Video
What is a .mpeg file?
A .mpeg file is a MPEG-1 Program Stream. This is a video format. Confusingly, this extension has been used by 4 different formats over the years — they're all listed below.
This extension has been used by more than one format
4 different formats have claimed .mpeg over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.
How to open a .mpeg file
- VLC is the answer for the vast majority of video files.
- mpv is a lightweight alternative.
The registry records this extension against MPEG-1 Program Stream, MPEG-2 Program Stream, MPEG-2 Elementary Stream and others, so software from that family is the most likely match.
How to convert a .mpeg file
- HandBrake converts to .mp4, which plays on effectively everything.
MIME type
When a .mpeg file travels over the web, servers label it with this MIME type:
video/mpegThe technical record
For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .mpeg.
| Format name | Version | MIME type | PUID |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPEG-1 Program Stream | — | video/mpeg | x-fmt/385 |
| MPEG-2 Program Stream | — | video/mpeg | x-fmt/386 |
| MPEG-2 Elementary Stream | — | — | fmt/640 |
| MPEG-1 Elementary Stream | — | — | fmt/649 |