Convert MPEG to text
The DVD-and-camcorder-era format (digitized home videos, old lectures, archived broadcasts) transcribed straight from the file.
Free: 60 min per 30 days, files up to 30 min / 50 MB · Paid plans: 10 to 100 hrs, files up to 2 GB. Big video? Upload just its audio track: same transcript, much faster upload.
Encrypted in transit · audio & video auto-delete in 30 days · never used to train AI
Optional settings
Set this for the most accurate result on quiet or mixed audio.
Get a second copy translated into another language (Pro).
Uncommon words the AI might misspell. List them so they come out right.
Last updated 21 July 2026
MPEG files (.mpg, .mpeg) mostly come from a particular era: digitized camcorder tapes, DVD rips of your own discs, old lecture archives, broadcast recordings. If you've digitized family videos or inherited an institutional archive, this is the format it's probably in. Trustample transcribes MPEG directly. In our tests, MPEG-1 files old enough that the browser preview refused to play them still transcribed straight from upload, because the reading happens server-side, so decades-old recordings become searchable text without a modernization step.
A naming knot worth untangling, since it confuses everyone: MPEG is a whole family of standards. MP3 is MPEG audio (layer 3); MP4 is the MPEG-4 container; and .mpg/.mpeg files are the older MPEG-1/MPEG-2 video containers this page is about. Whichever of those you're holding, it uploads here directly. The names are cousins, and all of them transcribe.
For archives, the transcript is often the real prize of the digitization project. A shelf of transferred tapes is only as useful as your memory of what's on them; transcribed, the same shelf becomes searchable by who said what. Upload each file, let the jobs queue in the background, and title each transcript by tape label and year so the dashboard turns into the collection's index. The free plan takes files up to 30 minutes; longer transfers need Basic (files to 3 hours) or Pro (6 hr 40 min or 2 GB).
How it works
- 1Upload the .mpg or .mpeg file directly. No conversion to MP4 is needed.
- 2Speech is read from the audio track; video quality doesn't matter, only the sound.
- 3Edit inline, then export the transcript as TXT, DOCX, PDF or subtitles.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
My browser won't play the .mpg. Can it still transcribe?
Yes. Browsers dropped MPEG-1/2 playback years ago, so the in-page preview may not play, but transcription happens server-side, where the format reads fine. Don't let a silent preview make you think the upload failed; the transcript arrives regardless.
The audio on my old tape transfer is rough. What can I expect?
Honest answer: digitized analog audio (tape hiss, distant voices, hum) is harder than modern recordings, and accuracy drops accordingly. It's still usually far faster to correct a rough AI draft than to transcribe an old tape by hand, and the click-to-replay editor is built for exactly that pass.
Can I transcribe a DVD of a family event or old lecture?
If it's your content or you have the rights, yes. Rip the disc to a file with any free tool and upload the result (.mpg from DVDs works as-is). Commercial films are a different matter: not yours to rip, and scripted media transcribes poorly anyway.
Should I convert MPEG to MP4 first for better results?
No. The transcript comes from the audio track, which is identical either way. Convert only if some other tool in your workflow needs MP4; for transcription it's a wasted step.
Is .mpg different from .mpeg?
No, they are the same container with two extension habits: .mpg came from DOS-era three-letter limits and stuck, while .mpeg spells the standard out. Capture software of the era picked one or the other arbitrarily. Upload either as-is; the engine reads the container, not the file name.
My digitized tape runs over two hours. Will it fit?
By duration, Basic (files up to 3 hours) or Pro (up to 6 hr 40 min) covers it, but MPEG-2 file size is the likelier snag: DVD-quality video runs roughly 2 GB per hour, and Pro's cap is 2 GB per file. For long transfers, extract the audio track with any free tool and upload that instead; it is a small fraction of the size and produces the identical transcript.
An honest note: The engine transcribes speech, not the era. Dropouts where the tape stretched, hum from the transfer deck and moments where the camcorder mic pointed away from the speaker leave gaps no engine can fill. Expect a heavier correction pass on tape transfers than on modern recordings, and lean on click-to-replay to settle the muffled patches by ear.
Related tools
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