MPG to AVI Converter

How to Convert MPG to AVI Online

1. Upload Your MPG File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select .mpg or .mpeg files. DVD-Video rips, VCD captures, MPEG-2 broadcast recordings, MiniDV-to-MPEG transfers, and old digital camcorder footage all work. Both extensions are accepted (they're identical formats — just different filename conventions). Batch is supported — drop in an entire DVD VIDEO_TS folder of .vob-renamed-to-.mpg files at once.
2. Pick a Video Codec and Quality: Default is MPEG-4 (the standard AVI codec). For maximum playback compatibility on standalone DivX-certified DVD players choose DivX or Xvid; for archival masters choose HuffYUV (lossless, very large) or MJPEG (intra-frame, edit-friendly). Set audio to MP3 (default), MP2, AC-3 for surround, or PCM for lossless. Choose a Quality Preset (Highest → Lowest), target a File Size Percentage with auto-scale, set an exact MB target, or fine-tune with CRF (0-31 qscale, 2 = near-lossless, 18-23 = visually transparent, 28+ = small-file mode). MPEG-2 source bitrates are typically 4-9 Mbps from DVD — MPEG-4 AVI at qscale 4-6 usually halves that.
3. Resize, Trim, or Pick a Resolution Preset (Optional): Pick a resolution preset (1080p / 720p / 576p / 480p / 360p), enter a custom width × height, or scale by percentage. DVD MPG sources are usually 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL) — keep those for 1:1 archival, or upscale to 720p/1080p for modern players. Use Trim with start time + duration in HH:MM:SS.sss format to cut DVD menus, FBI warnings, or VHS leader/tail before encoding.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files process in your browser session — no sign-up, no watermark, no 1 GB cap like FreeConvert's free tier. Download individual AVIs or the whole batch as a ZIP.

Why Convert MPG to AVI?

MPG (.mpg / .mpeg) is the 1990s-era container for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video — the format DVD-Video, VCDs, ATSC/DVB broadcast, and early digital camcorders all standardized on. AVI (Audio Video Interleave, Microsoft 1992) is the legacy Windows container that holds essentially any codec and is the common-denominator input for older PC media players, NLE editors, and standalone DivX-certified hardware. Converting MPG → AVI typically means moving DVD-era content into a Windows editing or playback environment that doesn't ingest MPG cleanly:

• Editing DVD rips in older NLE software — Windows Movie Maker (XP / Vista / 7), Pinnacle Studio 9-15, Sony Vegas 8-10, and many older Adobe Premiere versions either reject .mpg outright or import it with broken audio sync. AVI with MPEG-4 / DivX / Xvid imports cleanly into all of them with frame-accurate scrubbing.
• Standalone DivX / Xvid DVD players — A whole generation of 2003-2010 DVD players (Philips DVP, Pioneer DV, LG DKS) accepts AVI files burned to data DVD with DivX or Xvid video. Re-encoding MPG to AVI/DivX lets a DVD-5 hold 4-6 hours of TV recordings instead of just 90 minutes of MPEG-2.
• Surveillance and industrial archives — Legacy CCTV NVR systems, traffic-cam recorders, and lab capture cards still write AVI. When evidence or archive files arrive as MPG and need to merge into an AVI-only timeline, transcoding is required.
• Digitized VHS and TV-tuner captures — TV tuner cards from the WinTV / Hauppauge / ATI All-In-Wonder era recorded MPEG-2 to .mpg. Re-wrapping into AVI (with a re-encode) makes the files editable in legacy desktop software and trimmable by older AVI-aware utilities like VirtualDub.
• Games, Wii / PSP homebrew, and embedded devices — Hardware platforms with bundled AVI/DivX decoders (Nintendo Wii Photo Channel, PSP, original Xbox media players, some in-car DVD systems) won't read MPG but happily play AVI-wrapped MPEG-4.
• VirtualDub / AviSynth pipelines — The classic Windows VFX and frame-server toolchain (VirtualDub, AviSynth, AVISynth+) is built around AVI input. MPG-sourced footage has to be transcoded to AVI before it enters that pipeline for filtering, deinterlacing, or restoration.

MPG vs AVI — Format Comparison

AVI Codec Choice — Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Why won't my MPG file open in Windows Movie Maker or older Premiere?

