Step 1: Transfer your MPG files using the button above or by slide and deposit.
Step 2: Click the 'Convert' button to start the conversion.
Step 3: Retrieve your converted MKV files.
MPG to MKV Conversion FAQ
How do I re-encode MPG to MKV without losing video quality?
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Upload your MPG file and set Quality to High Quality in the conversion options. That re-encodes the video at the highest quality setting (CRF 18 for H.264 and VP9 output), which keeps the most detail at the cost of a larger file. The default, Balanced, uses the standard setting. The MKV output gets a codec its container supports: H.264 for MP4, MOV and MKV, VP9 for WebM. Contents are MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video with MP2 audio; the muxing and the GOP structure are identical to a .mpeg file. MKV is codec-agnostic: H.264, HEVC, VP9 and AV1 video sit happily beside AAC, FLAC, Opus, DTS or Dolby audio in the same file.
My MPG footage shows comb lines on movement — will that carry into the MKV?
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Yes. MPG content is often interlaced, because the format comes from the broadcast and DVD era, and this converter has no deinterlace option, so the combing carries into the MKV. If it matters, deinterlace the MPG first in a desktop tool such as HandBrake or ffmpeg (the yadif filter). MPG is the same MPEG program stream as .mpeg — the three-letter extension is a DOS-era truncation, not a different format.
Can I add selectable subtitles once the file is MKV?
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Yes. MPG has no usable soft-subtitle track, so subtitles for MPG content had to be burned into the picture or shipped as a separate sidecar file. MKV carries subtitles as their own selectable stream, so after conversion you can attach an SRT track the viewer can switch on, switch off or restyle.
Does MKV support chapter markers that MPG did not?
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It does. MKV stores chapters as container metadata, so a long recording can be navigated by section instead of by scrubbing a progress bar. MPG has nowhere to put that information, so the converted MKV starts with no chapters; add markers afterwards with a tool such as MKVToolNix or ffmpeg. MKV is the archival container of choice because it stores unlimited audio tracks, soft subtitles, chapter markers and cover art in one file.
Will the MKV still play smoothly on a phone or a TV?
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It may not. MPG is decoded by dedicated silicon on phones, tablets and TVs, which is why it plays without flattening the battery. MKV typically falls back to software decoding on the same hardware — higher CPU load, a warmer device, and dropped frames on 4K material. For a device target, MPG is the safer container to stay in. MKV has almost no native hardware support — phones, browsers and TVs usually need VLC or a remux before they will play it.
Is it worth converting old MPG recordings to MKV at all?
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For anything you intend to keep, yes. MPG belongs to an earlier generation of video tooling and the software that reads it is steadily disappearing from phones, browsers and operating systems. Moving the footage to MKV now, while a clean decoder still exists, is the difference between an archive you can open in ten years and one you cannot. MPG inherits every MPEG-2 limitation — heavy bitrate, interlacing, no soft subtitles — plus the confusion of two extensions for one format.
Which video codec does the MKV output use?
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It depends on the MKV container. MP4, MOV and MKV output use H.264, which plays on practically every phone, browser and TV. WebM output uses VP9. AVI, WMV and MPEG output use the older codecs those formats were designed for. MKV is Matroska, an open container designed in 2002 with no licensing restrictions and no ceiling on what it can hold.
Will my audio track survive MPG to MKV conversion?
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Yes, the main audio track comes through, re-encoded to a codec the MKV container plays, for example AAC in MP4 and MOV or Opus in WebM. Most conversions keep only that one track (the one with the most channels), so alternate languages and commentary are dropped. MP4 to MOV, and AVI, WMV, MPEG, FLV, VOB or M4V to MKV, keep every audio track.
Can I keep the original framerate when converting MPG to MKV?
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Yes. The frame rate is kept unless you change it: a 24 fps MPG stays 24 fps in the MKV. The Frame Rate setting can also convert to 60, 30 or 24 fps. It changes the rate only; it does not deinterlace the video or remove 3:2 pulldown.
How much will the file size change going from MPG to MKV?
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It depends on what happens to the video. MKV to MP4 or MOV with the default settings copies the video stream unchanged, so the size stays close to the source. Most other pairs re-encode it: a high-bitrate MPG usually comes out smaller, while an already heavily compressed one can grow. Smaller File under Quality gives the smallest output, and H.265 in the Codec setting (MP4, MOV and MKV) is usually smaller than H.264 at similar quality but plays on fewer devices.
Will the MKV file play on iPhone, Android, and Smart TVs?
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MP4 with H.264 plays on practically every phone, browser and TV. MOV with H.264 plays on Apple devices and most TVs but not on every older Android phone. MKV needs an app such as VLC on iOS, and WebM is at home in browsers. There is no device preset on this page, so choose the target format your device supports.
How long does converting a 1-hour MPG video to MKV take?
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There is no fixed time: it depends on the length, the resolution and the target format. Conversions run on our servers' CPUs with software encoders; there is no GPU acceleration. MKV to MP4 or MOV with the default settings copies the video stream and is the quickest. A re-encode to H.264 takes longer, and WebM (VP9) is the slowest target, several times slower than H.264 in our tests.
