A home-made DVD of a family member's cooking is a treasure, until you want to put a two-minute clip in a group chat. The video is locked inside a disc structure built for DVD players, not phones. This page explains what you are looking at when you open the disc, and how to get a clip you can edit and share.

What you find on the disc

Put a video DVD into a computer with a disc drive and open it. You will see a folder named VIDEO_TS. Inside are several files ending in .VOB, which hold the video and sound, plus small .IFO and .BUP files that tell the player about menus and chapters. Longer recordings are split across several VOB files of similar size, so one recipe might be spread across two of them.

A practical order of work

  1. Copy the whole VIDEO_TS folder to your computer first. Discs get scratched; a copy on your drive does not.
  2. Find the right file. Try playing each VOB in your computer's media player. The largest files usually hold the main recording.
  3. Import into a basic editor and trim the part you want. Some editors will accept VOB directly; if yours will not, try opening the file in the media player and using its export option.
  4. Export as MOV or MP4 at a moderate size suitable for phones.

Many newer computers have no disc drive. An external drive that plugs into a USB port is a common workaround, or a relative may still have a machine with one built in.

Updating the recipe as you share it

When the clip is ready, add a short caption to go with it. If the recording shows a roast carved straight from the oven, you might add: "Whole cuts of beef, veal, lamb and pork: cook to 145°F, then rest for 3 minutes before carving." If it shows a dish sitting on a buffet all afternoon, note that perishable food should not be left out for more than 2 hours.

A safe-kitchen filming tip

If the old DVD inspires you to film the recipe again, plan where the finished dish will sit. Set it on a clean plate or board, never back on the one that held the raw meat, and make that switch visible on camera.

Making a disc rather than reading one? See MOV to VOB. For long-term storage, see Discs & Archives, and for your holiday table, Leftovers and the Fridge.