MPEG-2 to AV1 Converter

How to Convert MPEG-2 to AV1 Online

1. Upload Your MPEG-2 File: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to load .mpg, .mpeg, .mpeg2, .m2v, .vob, or .ts sources. Batch is supported, so a whole season of TV captures or a folder of DVD rips can queue in one job.
2. Pick File Compression Mode: "Quality Preset" (Very High is the default) is the easiest one-click choice. For tighter control, switch to "Constant Quality" (CRF 0–63, lower = better — try 30 for web, 24 for archival), "Constraint Quality" (CRF with a max bitrate cap), "Constant Bitrate" / "Variable Bitrate" for streaming targets, or "Target file size" / "Specific file size" when you need a deterministic output size.
3. Set Resolution and Trim (Optional): Under "Video Resolution," keep the source (DVD is 720×480 NTSC or 720×576 PAL), pick a preset (480p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2160p), scale by percentage, or enter exact width/height. Under "Trim," choose "Time Range" to extract a single chapter or skip broadcast intros.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert." Files are encoded on our servers and deleted after the session — no watermark, no account required for typical sizes.

Why Convert MPEG-2 to AV1?

MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818-2, ratified 1996) powered the DVD era, ATSC and DVB terrestrial broadcasting, and early Blu-ray pressings. Its compression is roughly four codec generations behind today's state of the art: a 1080p MPEG-2 stream typically runs 8–15 Mbps, while AV1 hits visually identical quality at 2–5 Mbps. AV1, released by the Alliance for Open Media in March 2018 and royalty-free under AOMedia's patent license, is the most efficient widely deployed video codec — Netflix, YouTube, and Meta all use it for delivery.

Converting MPEG-2 to AV1 is the right move when you want to shrink an archive without losing visible quality, or when you need a web-ready file that plays in modern browsers without paying MPEG-LA licensing.

• DVD archival — A 4.7 GB single-layer DVD or 8.5 GB dual-layer typically shrinks to 1–2 GB at CRF 30 with no visible loss on a 1080p TV, freeing shelves of discs into a single NAS folder.
• Off-air ATSC and DVB captures — Broadcast .ts files captured at 12–19 Mbps MPEG-2 compress to 2–4 Mbps AV1, so a 1-hour evening newscast drops from ~6 GB to ~1 GB.
• Web embedding — AV1 plays natively in Chrome (since 70), Firefox (since 67), Edge (since 75), and Safari 17+ on Apple silicon M3 or newer, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 16 — covering the bulk of modern web traffic.
• Long-tail YouTube and streaming uploads — YouTube re-encodes uploads to AV1 at higher resolutions anyway; starting from AV1 avoids a generational MPEG-2 → H.264 → AV1 re-encode and preserves more detail.
• Camcorder tape digitizations — Hi-8 and VHS captures saved as MPEG-2 program streams during the early 2000s are huge for their picture quality; re-encoding to AV1 keeps the original analog grain while cutting size by 60–70%.

MPEG-2 vs AV1 — Format Comparison

Compression Setting Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

What file extensions count as MPEG-2?

MPEG-2 Part 2 video shows up inside several containers: .mpg and .mpeg (MPEG program streams), .m2v (raw elementary video), .vob (DVD-Video object files), .ts and .m2ts (transport streams used by ATSC, DVB, and Blu-ray), and sometimes inside .mkv for archival rips. xConvert reads MPEG-2 video from any of these — just upload and the demuxer will find the video track.

How much smaller will AV1 be than my MPEG-2 source?

Plan on 50–70% smaller at visually equivalent quality. A 4.7 GB single-layer DVD typically lands at 1.2–2.0 GB at CRF 30; a 1-hour 15 Mbps broadcast capture (~6.5 GB) drops to roughly 1.5 GB. Static, low-motion content (news, talking heads) compresses more; fast sports and grainy film stock compress less.

CRF 24 vs 30 vs 36 — which should I pick?

CRF 24 is master-quality (worth it if this is your only digital copy of a tape or disc you no longer have). CRF 30 is the sweet spot for 1080p delivery and what most streaming guides recommend. CRF 36 is aggressive — fine for low-motion content on small screens, but you'll see banding in dark scenes and blocking during fast motion. If you can't choose, leave "Quality Preset: Very High" and let the encoder map to a sensible CRF.

Will AV1 play on my TV, phone, or browser?

Browser playback is broad: Chrome 70+, Firefox 67+, Edge 75+, and Safari 17 on Apple silicon M3, M4, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 16. Safari on Intel Macs, M1/M2, and iPhones before the 15 Pro will not play AV1 because Apple has not shipped a system-wide software fallback. On TVs, AV1 is built into most 2020-and-later smart TVs (LG OLED, Samsung QLED, Sony Bravia) and recent Chromecast, Apple TV 4K (3rd gen), Roku Ultra, and Fire TV 4K Max devices. For maximum compatibility today, you can use MPEG-2 to MP4 with H.264 instead.

Can I convert a whole DVD-Video disc?

Yes — but xConvert encodes a single video track, not a disc image. Rip the DVD first (HandBrake, MakeMKV, or dvdbackup on Linux) so each title becomes a .vob or .mpg, then upload that file. Use "Trim → Time Range" to drop the FBI warning and chapter intros, or run titles separately to keep them as discrete files.

Is AV1 encoding slow?

Server-side, yes — AV1 encoding is computationally heavier than H.264 by roughly an order of magnitude, which is why xConvert defaults to a balanced "Very High" preset rather than a slower placebo-mode setting. Expect a 1-hour DVD-quality source to take a few minutes; 1080p sources will take longer. The payoff is the file size — and unlike on your laptop, our encoders run on multi-core servers with AV1-accelerated paths.

Does AV1 preserve interlaced DVD content correctly?

AV1 itself doesn't carry interlaced flags the way MPEG-2 does — it's a progressive-only codec. xConvert deinterlaces your source during encode (yadif-style), so 480i NTSC DVDs come out as 480p AV1. Combing artifacts on fast pans should disappear; if you need to keep the original field cadence for restoration work, archive the original .vob separately.

What audio codec ships with the AV1 output?

Output AV1 files are written into an MP4 or WebM container with Opus audio (royalty-free, high quality at low bitrates). Original MPEG-2 audio tracks (typically MP2, AC-3 Dolby Digital, or PCM on DVDs) are re-encoded during conversion. If you need to preserve the original AC-3 stream for surround sound on a home theater, mux it back in with ffmpeg -c copy after the AV1 encode.

Should I convert to AV1 or WebM?

AV1 is a codec; WebM is a container (typically holding VP9 or AV1 video). The WebM converter on xConvert defaults to VP9, which is one generation older than AV1 — about 30% larger files at the same quality. Pick AV1 (this page) for the smallest archives and modern browser delivery; pick WebM/VP9 if you need broader compatibility with older Android devices or 2018-era browsers that lack AV1 decoders.