Problem with .VOB files

[eluden]

Hi, I have a free DVD i downloaded and the folder VIDEO_TS is filled with .VOB, .IFO, and .BUP
Anyway, When I open the menu .VOB file in VLC, I am unable to click on any of the menu options like Play , Bonus, etc...

When I open the other .VOB files they are various parts from the DVD...
How can I connect all the files to the dvd menu .vob file? Or any other ideas?
Thanks

[Richard_G]

Don't open the VOBs directly, open VIDEO_TS.IFO and everything should work. If VLC can't do it, try opening it in PowerDVD or another software DVD player.

[eluden]

VLC wont open it

[Richard_G]

Try something else then (even Windows Media Player can play DVDs if the required mpeg2 decoder is installed). IFO files are information files, it is the data in the IFO that tells which VOB should be shown and in what order.

[eluden]

Well the whole folder is 4.36 gigs, I tried it with MPC and nothing happened. Only the .VOB icons show VLC

I will try WMP, thanks

[eluden]

Thanks it works in WMP but when i select English Subtitles, nothing happens. Just wondering If there is a way to enable them

Thanks again!

I'm surprised VLC couldn't open the .IFO

[JonnyCabs]

VLC will not play the .vob file in the same way that a software DVD player would.Neither will WMP or MPC
It is used to play the raw video/audio part of the file and does not "react" to the "menu" etc commands contained within.**
To have the "menu" options etc work correctly you MUST use a player such as PowerDVD et al.

**(Can the old-timers now come in with the correct technical terminology please)

[eluden]

Hmm ok
But is there a way to see the subs? I enabled subs in the DVD menu and through WMP but none pop only. Only Closed Captioning subs popped up ( the huge black subs ).. Any way to fix this? Thanks

[Richard_G]

As JonnyCabs has pointed out, you need a DVD player and not a Media player to get full menu functionality. A Media player will just play the video stream contained within the VOB files, a DVD Player will respond to the menu commands within the IFO files.

Why not burn it to a disc and put it in a settop player?

[eluden]

Thanks, I'll try that as soon as I get a blank DVD

[oldfart13]

Hmmm...won't software like Cyberlink Power DVD show subs? Mine just did when I played back an episode of a TV show I recorded. That's close caption though, so subs should display as well (confirmed in the help section of Power DVD).....

[TJohns]

In VLC, use FILE - OPEN DIRECTORY to play a DVD folder ... don't try and play the files inside it!

[bcd_61]

Thanks a ton. I never knew you could do that. ^

If you use the above method, it will play the entire DVD and act as one continuous file, whether or not there are multiple VOB files as part of a series. It will also let you use the menu, choose what you want to play, *and* skip chapters forward and backward, and go to the menu whenever you want. I never knew VLC could do those things. Like the other posters said, I thought you had to use a standard DVD software program. Also, if you choose a specific chapter, you can still scroll forwards and backwards, because VLC treats the entire DVD as one continuous file, instead of being split up into shorter VOB parts.

The reason I like using VLC for DVD's now, a program I normally don't like, is because all standard DVD programs freeze on my computer, some programs more than others, but it always happens eventually. It doesn't matter if it's Power DVD or even some of the free ones. Thanks again. I feel bad for not knowing that on my own, I thought I had already tried everything. Using that method, I'm starting to think VLC is one of the best programs for playing DVD's now, if not the best, even if it's just for the simple fact that it uses far less memory and resources and has less loading time and more speed. However, it also gives you some options that no standard DVD program would have.

[Pinstripes23]

VLC is an outstanding media player but as far as playing DVD's it doesn't play everything, especially within menu cells. I wouldn't recommend it to test out DVD's that you create or modified and going to burn to disc. But if all you want to do is view the movie and that's it, you can't go wrong. IMO where VLC shines is its ability to play broken files. When I'm encoding something to DVD I can open up the still-encoding file in VLC to see how it's turning out. But as far as a software dvd player that will simulate hardware dvd player, I would go with MPC or PowerDVD.