What is an MPEG file?
MPEG is the video behind DVDs, Video CDs and older broadcast recordings. It plays widely but takes far more space than a modern file of the same quality, so converting it usually shrinks it a lot. You can convert MPEG files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 Program Stream |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .mpeg, .mpg, .mpe |
| Media type | video/mpeg |
| Compression | Lossy |
| Transparency | — |
| Animation | — |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | — |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 1993 |
| Developed by | ISO/IEC MPEG |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | Not displayed by browsers |
What MPEG is used for
- DVD and Video CD content ripped to disk
- Broadcast and camcorder archives
- Authoring discs for older players
Strengths and limitations
What MPEG does well
- Plays on almost anything, including very old players
- Copes well with a patchy signal or a damaged recording
Where MPEG falls short
- Very large files for the quality delivered
- No browser support and few modern devices accept it
Convert MPEG to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to MPEG
Everything that can be turned into a MPEG file.
Tools that accept MPEG
Questions about MPEG
What is a .mpeg file?
MPEG is the video behind DVDs, Video CDs and older broadcast recordings. The extension .mpeg or .mpg or .mpe identifies it, and its media type is video/mpeg.
How do I open an MPEG file?
Browsers do not display MPEG natively, so you either need software that understands it or you convert it to something more common first. Converting is usually the faster route when you only need to look at the contents once.
Is MPEG lossy or lossless?
Lossy. That means detail is discarded during encoding and each re-save compounds the loss, so keep an untouched master where quality matters.
What is MPEG good for?
Plays on almost anything, including very old players. Copes well with a patchy signal or a damaged recording. In practice that makes it a good fit for DVD and Video CD content ripped to disk, and Broadcast and camcorder archives.
What are the drawbacks of MPEG?
Very large files for the quality delivered. No browser support and few modern devices accept it.