M4V to MPG Converter

Convert M4V to MPG

.m4v is Apple's MPEG-4 flavour — H.264 video with an AAC soundtrack, the extension Apple has used for store and export video since it added downloadable episodes to iTunes in October 2005. .mpg is two generations older: an MPEG program stream carrying MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172, 1993) or MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818, also standardised as ITU-T H.262, 1995) video. Going from one to the other is a genuine downconvert into a less efficient codec, so it makes sense for exactly one class of reason — a DVD authoring tool, a set-top box, a kiosk, a broadcast or institutional ingest system that will only take MPEG. If your goal is a file that plays everywhere, M4V to MP4 is the conversion you actually want.

M4V at a Glance

MPG at a Glance

How to Convert M4V to MPG

1. Upload Your M4V File: Drag and drop the file onto the page or click "+ Add Files" to browse. Both .m4v and .mp4 are accepted, and a queue of files converts with the same settings.
2. Pick Video Codec and Audio Codec: Video Codec offers MPEG-2, pre-selected and correct for anything DVD or broadcast shaped, and MPEG-1 for Video CD-era targets. Audio Codec is pre-selected as MP2 and also offers MP3, AC3 and DTS — note that our encoder substitutes AC3 when DTS is requested, because the DTS encoder is experimental.
3. Choose a Quality Mode, Resolution or Trim (Optional): Under File Compression, Quality Preset (pre-selected at "Very High (Recommended)"), Specific file size, Constant Bitrate and Variable Bitrate all work with MPEG-2; the Constant Quality slider only takes effect on MPEG-1. Under Video resolution use Width x Height for disc-standard frame sizes, and use Trim to export only a time range.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert and save the .mpg. Files upload over an encrypted connection, are processed on our servers, and are deleted automatically after a few hours. No sign-up, no watermark.

Which Quality Mode Works With Which Codec

MPEG-2 has no constant-quality mode in the way H.264 does, and our encoder is explicit about it: if you select Constant Quality or Constraint Quality with MPEG-2, the slider value is discarded and the encode falls back to a resolution-derived minimum bitrate. That is not a setting you can talk it out of — it exists because the MPEG-2 encoder simply fails when the target bitrate is too low for the frame size. The same floor also raises any bitrate or file-size target you set below it, which is why an aggressive "Specific file size" on a 1080p clip can come back larger than you asked.

• On MPEG-2, steer with bitrate: Quality Preset scales the source bitrate up or down, and Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate and Specific file size all name a target directly. These are the controls that move the needle.
• On MPEG-1, the Constant Quality slider does work: it maps to the classic MPEG quantiser scale from 1 to 31, where lower means better quality and a larger file.
• Give MPEG-2 room: it needs meaningfully more bitrate than H.264 for the same picture, and the shortfall shows up as blocking on motion and gradient banding on flat areas. Around 4-8 Mbps is comfortable for standard definition; high definition wants considerably more.
• Do not upscale: enlarging the frame adds pixels, not detail, and MPEG-2 handles large frames poorly. Keep the source size or go down.

If You Are Authoring a DVD

DVD-Video is a strict specification, and an .mpg file that plays fine on a computer can still be re-encoded — or rejected — by authoring software. This tool writes a general-purpose MPEG program stream rather than a disc-ready DVD stream, so treat these constraints as the target to aim at, and expect your authoring tool to have the final say.

Because the Preset Resolutions list sets a height and lets the width follow the source aspect ratio, use Width x Height to hit 720 x 480 or 720 x 576 exactly. For audio, AC3 is the safest choice for an NTSC disc; MP2 is the traditional PAL choice and remains this page's default.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my MPG bigger than the M4V it came from?

Because MPEG-2 is roughly two codec generations behind H.264 and needs far more data for the same picture. An H.264 file that looks clean at 3 Mbps typically needs several times that as MPEG-2 to avoid visible blocking, so a faithful conversion grows. You can force the file down with Specific file size or a bitrate mode, but below a certain point MPEG-2 starts to fall apart, and our encoder will not go below its minimum for the frame size in any case. Shrinking the resolution first is usually the better trade.

Why doesn't the Constant Quality slider change anything?

Because you are almost certainly on MPEG-2, and MPEG-2 has no CRF-style constant-quality mode in our encoder. When that mode is selected with MPEG-2 the requested value is dropped and the encode uses a minimum bitrate derived from the output resolution instead. Switch to Quality Preset, Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate or Specific file size to control the result — or switch Video Codec to MPEG-1, where the slider does map to the MPEG quantiser scale.

Should I choose MPEG-1 or MPEG-2?

MPEG-2 for anything modern-ish: DVD authoring, set-top playback, broadcast ingest, and any tool that says "MPEG-2 program stream". MPEG-1 only when you are targeting Video CD or a very old system that predates DVD — it is capped at much lower practical quality and is not what disc authoring software expects today. MPEG-2 is pre-selected on this page for that reason.

Which audio codec should I pick for an MPG?

MP2 is pre-selected and is the traditional MPEG program-stream choice, mandatory on PAL DVD players. AC3 is the safer pick if the disc is NTSC or if your authoring tool asks for Dolby Digital. MP3 plays in general-purpose MPG players but is unusual in disc workflows. DTS is listed, but our encoder treats the DTS encoder as experimental and substitutes AC3, so choose AC3 directly if that is what you want.

Can I convert a DRM-protected iTunes M4V to MPG?

No. Films and TV episodes bought or rented from Apple can carry FairPlay encryption, which restricts decoding to devices authorised with the purchasing Apple ID. No converter can open those, so the job fails outright rather than producing a broken file. DRM-free M4V — your own exports, screen recordings, camera footage, and anything that was never encrypted — converts normally.

Will this file be accepted by my DVD authoring software?

Often, but not guaranteed. We write a general MPEG program stream, not a DVD-compliant stream with the group-of-pictures structure, multiplex rate and pack layout a disc requires, so authoring tools that check compliance will usually re-encode it. To give them the least work, set Width x Height to 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL), pick AC3 or MP2 audio, and keep the video bitrate under 9.8 Mbit/s.

Does converting to MPG deinterlace or fix HDR footage?

No. There is no deinterlacing step anywhere in this pipeline, so if your source is interlaced the combing is re-encoded exactly as it is; and there is no HDR tone-mapping, so HDR footage gets a plain colour conversion that can look flat or washed out. Both need handling in an editor before conversion. If you resize to an aspect ratio the source does not match, the padding bars are black.

What resolution should I use if this is not for a disc?

Keep the original. "Keep original" is pre-selected under Video resolution, and for a kiosk, capture system or generic MPEG target it is usually right — MPEG-2 has enough trouble without also fighting a rescale. If you need it smaller, Resolution Percentage or a Preset Resolution (which sets the height and lets the width follow) both work, and dropping standard-definition footage to 480p often buys more visible quality per byte than lowering the bitrate does.

How long do my files stay on your servers?

Your M4V is uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared or made public. The real constraint is transfer time: MPEG-2 output is often larger than the M4V that produced it, so both the upload and the download take a while on long clips. Trimming to the range you need before converting is the quickest fix, and the reverse conversion — old MPEG footage into Apple's format — is MPG to M4V.