Need to convert VOB files to compatible, compact format

[longrun]

For a family project I dubbed some Super-8 film to VHS, then copied via HDD/DVD recorder to DVD, and finally converted to .mpg thinking it was a universal format. When my Mac relatives couldn't play the files I discovered that MPEG-2 isn't automatically usable by Mac. I converted the .mpg's to .avi and mp4 but the file size nearly tripled. What format is universal and relatively compact, and any recommendations on freeware? I used VLC for the mp4 conversion.

Normally I research things in depth but I'm pressed for time and don't really care about video aside from this one-time project.

Thanks all.

[Veign]

Here's some info on converting from DVD to VCD (mpeg layer 1):
http://www.veign.com/blog/2008/11/howto-convert-dvd-video-to-vcd-mpeg1.html

[CWuestefeld]

Done with the proper values, a video in the mp4 formats (e.g. DivX) ought to be quite a bit smaller than .mpg. There are a number of programs that will give you reasonable parameters for various purposes. For this particular problem I'd recommend that you look at HandBrake.

(For more general usage I recommend SUPER(c), despite its oddball user interface and annoying download process)

[longrun]

Done with the proper values, a video in the mp4 formats (e.g. DivX) ought to be quite a bit smaller than .mpg.

Thanks. Will DivX play automatically on Win/Mac w/o codec downloads or whatever? My relatives barely know how to turn on their computers. I've read about HandBrake and SUPER but wanted feedback on formats before proceeding further.

[lanux128]

is it me or is there really spam on longrun's sig?

[longrun]

is it me or is there really spam on longrun's sig?
(see attachment in previous post)

It's you. It's a joke, maybe a bad one, with no link or commercial purpose. Now if you would actually like to enlarge your prostate and not some other body part perhaps I should post a link.

[mouser]

hehehehe you know this was reported by people who thought it was spam.

i looked at it, knew longrun wouldnt put spam in his signature, but i removed it after the report, in confusion as i didnt get the joke and didnt know what it was doing there. i guess i am getting a little too fast to pull the trigger against supsected spammers!

only now did i actually pay attention to what i was reading and laughed.
[for those who are dim like me -- the prost[s]r[/s]ate is something you do not want to enlarge!]

pretty clever actually. 

[lanux128]

hehe.. a good one! my mind didn't register anything beyond 'enlarge your..', must be years of conditioning caused by spam-watching.

[cranioscopical]

for those who are dim like me -- the prostrate is something you do not want to enlarge!

Kindly prostate yourself to make amends for bad spelling!

[longrun]

Sorry for any confusion (though not too sorry; I didn't do anything wrong). I've been envious of all the clever signatures on DC and this was the best I could do while being certain I wasn't plagiarizing or recycling.

As to the video problem, I successfully converted using HandBrake. Thanks to all who replied.