question

Level 1

8 points

vob files won't open

I have some old video 8 tapes that I had transfered to DVD. When I go to open the .vob files in either Quicktime Pro or MPEG Streamclip I can only open the last file on the DVD. All the other .vob files come up with an "Error opening movie" message. The files all play fine on DVD Player. Is there any way to fix the files so they can be opened, or if not, can I capture them into Final Cut Pro HD directly from the DVD Player?

iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Posted on Jan 6, 2007 11:00 AM

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Answer 1

Ricktoronto

Level 6

11,560 points

Jan 7, 2007 2:09 PM in response to oldfilmguy

You only need something like Mac the Ripper for copy-protected DVD's. If only the last one comes up, how much can you view, - that should be only a few seconds at 34MB?
You do have the Apple MPEG-2 component installed?

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Answer 2

Ricktoronto

Level 6

11,560 points

Jan 6, 2007 12:49 PM in response to oldfilmguy

VOB files are MPEG-2 video files ( in fact you can rename them to .mpg extensions without harm).

You need the QT MPEG-2 playback component to play them and if they have AC3 encoded audio (which is possible if they were made, say in Toast), you won't get much playback either.

Use MPEG Streamclip and the Apple component to edit and to export to QT or other formats.

You would export them from Streamclip to DV for use in Final Cut. Not directly as they are muxed audio/video and that just won't work.

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Answer 3

oldfilmguy Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 6, 2007 2:30 PM in response to Ricktoronto

Thanks Rick,
I have the Quicktime MPEG-2 component installed, and like I said, I can open the final .vob file on each DVD. The other files, though, won't open in MPEG Streamclip or Quicktime Pro.
I did try changing the .vob extension to .mpg just to see if that would make any difference, but it doesn't.

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Answer 4

oldfilmguy Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 7, 2007 12:56 AM in response to Ricktoronto

The files are named VTS011.VOB, VTS012.VOB, VTS013.VOB etc. and only the last one in the sequence will open. When I go to play the footage in DVD Player, only one item comes up in the menu, but it does contain all the footage from the original tape. When I try to open them in Quicktime or MPEG Streamclip I can only get the last few minutes of footage to open (the last .vob file in the sequence).

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Answer 5

Ricktoronto

Level 6

11,560 points

Jan 7, 2007 8:47 AM in response to oldfilmguy

How big are the VOB files other than the final one? When you drag 01 to MPEG Streamclip does it offer to open all of them - it should. What version of MPEG Streamclip is this? Note 1.8 final is out and should be used.

Can the DVD itself be played in DVD player in total? If so then the VOB files are OK. If not then the DVD is duff.

How did you get the VOB files off the DVD? Ripped or just drag and drop? Don't try to use the VOB files direct from the DVD , always copy them to the desktop/folder, etc.

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Answer 6

oldfilmguy Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 7, 2007 9:06 AM in response to Ricktoronto

The vob files are all 1GB except for the last one, which is more like 34 MB. When I drag 01 into MPEG Streamclip it does offer to open them all. If I tell it to, then only the last one comes up. I am using the latest version of Streamclip (1.8).

The DVD does play fine in DVD player. All the footage is there.

I've tried opening the files directly from the DVD and also after copying them to the desktop. Either way it says "Unrecognized file type" and when I tell it to open them anyway, only the last one comes up. Do I need special software to rip them from the DVD? I've just been dragging them onto the desktop.

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