Cut MPG

How to Cut MPG Files Online

1. Upload Your MPG File: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to load .mpg or .mpeg source. Both extensions reference the same MPEG program stream container, so DVD rips, VCD/SVCD discs, set-top DVR recordings, HDV camcorder dumps re-muxed to PS, and old analog-capture cards all work. Batch cutting of multiple files in one session is supported.
2. Set Start and End Times: Open Trim, choose "Time Range," and enter Start Time + Duration (or Start / End) in HH:MM:SS.sss for long DVD rips or plain seconds (30.5) for short clips. The cutter re-encodes only the GOPs touched at each cut point so the output is frame-accurate at the timestamps you entered, even though MPEG-2 I-frames are typically half a second apart.
3. Pick Quality and Codec (Optional): Default keeps MPEG-2 video and MP2 audio for DVD-Video compatibility. Under File Compression pick Quality Preset (Highest → Lowest), Constant Quality (CRF 18-23, lower = bigger and cleaner), Target file size (%) to halve the trimmed output, Specific file size for hard caps, Constant Bitrate for DVD-spec authoring (4-8 Mbit/s), or Variable Bitrate for mixed motion. To switch to a modern codec, change Video Codec to H.264 or H.265.
4. Cut and Download: Click Cut. Files process in your browser session — no sign-up, no watermark — and download individually or as a ZIP.

Why Cut MPG Files?

MPG (also .mpeg) is the MPEG program stream container, defined in MPEG-1 Part 1 (ISO/IEC 11172-1) and MPEG-2 Part 1 (ISO/IEC 13818-1). It carries MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video plus MPEG audio in a layout designed for random-access storage media — DVD-Video, Video CD (VCD), and Super Video CD (SVCD) all use program-stream variants. DVD VOB files are a stricter subset of the same format, which is why most VOB rips are saved as .mpg after extraction.

These files are usually long: a single-layer 4.7 GB DVD holds 90-120 minutes at peak 9.8 Mbit/s, an overnight DVR capture can run several hours, and a multi-VOB DVD title is broken into 1 GB chunks purely because the DVD-Video spec caps individual VOB size. Cutting is how you turn a feature-length capture into a shareable, archivable, or editable clip.

• Pull a single scene from a DVD rip — Extract a 3-minute scene from a 90-minute .mpg you ripped from disc, keeping MPEG-2 / MP2 if you plan to re-author back into a DVD-Video VIDEO_TS structure with DVDStyler or similar.
• Cut commercials from PVR / TiVo recordings — Set-top boxes and PVRs from the 2000s stored to MPEG-2 program streams. Broadcast captures typically have 4-8 minutes of ads per half hour, so cutting them out saves 15-25% of the file size and a chunk of viewing time before archiving.
• Trim VCD / SVCD captures from old discs — VCDs ran MPEG-1 at 1,150 kbit/s (352×240 NTSC / 352×288 PAL), and SVCDs ran MPEG-2 at 480×480 / 480×576. Cutting the segment you actually want before transcoding saves you a second-generation encode you'd otherwise pay later.
• Shrink legacy archives for cloud storage — A 90-minute DVD rip near 9 Mbit/s is roughly 6 GB. Trimming to the actual content plus Target file size (%) at 50% gets the result inside most cloud free-tier caps in one pass.
• Prep clips for non-linear editors — Premiere, Resolve, and Final Cut accept .mpg, but timeline performance improves with shorter source files. Cut to scene length first, then drop the clip into the project.
• Split long broadcast captures into per-program files — Overnight DVR captures often span multiple shows. Cut each into its own file so titles, dates, and durations are accurate when imported into Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby.
• Salvage usable footage from glitched transfers — When a tape transfer or DVD rip has corrupted segments, cut around the bad section to keep only the clean ranges instead of discarding the whole file.

MPG vs MP4 vs VOB vs MPEG-TS — Format Comparison

Property	MPG (MPEG-PS)	MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)	VOB (DVD-Video)	TS / M2TS
Container	MPEG program stream	ISO Base Media File	MPEG-PS subset	MPEG transport stream
Video codec	MPEG-1, MPEG-2	H.264, H.265, AV1	MPEG-2, MPEG-1	MPEG-2, H.264, HEVC
Audio codec	MP2, MP3, LPCM	AAC, MP3, AC-3	AC-3, DTS, MP2, LPCM	AC-3, AAC, DTS
Peak bitrate	~10 Mbit/s typical	unbounded	9.8 Mbit/s video / 10.08 total	high (broadcast, Blu-ray)
Random access	Designed for it	Designed for it	Designed for it	Designed for streaming
Error tolerance	Low (PS)	Low	Low	High (188-byte packets)
Browser playback	Limited	Universal HTML5	None	Limited
Best for	DVD / VCD / SVCD authoring	Web, mobile, sharing	DVD-Video discs	Broadcast, HDV, Blu-ray
File extension	.mpg, .mpeg	.mp4, .m4v	.vob	.ts, .m2ts