Older Windows NLEs (Movie Maker XP/Vista/7, Pinnacle Studio 9-15, Premiere Elements 4-9, Sony Vegas 8) were designed before MPEG-2 demuxing was reliable on consumer hardware. They either fail to detect the .mpg extension, import only the video with no audio, or scrub at one frame per several seconds. Re-encoding to AVI with MPEG-4 / DivX / Xvid produces a file every legacy NLE imports cleanly with frame-accurate timeline scrubbing. For modern editors on modern machines, you'd get better results going to MPG to MP4 instead.

Will my AVI file be larger than the source MPG?

Usually slightly larger. MPEG-2 from a DVD averages 4-9 Mbps; MPEG-4 / DivX / Xvid in AVI at "Highest" quality lands at 5-12 Mbps because AVI doesn't carry MPEG-2 efficiently and the safest default codecs are slightly less efficient than modern H.264. If you choose DivX/Xvid at qscale 4-6 you typically end up around the same file size as the source. Lossless codecs (HuffYUV, uncompressed) can balloon the file 15-25× — only pick those if you specifically need an editing master.

Should I pick MPEG-4, DivX, or Xvid for AVI output?

MPEG-4 is the safest default — every Windows player, every NLE since 2005, VLC, and modern Mac QuickTime (with Perian or codec pack) handles it. DivX and Xvid are functionally similar to each other and to MPEG-4 visually, but they're what the "DivX Certified" sticker on 2003-2010 DVD players literally requires for hardware playback — pick those if you're burning AVI to a data DVD for a set-top player. MJPEG and HuffYUV are for editing/archival masters only — they're enormous but lossless or near-lossless.

Can I keep AC-3 5.1 surround audio from a DVD rip?

Yes. AVI containers support AC-3 audio tracks. Pick AC-3 in the audio codec dropdown and the 5.1 surround mix from the source DVD passes through to the output AVI without a downmix. Most modern players (VLC, MPC-HC, Kodi) decode AVI+AC-3 surround correctly. Some very old AVI-only hardware players ignore the AC-3 stream and fall back to silence — for those, pick MP3 stereo instead.

My MPG file has interlacing combs — will conversion fix them?

DVD MPEG-2 and broadcast MPG are often interlaced (480i / 576i). The converter detects interlacing and applies deinterlacing during the encode, so the AVI output is progressive (480p / 576p) and looks clean on flat panels and on edits where you'd otherwise see combing on motion. If you're going into a VirtualDub / AviSynth restoration chain and want to deinterlace yourself, pick a lossless codec (HuffYUV) and skip the resolution preset to preserve the interlaced fields.

Can I convert both .mpg and .mpeg files? What about .vob?

.mpg and .mpeg are interchangeable — same MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 program-stream format, different filename habit. Both are accepted. .vob files (the chunks inside a DVD's VIDEO_TS folder) are also MPEG-2 program streams with AC-3 / MP2 audio — rename them to .mpg or .mpeg before upload and they convert fine. For full DVD-folder workflows including chapter handling, see VOB to AVI.

Can I trim a long DVD-rip MPG before it becomes an AVI?

Yes. Use the trim section with start time + duration in seconds (12.5) or HH:MM:SS.sss format (00:01:30.500). This is especially useful for DVD-VOB rips that include 60-second FBI warnings, color bars, studio idents, and looping menu video before the actual content. Trimming before encoding saves both processing time and final file size.

Will the AVI play on macOS or Linux?

Yes, with caveats. VLC plays AVI on every OS without any codec pack. macOS QuickTime needs a third-party codec pack (Perian, retired but still works on older macOS) for MPEG-4-in-AVI. Linux with the standard gstreamer-libav / ffmpeg codec packages plays AVI cleanly. If cross-platform playback is the priority, MPG to MP4 gives you universal compatibility without anyone installing codec packs. AVI is the right choice when the target is specifically a Windows workflow or DivX-certified hardware.

Can I batch convert a folder of old DVD or camcorder MPG files?

Yes — drop in an entire folder of .mpg / .mpeg (or renamed .vob) files and they convert in parallel within your browser session. Output downloads individually or as a single ZIP. This is the standard workflow for digitizing a DVD library or modernizing a camcorder MiniDV-to-MPEG archive into Windows-editable AVI in one pass — no per-file 1 GB cap and no daily quota like the free tiers on Convertio or FreeConvert.