Convert videos from .VOB format to MPEG?

[hawkeyed76]

Okay, I am the biggest newbie to every touch a computer. I really don't know much... what I do know is that I'm working on a Mac iBook G4 running OS X (ver. 10.4.10) with Safari, iMovie and QuickTime 7.2.
Here's my problem... I recently had a bunch of old videos burned onto DVD for me (I paid a company to do it). I can view them on my computer, but I was hoping to use iMovie to edit some Chapters into the DVD so I don't have to sit there pushing fastforward to the movie I'm looking for. Problem is, all the files are in .VOB format, and iMovie and QuickTime don't recognize them. It says I need to convert them, but I have no idea how, or what I need. I also just purchased a Sony Handycam that saves all my new movies in .meg format (again, not recognized by my computer). I really just want to view my movies, and I'm getting REALLY upset and EXTREMELY overwhelmed. I don't even know what a .VOB or .meg are?! I just want to put my movies on a DVD, with a few chapters so I can scroll through, and watch them on my TV. Is there anyone out there who can help me? Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you if you can!

[jman98]

Welcome to the forums. While your post is certainly in the right branch, the Mac specific nature of it may be a little problematic. I can't offer any help because I am totally unfamiliar with Macs. If you don't get any help here after a couple of days, try posting to the Mac forum here and you should do better. I could make some suggestions if you were running Windows, but the programs I know of don't work on Macs.

I do feel your frustration, but you have a choice to make. You can either try to learn something on your own (ie. Did it ever occur to you to look at the Glossary section here to find out what VOB is, or did you think about doing a web search to get more info?) or you can refuse to do anything on your own and hope that maybe somebody can give you something so simple that you won't have to learn anything. The latter approach is your worst choice, but it's one that appeals to many people. It takes time to learn how to do this kind of thing, but when I started recording my own videos 6 years ago I didn't know much, but I was willing to learn. You can get to the point where you do understand how to do what you want, if you are willing to do some research, reading and work at it.

If you have more needs to convert old videos to DVD, you might consider just buying a DVD recorder and doing it yourself. They're pretty easy to operate and they set chapters automatically, usually every 5 minutes.

Good luck. Hopefully someone who read the Newbie section will know something about Macs and can help you, but if not, post again to the Mac forum here in a few days and I know people who read that can help you.

[redwudz]

I'll move this post to the Mac Forum. Please don't double post. I will delete the other post. If you wish a post moved, PM a Mod.

And hawkeyed76, in the future please use a more descriptive subject title in your posts to allow others to search for similar topics. I will change yours this time. From our rules:

Try to choose a subject that describes your topic.
Please do not use topic subjects like Help me!!! or Problems.

Thanks,

Moderator redwudz

EDIT: And don't panic I do this all the time. Please read our rules before posting and Welcome to our forums.

[rumplestiltskin]

You need two things:

1. Apple's MPEG2 codec. You may get it here:
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=FB4A9C21&nplm=D2187Z/A

This will permit any QuickTime application to read MPEG2-based material (which is what your VOBs are). It's $20 and well worth it.

2. MPEG Streamclip - this is a free download, available here:
http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html
I am using the 1.93b version but 1.8 is the last "stable" version. Frankly, I've had no problems with 1.93b.

Drop the first VOB of the movie into MPEG Streamclip and it will open all of the VOBs in that movie. Then export to DV and iMovie will work with it allowing you to edit as you wish. Then send the finished movie back out to iDVD with chapter markers (which iMovie HD will create but the latest iMovie'08 will not). iDVD will let you create chapter markers.

You may also (from within MPEG Streamclip) set in and out points and send that part of the movie out as DV. Repeat for each part. Drop all these parts into iDVD and they'll be separate titles within the same DVD. Add chapter markers as you wish.

Lots of choices and possibilities here. Let us know if this helps.

[terryxpress]

As I understand, you're wanting to be able to add chapter marks at certain points, so that at the push of a button on the DVD remote, it jumps to the start of a particular section/segment/different movie. Take a look at Sizzle (free software), which has just that feature (called "Chapters")
http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Video/Sizzle-b.shtml
This would save having to convert the vob files into dv, with some loss of quality. Play the disc using DVDPlayer and fast forward, noting the times from the display at those points where you want the chapters, and then just use these times as your chapter markers with Sizzle.

[dcsos]

Another way to go to make frame accurate in an out designations within VOBs while creating .MPG assets, USE CINEMATIZE not freeware, but capable of outputting a QUICKTIME reference move for iMOVIE or FINAL CUT if the assets need complex reediting.
CINEMATIZE only works on CSS free files