WMV to MPG Converter

How to Convert WMV to MPG Online

1. Upload Your WMV File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select WMV clips — Windows Movie Maker exports, screencast recordings, old camcorder transfers, or any.wmv from a legacy Windows workflow. Batch is supported; drop in an entire folder and each file converts in parallel.
2. Pick Quality Preset or Bitrate Mode: Default is "Very High (Recommended)" Quality Preset, which targets near-DVD MPEG-2 output. Switch to Specific file size to cap the output at a fixed MB target (useful for fitting onto a 4.7 GB DVD or an 800 MB VCD-style disc), Constant Bitrate for predictable sizing in DVD authoring tools, Variable Bitrate for smaller files at the same perceived quality, or Constant Quality / Constraint Quality for fine control over the encoder.
3. Resize or Trim if Needed (Optional): Under Video resolution keep original, pick a Preset Resolution (DVD-friendly 720×480 NTSC / 720×576 PAL, or 1080p / 720p / 480p / 360p for general MPEG-2 playback), scale by Resolution Percentage, or enter custom Width × Height. Under Trim, pick Time Range and enter start time + duration in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss format to cut intros, outros, or unwanted segments before encoding.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared. Download each MPG individually or grab the whole batch as a single ZIP.

Why Convert WMV to MPG?

WMV is Microsoft's Windows Media Video family, introduced in 1999 inside the Advanced Systems Format (.asf/.wmv) container. WMV 9 was later standardized by SMPTE in March 2006 as VC-1 and used on Blu-ray and HD DVD. MPG (often written MPEG) is a much older, broadly compatible container that holds either MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172, 1993) or MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818, first released 1996) video. Re-encoding WMV into MPG trades Microsoft-specific encoding for a format that plays on virtually every hardware DVD player, set-top box, in-car player, kiosk, and legacy media device made in the last 25 years. Common reasons to convert:

• DVD authoring — DVD-Video requires MPEG-2 at up to 9.8 Mbit/s video bitrate (10.08 Mbit/s total), 720×480 NTSC or 720×576 PAL, with AC-3, MP2, PCM, or DTS audio. Authoring tools like DVDStyler, Bombono DVD, and TMPGEnc Authoring Works expect MPEG-2.mpg input; they cannot ingest WMV directly without first transcoding.
• VCD / SVCD legacy discs — Video CD (1993, 1,150 kbit/s MPEG-1 at 352×240 NTSC / 352×288 PAL) and SVCD (MPEG-2 at higher bitrate) are still common on legacy hardware in parts of Asia and for archival projects. Both require an MPG-wrapped MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 stream — WMV files won't burn or play on those players.
• Mac and Linux compatibility — Microsoft's PowerPC Windows Media Player for Mac was discontinued after 2003, the Flip4Mac QuickTime component lost support on June 28 2020, and modern macOS has no native WMV decoder. MPG (especially MPEG-2) plays out of the box in QuickTime, VLC, and most Linux media frameworks.
• Editing in older NLEs and tools — Many older versions of Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle Studio, and broadcast workflow tools accept.mpg input but choke on WMV without an ASF importer. Converting first eliminates "unsupported codec" import errors.
• In-car infotainment and set-top boxes — Older car head units, hotel set-top boxes, and budget media players from the 2000s–2010s ship with MPEG-2 hardware decoders but no WMV/VC-1 support. Burning your MPG to a USB stick or DVD is the path of least resistance.
• Long-term archive of legacy Windows content — Old screen recordings, training videos, and home-movie archives saved as WMV depend on Microsoft codecs that have been deprioritized in Windows 11 (Windows Media Player Legacy was replaced by the new Media Player app, and Movie Maker has been discontinued since January 10 2017). MPG with MPEG-2 is an open ISO standard that will be decodable indefinitely.

WMV vs MPG at a Glance

MPEG-1 vs MPEG-2 — Which Should the MPG Hold?

Default output is MPEG-2 program stream — the right pick for almost every modern use. Choose MPEG-1 only if you're specifically targeting a VCD or a player old enough to predate DVD support. If you also need to shrink the file further, use Compress WMV before converting, or Compress MPG afterward. For different output formats see WMV to MP4, WMV to AVI, or WMV to VOB.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my MPG play on a DVD player?

