I didn't see this issue addressed anywhere else so i apologize if this has in fact been covered. I have access to virtually unlimited storage space and want to back up my movies to hard drive space in mpeg4 so I can watch them on my computer or stream them to my laptop etc.

I am trying to join .VOB files in ffmpeg to have a seemless movie but am unable to do so. When i try to join the files it finishes immediately and is nowhere to be found, so i click on the info button and this is the message:

warning: couldn't find any valid system header. I'm continuing anyway
warning: couldn't find any valid system header. I'm continuing anyway
Incompatible audio bitrates /Users/benjamin_aumiller/Movies/BLACK_DAHLIA Main Feature/VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB (256 bps) /Users/benjamin_aumiller/Movies/BLACK_DAHLIA Main Feature/VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_2.VOB (0 bps)

I dont know what this means. (problem with audio? but they both work fine in mplayer) To try another way i converted the two files to mpeg4 and then tried joining them again but it fails and the dialogue box reads:

Skipped 1 zeroes at start of file
mmm, this file does not start with a pack, offset: 1
use the desperate_mode switch as the first option -X to search for a header in the whole file!
if you want to force the operation. May yield to an endless loop if no valid header is found!
Does not even begin with a 00 00 01 xx sequence!
/Users/benjamin_aumiller/Desktop/VTS_01_1.VOB.ff.mp4 is not a valid mpeg file

How can it not be a valid mpeg file? both the .VOB and mpeg4 version of the file play fine in mplayer?
What is going on?