MPG to MPG Converter

MPG to MPG — Changing the Profile Inside a Program Stream

.mpg names a container, not a codec: an MPEG program stream, the multiplex designed to carry video and audio together on physical media. What sits inside it can be MPEG-1 video from a 1990s VideoCD or MPEG-2 video from a DVD rip, with MP2, MP3, AC-3 or DTS audio alongside. A same-format conversion is how you change which of those it is without leaving the container.

The realistic jobs: downgrade an MPEG-2 file to MPEG-1 for a player that only ever handled VideoCD, re-encode a DTS or AC-3 soundtrack to MP2 so a stubborn decoder stops producing silence, cut a chapter out of a long capture, drop 720x576 to something a small screen can use, or force a folder of mismatched captures onto one resolution and bitrate.

Every job is a genuine re-encode on our servers — there is no copy-through path — so a same-format pass costs you a generation of quality. Free, no sign-up, no watermark; uploads travel over an encrypted connection and are deleted automatically after a few hours.

How to Re-encode an MPG File

1. Upload Your MPG File: Drag and drop, or click "+ Add Files". This page accepts both .mpg and .mpeg sources, since the two extensions name the same program stream. Batch uploads share one set of settings.
2. Pick MPEG-1 or MPEG-2: Video Codec offers exactly these two and opens on MPEG-2. This is the substantive choice on the page — see the comparison below before you change it.
3. Pick an Audio Codec: MP2 is preselected, which is what DVD-Video and VideoCD authoring expect. MP3, AC3 and DTS (DCA) are the alternatives; AC3 is the one to choose if a surround mix needs to reach a receiver intact.
4. Set Compression, Resize, Trim, then Convert: File Compression opens on Quality Preset. Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate and Specific file size are the modes that reliably move the output on these codecs — read the bitrate-floor section before relying on Constant Quality. Video resolution starts on Keep original, with Resolution Percentage, height-based Presets, Width, Height and Width x Height available. Trim takes a start time and duration. Click Convert.

MPEG-1 vs MPEG-2, the Two Codecs on Offer

Going from MPEG-2 down to MPEG-1 is a genuine downgrade in efficiency: at the same bitrate MPEG-1 looks worse, and at the same quality it needs more bits. Do it only when a specific device demands it.

The Bitrate Floor That Overrides Your Settings

MPEG-2 has no CRF mode, and the pipeline is explicit about it. If you choose Constant Quality or Constraint Quality, the number you type is discarded and the encoder is handed a minimum bitrate derived from the output resolution instead. Any explicit bitrate you request below that floor is also raised to it. This is deliberate — MPEG-2 hard-fails with "bitrate too low" rather than degrading gracefully.

Two consequences follow. First, Constant Quality is effectively decorative on this page — use Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate or Specific file size, which are honoured. Second, there is a hard limit to how small an MPEG-2 file can get at a given resolution; if you asked for 1 Mbps at 1080p and got roughly 7.5 Mbps, that is the floor at work, not a fault. The way past it is to reduce the resolution, or to leave MPEG-2 behind for a modern codec — MPG to MP4 re-encodes to H.264 and will comfortably beat any MPEG-2 setting on size at matched quality.

Separately, when File Compression is left on Quality Preset, neither MPEG codec can target a quality level, so the preset becomes a multiple of your source's own bitrate: "Very High" asks for 132% of it, "Medium" for 90%, "Lowest" for 30%. The default therefore tends to grow the file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would I convert MPG to MPG rather than to MP4?

Because something downstream insists on the program stream. DVD and SVCD authoring software, some broadcast ingest paths, and a fair amount of set-top and in-car hardware from the 2000s accept .mpg and nothing else. If nothing in your chain requires it, converting to MP4 is almost always the better answer — smaller files, better quality, and playback everywhere.

Does converting MPG to MPG lose quality?

Yes. Our servers always decode and re-encode, with no stream-copy option. MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 are both lossy, and re-encoding an already-compressed stream means the new encoder spends bits faithfully reproducing the old encoder's artefacts. Run the pass once, doing all your changes at the same time.

What is the difference between .mpg and .mpeg?

Nothing structural. Both name an MPEG program stream and both are written with the same muxer here. The two extensions are an artefact of the 8.3 filename era, where .mpg was the only spelling DOS would accept. This page takes either as input, and there is a matching MPEG to MPEG page if you prefer the longer spelling on the output.

My file is huge. Why won't it get smaller?

Most likely you are hitting the MPEG-2 bitrate floor described above, or leaving File Compression on the default Quality Preset, which asks for 132% of the source bitrate on these codecs. Switch to Specific file size and name a figure, and reduce the resolution as well — at 720x576 the floor is 2 Mbps, which is a great deal less than the floor at 1080p.

Does the audio track survive?

The track survives; the bytes do not. Audio is re-encoded along with the video into whichever codec you select, defaulting to MP2. A DTS or AC-3 source track can stay in its own codec by selecting DTS (DCA) or AC3 from the dropdown, which preserves the channel layout even though the encode is fresh. Exotic source audio is decoded and folded into one of the four codecs offered here.

Will an interlaced source come out looking combed?

Yes, if it was combed going in. There is no deinterlacing step anywhere in this pipeline, so interlaced DVD or broadcast footage keeps its field structure and the comb artefacts stay baked into the frames. MPEG-2 can at least code the fields properly; if you convert such a source to a progressive-only codec elsewhere, the combing becomes permanent. Deinterlace locally first if it matters.

Can I put the output back on a DVD?

Only after authoring. A single .mpg file is not a DVD-Video disc — that needs a VIDEO_TS folder with IFO, BUP and VOB files, specific GOP structure, and audio in MP2, AC-3 or LPCM. What this page gives you is a compliant-ish program stream that authoring software can ingest. Set the resolution explicitly to 720x480 or 720x576, choose MPEG-2 and MP2 or AC3, and let the authoring tool do the rest.

Why do the resolution presets only let me choose a height?

Because the Preset Resolutions list is height-based by design: you pick 576p and the width follows your source's aspect ratio. That is right for most content but wrong for DVD-era targets, which expect exact frame sizes. Use the Width x Height option and type the numbers when a device is fussy.

Is there a faster route if I only want a smaller file?

Yes — Compress MPG opens on a "Target file size (%)" slider that this converter hides, so "make it 60% of the size" is a single control. The MPEG-2 bitrate floor still applies, so pair it with a resolution reduction if the target is aggressive.

How long do you keep my uploads?

Files and their outputs are deleted automatically after a few hours. Nothing is shared or made public, and no account, email address or payment is required to use the tool.