VOB to FLAC Converter

VOB (Video Object) is the primary container format used on DVD-Video discs, defined as part of the DVD specification developed by the DVD Forum. The format first appeared with the DVD standard finalized in September 1996 and has since been used on billions of DVD discs produced worldwide. VOB files are based on the MPEG-2 program stream format, containing multiplexed MPEG-2 video alongside audio in AC-3 (Dolby Digital), DTS, MPEG-1 Layer II, or LPCM formats. Beyond audio and video, VOB files also carry DVD subtitle streams as bitmap overlays, navigation data for menu interaction, and chapter point information. The files reside in the VIDEO_TS directory on a DVD disc, with naming conventions (VTS_01_1.VOB, etc.) reflecting the title and part structure of the content. Individual VOB files are limited to approximately 1 GB to accommodate the UDF file system requirements, with longer content spanning multiple files seamlessly. The format supports both NTSC (720x480) and PAL (720x576) video resolutions at bit rates up to 9.8 Mbps for combined audio and video. Integration of video, multi-track audio, subtitles, and navigation into a single program stream made VOB a complete solution for consumer movie delivery. While streaming and newer disc formats have supplanted DVD for new content, VOB remains hugely relevant for accessing the vast library of existing DVD content.

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) delivers mathematically perfect audio reproduction at roughly half the size of an uncompressed WAV file. Maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation and released in 2001, it quickly became the de facto open standard for lossless music archival. The encoder applies linear prediction to model each audio block, then codes the residual through Rice partitioning — exploiting the statistical distribution of prediction errors for strong compression without discarding data. Bit depths up to 32 and sample rates up to 655 kHz are supported, exceeding the requirements of high-resolution recordings. Hardware support is extensive: smartphones, car stereos, Blu-ray players, and virtually every desktop media application decode FLAC natively. Streaming services such as Tidal and Amazon Music use FLAC for lossless tiers, underscoring industry trust in the codec. Three standout benefits make FLAC compelling. First, complete bit-for-bit restoration of the original signal upon decoding. Second, embedded metadata via Vorbis comments and album art keeps libraries organized without sidecar files. Third, open-source licensing means no patents or royalties, removing legal friction for developers and hardware vendors.