# Convert MPG to AVI **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122 "2009-05-02T21:44:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/1 "2009-05-02T21:44:19Z")
Anybody know of a free utility to convert an MPG file to AVI? - The only ones I’ve found are not free when it comes right down to it; it’s only \*one \*particular file I want to convert, and so I don’t want to buy a product for it… So, is there a utility out there my googling is missing…? (There’s a lot of “trials” and “free”, but none without restrictions which makes them useless to me.) ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/2 "2009-05-02T21:59:29Z")
First off, AVI is not really one single format, it’s a container, so there’s all kinds of ways you can convert something to AVI. And ‘any video converter free’ will do MPG to xvid-AVI, I think. [http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for\_video\_free/](http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/) I use it mostly as an MP4 converter, so I don’t really know how WELL it does AVI - but you should give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/3 "2009-05-02T22:15:13Z")
Thank you. I tried it, but the ouput is MP4, not AVI. I can’t find the setting where it allows me to choose AVI as output format…? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/4 "2009-05-02T22:28:04Z")
> [@Wakinyan](#): > > Thank you. I tried it, but the ouput is MP4, not AVI. I can’t find the setting where it allows me to choose AVI as output format…? It’s in the top right corner of the screen, at least on my version. (I haven’t got the latest update yet.) called PROFILE: set that to ‘cusomized avi’ ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/5 "2009-05-02T22:39:21Z")
VirtualDub should do the trick. I’ve been using it for almost 10 years, and it’s still as free as the air we breathe. I assume it will do .mpeg → .avi. I’ve never done that before, but I’ll see if I have an mpeg lying around somewhere and try it. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/6 "2009-05-03T00:18:28Z")
The program I use for this is [Format Factory](http://www.formatoz.com/). It is free and does a great job. ---
**Author:** ![acetylene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@acetylene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acetylene)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/7 "2009-05-03T00:28:07Z")
It’s funny, I’ve been struggling with this all day today. Same as you, I just wanted to convert, well two, not one, files. I didn’t want to pay anything. i tried about six different ones until I found [agood](http://download.cnet.com/Agood-AVI-MPEG4-MOV-FLV-WMV-ASF-Converter/3000-2194_4-10882728.html). it’s free and works great. The others were free but they didn’t work very well. One of them even turned the video upside down! ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/8 "2009-05-03T07:02:19Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > It’s in the top right corner of the screen, at least on my version. (I haven’t got the latest update yet.) called PROFILE: > > set that to ‘cusomized avi’ It worked. Thanks for hanging in there, **chrisk**! Thanks everyone elso too! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convert-mpg-to-avi/495122/9 "2009-05-03T07:09:58Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > VirtualDub should do the trick. I’ve been using it for almost 10 years, and it’s still as free as the air we breathe. I assume it will do .mpeg → .avi. I’ve never done that before, but I’ll see if I have an mpeg lying around somewhere and try it. Yeah, VirtualDub has always worked for me.