It depends on what the disc and stream conform to. For a hardware DVD-Video player, the MPG needs to be MPEG-2 video at 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL), bitrate at or below 9.8 Mbit/s, with AC-3 or MP2 audio, then authored into a VIDEO_TS folder structure and burned with DVD-Video filesystem (UDF). XConvert produces a compliant MPEG-2.mpg — that's the source file. Pass it through a free authoring tool like DVDStyler or Bombono DVD to add menus and burn. For USB playback on a newer disc-free player, copying the.mpg to a stick usually works directly with no authoring step.

What's the difference between.mpg,.mpeg, and.m2v?

They are essentially the same family. .mpg and .mpeg are interchangeable extensions for an MPEG program stream that carries video plus audio — the program stream is the standard storage container defined in MPEG-1/MPEG-2 Part 1. .m2v is video-only MPEG-2 (no audio multiplexed in); authoring tools sometimes prefer separate.m2v +.ac3 files so they can rebuild the multiplex with specific timing. XConvert outputs a multiplexed.mpg by default. If you need the MPEG or MPEG-2 variant explicitly, those endpoints are available.

How do I get my old Windows Movie Maker.wmv files into a modern editor?

Most modern editors (DaVinci Resolve, CapCut, Shotcut, Kdenlive, recent Premiere Pro) prefer MP4/H.264 over WMV. If your target is editing rather than DVD authoring, WMV to MP4 is the better choice — H.264 in an MP4 container is universally accepted by NLEs and produces smaller files than MPEG-2. Pick MPG only when the downstream tool specifically expects MPEG-2 (DVD authoring, broadcast workflow, or an older NLE that lists.mpg as a supported import).

Why is my MPG file larger than the original WMV?

MPEG-2 is a 1996-era codec; WMV 9 / VC-1 (2006) and modern H.264 (2003) compress about 2–3× more efficiently at the same visual quality. Going from WMV to MPEG-2 typically grows the file because the encoder needs more bits to match perceived quality. This is normal and expected — the trade-off you get is universal hardware-player compatibility. If file size matters, drop the resolution to 480p or pick a lower bitrate target. If you don't need DVD compatibility, use MP4 instead for a much smaller file at the same quality.

Can I burn this MPG straight to a DVD?

Almost — but there's an extra step. A DVD-Video disc needs a VIDEO_TS folder with VOB files (which are an MPEG-2 program stream with extensions for menus, subtitles, and chapter navigation), an IFO index, and the UDF filesystem. Free tools that do this from a compliant.mpg input: DVDStyler (Windows/Mac/Linux), Bombono DVD (Linux), DeVeDe, and ImgBurn (with menus from a separate authoring tool). If you just want the file on a data DVD or USB for a player that reads raw video files, the.mpg from XConvert works as-is.

Will the audio convert too?

Yes — WMA audio inside the.wmv is decoded and re-encoded into an MPEG-compatible audio track (MP2 by default for general.mpg output, AC-3 for DVD-targeted output). Both tracks remain in sync. Multichannel (5.1) WMA Pro audio is downmixed to stereo unless you're targeting DVD authoring where AC-3 5.1 is preserved.

Can I batch convert multiple WMV files at once?

Yes. Upload as many.wmv files as you want — there's no quantity limit. Apply the same MPEG-1/MPEG-2 settings to all of them or pick per-file options. Each file converts in parallel on our servers and downloads individually or as a single ZIP. Handy for digitizing an old folder of Windows Movie Maker exports in one pass.

Is the conversion lossy?

Yes. WMV (VC-1 family) and MPEG-2 are different codecs, so the video is fully decoded and re-encoded — there is no lossless remux path between them as there can be between MOV and MP4. To minimize visible quality loss, leave the Quality Preset on "Very High (Recommended)" or switch to Constant Quality and pick a high-quality setting. Avoid converting back and forth multiple times; each round-trip degrades the picture further.

What if I need MPG to go the other way?

To go back to WMV (rare, but useful for legacy Windows servers and PowerPoint embedding on older Windows builds) see MPG to WMV. For modern containers see MPG to MP4. To trim or split a long.mpg before authoring, use Trim MPG.