MPG to XviD Converter

MPG to Xvid — Should You Convert, and What Do You Get?

MPG holds 1990s-era MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video — broadly compatible but bulky. Xvid is the open-source MPEG-4 Part 2 (ASP) codec, the GPL-licensed cousin of DivX that became popular in the 2000s for fitting movies onto a single CD. Convert MPG to Xvid for one specific reason: a standalone DVD player, car head unit, or set-top box that lists "Xvid" or "DivX" support but won't play modern MP4. For anything made in the last fifteen years, MPG to MP4 is the better target.

MPG vs Xvid — Side by Side

One thing to get straight first: Xvid is a codec, not a container. The output here is Xvid video with MP3 audio wrapped in an AVI file (the pairing DivX-Certified hardware most reliably reads).

When to Convert MPG to Xvid

• You have a 2003–2012 DVD player, car stereo, or media box badged "DivX Certified" or "Xvid" that rejects MP4.
• You want to fit several clips on one CD-R or data DVD and MPEG-1/2 is too bulky.
• You need a royalty-free MPEG-4 codec for an offline kiosk or archive and can't use H.264.

When to Stay on MPG (or Go to MP4 Instead)

• Your target is a phone, browser, smart TV, or anything recent — use MPG to MP4 (H.264) for smaller files and near-universal playback.
• You're authoring an actual Video CD or DVD-Video disc — keep the MPEG-1/2 stream; Xvid won't play on a plain DVD-Video player.
• The MPG already plays fine on your device — re-encoding only adds a lossy generation.

How to Convert MPG to Xvid

1. Upload Your MPG File: Drag and drop your MPG or MPEG clips onto the page or click "+ Add Files". Old Video CD rips, camcorder captures, and TV recordings all work, and batch upload applies the same Xvid settings to every file.
2. Pick a Quality Preset or File-Size Target: Under File Compression the default is the Preset set to Very High (Recommended). Switch to Specific file size to hit an exact MB number for a CD-R fill, Constant Bitrate for predictable per-minute size, or Variable Bitrate to spend more bits on busy scenes. For certified hardware, around 1,000–2,000 kbps is a safe range.
3. Set Resolution and Trim (Optional): Use Video resolution to keep the original size, scale by Resolution Percentage, or pick a Preset Resolution — standalone players generally cap at 720×576, so leave SD content alone and downscale anything larger. Use Trim → Time Range to drop disc intros before encoding.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert". Files upload over an encrypted connection, are processed on our servers, and are deleted automatically after a few hours. Download each Xvid AVI individually or as a ZIP — no sign-up, no watermark.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Xvid better than MPEG-2 for an old DVD player?

It depends entirely on what the player is certified for. Xvid (MPEG-4 ASP) compresses better than MPEG-2, so the same quality fits in a smaller file — but a plain DVD-Video player only reads MPEG-2, not Xvid. Xvid only plays on hardware specifically badged "DivX Certified" or "Xvid". So if your player is a generic DVD-Video deck, MPEG-2 is the only thing that works; if it carries a DivX/Xvid logo, Xvid gives you smaller files for the same disc.

What's the difference between Xvid and DivX here?

They're nearly the same thing — both are MPEG-4 Part 2 Advanced Simple Profile, and most certified players read both off the same chip. The practical difference is licensing: Xvid is GPL open-source software, while DivX is a proprietary product from DivX, LLC. The encoded video is interchangeable enough that certified hardware checks the DivX/Xvid FourCC tag inside the AVI rather than the file extension. If your player names one specifically, MPG to DivX produces the DivX-codec equivalent.

Will I gain any quality converting MPG to Xvid?

No — re-encoding can't recover detail the MPEG source never captured. An MPEG-1 VCD rip is capped near 352×288 and an MPEG-2 DVD stream near 720×576, and the Xvid output inherits that ceiling. What you gain is compatibility with Xvid-certified hardware and smaller files at the same perceived quality. Use the highest Preset that still meets your size target, and prefer Variable Bitrate over Constant Bitrate for mixed content.

Does the Xvid output go in an AVI container?

Yes. Xvid is a codec, so the video is wrapped in an AVI container with MP3 audio and written with a .xvid extension. Certified players read the Xvid/DivX FourCC tag inside the file, so it plays the same whether the extension reads .xvid or .avi. If a particular player is fussy about the extension, renaming the download to .avi is harmless and doesn't touch the data.

What file size should I expect?

In our testing, a 5-minute DVD-resolution MPG (about 110 MB at MPEG-2's ~3 Mbit/s) re-encoded to Xvid at the default Very High preset produced roughly a 45–60 MB file, since MPEG-4 ASP is more efficient than MPEG-2 at the same perceived quality. Using Specific file size lets you target an exact result — handy for packing several clips under a 700 MB CD-R or a 4.7 GB data DVD.

Is Xvid still free to use without licensing fees?

Yes. Per the Xvid project, Xvid ships under the GNU GPL — "no feature-limited version, no restricted testing period" — and is free to obtain and use. The underlying MPEG-4 Part 2 patents have also largely lapsed. That royalty-free status is one of the few practical advantages Xvid retains over H.264, whose patent pool is still active. For modern playback, though, H.264 in MP4 is still the wider-compatible choice — see Xvid to MP4 to convert back.