MPEG to 3GP Converter

Convert MPEG to 3GP: What This Covers

3GP is the mobile container the 3GPP defined for handsets — small files, low bitrates, and a codec list built around what a phone's hardware decoder could manage. Converting an .mpg or .mpeg program stream to 3GP is normally about feeding something old or something strict: a feature phone, an MMS gateway, an in-car system, or a kiosk that only accepts 3GP. This page walks through the conversion and, more importantly, through the one setting that quietly overrules everything else you choose — the video codec.

How to Convert MPEG to 3GP

1. Upload Your MPEG File: Drag the .mpg or .mpeg file onto the page or click "Add Files". It is uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark.
2. Choose a Video Codec: H.264 is preselected and is the right answer for anything made this century. H.263, MPEG-4 and Xvid are the legacy options — H.263 in particular changes how the rest of the page behaves, as explained below.
3. Set Audio Codec, File Compression and Video resolution (Optional): Audio Codec offers AAC, AMR Narrow Band and AMR Wide Band with nothing preselected. File Compression offers Quality Preset, Specific file size, Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate, Constant Quality and Constraint Quality. Video resolution opens on Keep original.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert and download the .3gp file.

Walk-through: The Video Codec Decides Your Frame Size

H.263 was standardised by the ITU-T in 1996 for videotelephony over very thin links, and it only supports five picture sizes. It cannot encode 1920×1080, or 720×480, or anything else you might type into Video resolution.

Rather than failing the job, our pipeline snaps the frame to the largest legal H.263 size that fits inside your source — and that snap happens after your resolution choice, so it wins. It also ignores aspect ratio, because the legal sizes are all 4:3. Pick H.263 and a 16:9 source comes out horizontally squeezed into a 4:3 raster.

The five legal sizes are sub-QCIF 128×96, QCIF 176×144, CIF 352×288, 4CIF 704×576 and 16CIF 1408×1152. If your source is smaller than all of them the encoder upscales to 128×96 instead.

Choose H.264 and none of this applies — the Video resolution controls work normally, aspect ratio is preserved, and you get a far better picture per kilobyte. H.263 is only worth choosing when the target device genuinely predates H.264 support.

Video Codec Options on This Page

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

• "My widescreen video came out squashed" — you chose H.263, and its five legal picture sizes are all 4:3. Switch the Video Codec to H.264, or accept the distortion; there is no letterboxing step in this path.
• "The output resolution isn't what I set" — same cause. With H.263 selected, the frame-size snap runs after your Video resolution choice and replaces it. Every other codec on this page respects what you set.
• "The file still has comb lines from my DVD source" — MPEG program streams from DVD and broadcast are usually interlaced, and this converter does not deinterlace. The field structure is re-encoded as-is. Deinterlace in a desktop editor first if the combing matters.
• "The 3GP won't play on my computer" — 3GP is a mobile container and several desktop players skip it. VLC handles it; so does converting onward with 3GP to MP4.
• "The file is still too big for MMS" — carrier MMS limits are small and vary by network. Drop Video resolution to 352×288 or 176×144, set Constraint Quality with a low Max bitrate, and trim the clip to a few seconds with the Video Cutter before uploading.
• "The audio disappeared or sounds like a phone call" — AMR Narrow Band is an 8 kHz speech codec; music through it sounds like a voice call. Choose AAC in the Audio Codec list for anything that isn't pure speech.

When This Doesn't Work

3GP was designed for the constraints of 2003-era handsets, so it is a poor container for anything you want to keep. If the goal is simply "a small video that plays everywhere", MPEG to MP4 produces a smaller, better-looking file that every modern device opens. 3G2 is the CDMA-network sibling of the same container and some devices insist on it specifically — that is MPEG to 3G2. And if your .mpeg is an encrypted DVD rip or a truncated capture, no online converter can decode it; fix the source first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which video codec should I pick for 3GP?

H.264 unless a specific device forces your hand — it is preselected here, it respects your resolution settings, and it gives markedly better quality per kilobyte than the alternatives. Choose H.263 only when the target really is a mid-2000s handset or a gateway that rejects anything else, and accept that it will snap your frame size. MPEG-4 Part 2 sits between the two and is a reasonable compromise for late-2000s hardware.

Why is my 1080p video now 704×576 and stretched?

Because you selected H.263. It supports exactly five picture sizes, and our pipeline picks the largest that fits inside your source — for a 1920×1080 input that is 4CIF, 704×576. The snap runs after your Video resolution choice, so it overrides it, and it does not preserve aspect ratio, so a 16:9 picture is squeezed into a 4:3 frame. Re-run with H.264 selected and both problems disappear.

What audio codec does the 3GP end up with?

Nothing is preselected in the Audio Codec list, so if you leave it alone the server encodes AAC, which is the sensible default for 3GP. The two alternatives are AMR Narrow Band, the 8 kHz speech codec built for GSM voice, and AMR Wide Band at 16 kHz. Both are excellent for speech and poor for music — pick them only if the receiving device demands AMR.

Will a modern smartphone play a 3GP file?

Generally yes, since 3GP is built on the same ISO base media file structure as MP4 and today's phones still decode H.264 and AAC inside it. Desktop support is patchier: VLC and ffmpeg-based players are fine, while some built-in Windows and macOS players ignore the extension. If the file is going to a computer rather than a handset, MPEG to MP4 is a better target.

Does the converter fix the interlacing in my MPEG?

No. There is no deinterlacing filter in this pipeline, so an interlaced 480i or 576i source keeps its woven fields and any comb artefacts get re-encoded into the 3GP. At the small frame sizes 3GP is normally used at, the downscale hides much of it, but nothing is actively removing it.

How small will the 3GP file be?

That depends entirely on the rate control you choose, not on the container. Constraint Quality with a Max bitrate is the most predictable option: a 176×144 clip at 64–128 kbit/s with AMR audio lands in the low hundreds of kilobytes per minute, while a 640×480 H.264 3GP at 500 kbit/s runs a few megabytes per minute. Specific file size works back from a byte budget if you have a hard cap to hit.

Can I convert only part of the MPEG?

Yes. Open Trim, switch from Unchanged to Time Range, and enter a start time and duration in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss. That is often the fastest way to get under a size limit, because it cuts the work before any encoding decisions matter. For heavier editing of the source first, use the Video Cutter — note that the audio-only cutter rejects video files.

What happens to my MPEG file after the conversion?

It is uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted on our servers, and both the upload and the finished 3GP are deleted automatically after a few hours. Nothing is shared or published, and no account is required. On long program streams the practical constraint is upload time rather than anything in the converter.