Converting VOB to AVI

[urb1972]

Newbie question here but it's a simple problem (I hope) that people here will be able to answer:

I had some short videos (AVI) that I converted to play on a standalone DVD player - I used ConvertXtoDVD. At the time I deleted the original AVI files that the conversion was made from.

Now with Windows Media Centre I am wanting to have the files again as AVIs. I simply want to rip my dvds into avi files, with as much quality as can be preserved from the already degraded DVD version, same soundtrack, no advanced settings of any kind.

I tried DvdX which worked great until I did a system restore and now I always get errors. I am currently using Auto Gordian Knot, but as there doesn't seem to be a progress bar, I have no idea how the conversion is going. At some point in the procedure it seemed to open VirtualDubMod (which must have been installed along with Gordian) and it seems to be doing something also.

Other than seeing a blank window with Dub In Progress, there is no sign of what is going on with VDM - although it claims to be busy, I can drag the slider at the bottom of its window with no apparent result, also with the AGK window I can continue to check/uncheck settings, although it maintains a job is in progress.

I realise there is a great deal of complexity to video conversion, codecs, etc, most of which I know little or none about, but even being pretty computer savvy I am amazed at the complexity to what I would imagine to be simple procedures. If I download an avi file, Media Centre can play it. That's all I want. In re-creating an AVI from my DVDs, I don't want to change any advanced settings, I want the resolution the same, the sound the same, is there ANY easier way for me to do this? Output size isn't a concern, it can be as big as it wants to be to retain as much quality as possible.

I realise also that such a newbie enquiry might be met with hostility given the far more advanced questions being asked on this forum, but please help as I've really tried hard to figure all this out for myself, using mutliple tools, and have come no closer to success than my first attempt.

Thanks.

[Baldrick]

Try vob2mpg and then you can try convert/edit the mpg.

[MysticE]

Output size isn't a concern, it can be as big as it wants to be to retain as much quality as possible.

I've been using Avidemux. It accepts VOBs. Choose MPEG 4 Xvid and under 'configure' use 'Single pass - Quantizer' and set it '1'. The resultant file will probably be larger than the original, but it should look good. You might also play around with the MSharpen filter.

[urb1972]

Tried vob2mpg - the process lasts two seconds and then quits. My best success story was with Gordian, but whereas it works sometimes, it doesn't work other times, no explanation.

Thanks, will try Avidemux next

[urb1972]

Yeah, erm, AvidMux saves the output as some kind of text file full of numbers. I think I'll just give up

[Baldrick]

You must add the extension to the file when saving with avidemux, like video.avi. Rename you current file to video.avi and see if it plays.

[redwudz]

With VOB2MPG, make sure you are saving to a different folder/drive or it will run a couple of seconds and output nothing.

[urb1972]

You must add the extension to the file when saving with avidemux, like video.avi. Rename you current file to video.avi and see if it plays.

Thanks! I think I have it working now

[uglijimus]

you could try winFF, it usually works for me