Quality Mode Quick Guide

Mode	What it does	When to pick it
Quality Preset: Highest	Re-encodes near-source quality	Default for archive cuts
Constant Quality (CRF 18)	Visually lossless target	DVD masters you may re-encode later
Constant Quality (CRF 23)	Standard quality, smaller file	General sharing
Target file size (%) 50%	Halves the trimmed output size	Cloud uploads, email attachments
Specific file size	Hard cap (e.g. 100 MB)	Upload limits like Discord 10 MB free tier
Constant Bitrate 4-8 Mbit/s	Fixed throughput, DVD-compliant	Re-authoring to DVD-Video
Variable Bitrate	Allocates bits where motion is	Mixed-motion content, smaller file at equal quality

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cut MPG without re-encoding to keep 100% original quality?

Pure stream-copy MPG cutting only works at GOP (group-of-pictures) boundaries — MPEG-2 typically uses a 12-18 frame GOP, so I-frames are roughly 0.4-0.6 seconds apart at 25-30 fps, and a true stream-copy cut snaps to those boundaries. XConvert performs a smart-render-style cut: copies most of the stream and only re-encodes the GOPs that contain the actual cut points, so the rest of the video is bit-identical to the source. Pick the Highest Quality Preset or Constant Quality at CRF 18 to keep the re-encoded edges visually indistinguishable.

Why are .mpg and .mpeg the same thing?

Both extensions identify an MPEG program stream container. .mpg is the legacy 8.3-filename DOS-era spelling and .mpeg is the spelled-out form. The codec, structure, and contents are identical, and every player treats them interchangeably. XConvert accepts both as input and the cutter doesn't care which one you upload.

Will the cut snap to a keyframe automatically?

MPEG-2's typical 12-frame GOP means I-frames land roughly twice per second. If you enter a cut time that falls between I-frames, the cutter re-encodes the surrounding GOP so the start/end frames are exactly at the timestamps you entered — frame-accurate, not snapped. If you specifically want stream-copy cuts at GOP boundaries (zero generation loss), align your cut times to half-second multiples and pick the Highest Quality Preset; the encoder has near-trivial work to do.

Will cutting break DVD-Video compatibility if I re-author the result to disc?

No, as long as you keep the defaults: MPEG-2 video, MP2 or AC-3 audio, and bitrate inside the DVD spec (≤9.8 Mbit/s video, ≤10.08 Mbit/s total per the published DVD-Video specification). NTSC discs are 720×480 at 29.97 fps and PAL discs are 720×576 at 25 fps. If you change resolution or switch the video codec to H.264 / H.265, the file remains a valid MPEG clip but is no longer DVD-Video compliant — most authoring tools (DVDStyler, etc.) will refuse it.

Can I cut a .vob file directly?

VOB is a stricter subset of MPEG program stream, so most VOBs cut like MPG. If your VOB doesn't load cleanly, run VOB to MPG first and then cut the result. Multi-VOB DVDs (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, VTS_01_3.VOB) representing a single title are split at 1 GB by the DVD spec — concatenate them before cutting, or use VOB cutter directly. DVD subtitle tracks and chapter information are dropped on cut.

Should I keep the output as MPG or convert to MP4 in the same step?

Keep MPG only if you're feeding the file back into a DVD-authoring workflow, a tool that explicitly expects MPEG-2 (older NLEs, DVDStyler, PVR software), or a VCD/SVCD project. For everything else — web playback, mobile, modern editing apps, social sharing — switch Video Codec to H.264 or convert via MPG to MP4. It's one re-encode pass either way and the H.264 file is roughly half the size at the same visible quality.

My MPG is a TV recording with multiple audio tracks. Will they all survive?

When the output stays MPG / MPEG-2, all original audio tracks (English / Spanish / SAP / descriptive audio) carry through. If you switch the output container to MP4, only the primary audio track is reliably preserved — MP4 supports multi-track audio but many players default to the first track. For multi-audio sources, keep the cut as MPG or output to MKV.

Can I cut multiple non-contiguous segments from one file in one pass?

Each cut job produces one output range. To extract three separate segments (intro + scene 5 + ending), run the cutter three times against the same upload and download all three clips. To stitch them back into one file, use a video joiner after. For trimming a single contiguous range without splitting, trim MPG is the same operation framed differently.

Why is my cut clip slightly larger or fuzzier than the source?

Re-encoding from MPEG-2 to MPEG-2 is generation loss — the encoder passes once over the cut segments, and fine detail in high-motion scenes can soften. Picking Constant Quality at CRF 18 keeps the difference invisible in normal viewing. If you also want to shrink the result, compress MPG handles bitrate-targeted size reduction in a separate pass, or pick Target file size (%) here to combine both in one operation.