MPEG

MPEG refers to a set of standards created by the Moving Picture Experts Group. MPEG refers to several video, audio and container formats; see the full list at the Codec page.

An MPEG file is a file using an MPEG container (these are called mpeg1, ts, ps, and mp4 for MPEG-4).

Creating an MPEG File with VLC

To make an MPEG file, you need to:

• Pick a container (see below)
• Transcode the audio and video to formats able to be held in the container: in general this is the MPEG video and audio formats only. Check the compatibility information in the official documentation, but be warned that while vlc allows any codec and mux, most other players support only a few combinations!

MPEG-1 and 2

• Video codec: mp1v, mp2v
• Audio codec: mpga, mp2a, mp3
• Muxer: ts, ps, mpeg1

MPEG-1 is a video and audio compression format, used in Video CDs. It is compatible with a large number of software and hardware devices.

Here is an example of how to transcode an AVI into a portable MPEG-1 video from the command prompt

vlc file.avi --sout='#transcode{vcodec=mp1v, acodec=mpga}:std{access=file, mux=mpeg1,url=file.mpg}'

MPEG-2 is used in digital television and DVB. It is also used as the format for DVDs. The biggest advantage of this format over MPEG-1 is in its support for interlaced pictures; MPEG-2 can cleanly compress interlaced video, while MPEG-1 internally only works on progressive-scan video, so interlacing must be faked.

Here is an example of how to transcode an AVI into an MPEG-2 video from the command prompt

vlc file.avi --sout='#transcode{vcodec=mp2v, acodec=mpga}:std{access=file, mux=ps,url=file.mpg}'

MPEG-1 Audio

MPEG-1 also contains several audio compression formats:

• mpga is MP1 or MPEG-1 (Part 3) Layer 1
• mp2a is MP2 or MPEG-1 (Part 3) Layer 2
• mp3 is MP3 or MPEG-1 (Part 3) Layer 3

Muxers

MPEG-2 specified 2 container formats, ts and ps. Containers hold video and audio information in them, and package them up so it can be sent over a network or stored on disk.

• ts (Transport Stream) should be used to store or send data where data loss will probably occur, such as over a network.
• ps (Program Stream) should be used to store or send data where data loss is not likely, such as on a DVD.

Both ps and ts can transport MPEG-4 Video, but only ts can send MPEG-4 Audio. In addition, MPEG-4 specifies it's own muxer, mp4 (see below)

MPEG-3

A largely unused audio and video compression format.

• Note that the amazingly common MP3 audio files are actually MPEG-1 Layer 3 audio, not MPEG-3.

MPEG-4

• Video codec: mp4v (m4v)
• Audio codec: mp4a (m4a) - this is AAC.
• Muxer: mp4

MPEG-4 is a flexible audio and video compression format. The format describes audio and video compression, with a container format for streaming across networks and saving to disk. It also contains optional extra features, including DRM and subtitles. These extra features are only included in software if needed. MPEG-4 can provide better quality than MPEG-2 at low bitrates.

Here is an example of how to transcode an AVI into an MPEG-4 video from the command prompt

vlc file.avi --sout='#transcode{vcodec=mp4v, acodec=mpga}:std{access=file, mux=mp4,url=file.m4v}'