MPEG vs MP4 | Which Video Format is Better in 2024?

Jane Zhou updated on Mar 21, 2024 to Video Converter Tips

Do you want to know who's the winner of MPEG vs. MP4 battle? Do you want to know the perfect converter to convert MPEG to MP4 and vice versa? Check out this article to find out more!

Some of you might wonder why people prefer to start the MPEG vs. MP4 debate. This is due to the fact that both of them are crowned as the favorite video format during their peak years.

Around 2005, MPEG was one of the most widely known and used video formats. No matter what the device is, you will find MPEG. However, after several years, the developed-in-2001 MP4 started to snag the spotlight. People start to shift to MP4 due to its advantages that MPEG does not own (although the advantages come at a set price). Slowly, MP4 shoos MPEG away from the favorite spot, and MP4 went through its winning days. 

Eventually, users find out the pros and cons between MPEG vs MP4, and people know the difference between them. And because of this, MPEG and MP4 are widely used today, resulting in fierce competition between the two.

MPEG vs MP4 | Which One to Choose?

It's no surprise that the battle between MPEG vs. MP4 still goes on until now, considering how similar they are. However, there are plenty of differences between them.

From the comparison below, you can see the emphasis of each format and what they are mostly useful for. MP4 is the most suitable when it comes to streaming or storing videos in a limited-space device such as mobile phones. This is due to their small size, making it possible for users to save space and internet bandwidth.

However, it does not mean that MP4 is superior to MPEG. MPEG tends to have a better video quality, giving a more immersive experience when watching MPEG videos. Due to this, a good amount of people prefer to watch their favorite movies using MPEG format.

Comparison MPEG MP4
  • Developer
  • The Moving Pictures Experts Group
  • International Organization for Standardization
  • Compatibility
  • Compatible to some devices as long as they install MPEG-2 encoder (but not on mobile)
  • MP4 is compatible with most devices, including mobile
  • Quality
  • High in quality, but also big in size
  • High in quality, but also big in Lower quality and also low in terms of file size
  • Storage capability
  • The same as the file (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, etc.)
  • AAC audio format
  • Audience usage
  • Used mostly for DVD/CDs and cinematic videos. Also used for backup due to its high-quality result
  • Mostly used for streaming and mobile devices, although its flexibility makes it possible to be played almost everywhere

Convert MPEG to MP4 or Vice Versa

If you have a Windows 10 device, you can quickly resolve the conversion between these two formats with EaseUS Video Converter, which can be used as a MPEG to MP4 converter and vice versa. 

It's also worth mentioning that the software is consistent with excellent quality. This functionality allows customers to get a high-quality conversion regardless of the output resolution. As a result, you won't notice if the video quality is reduced from MPEG to MP4 because the end output is still flawless.

Also, you can merge video files, play the video with a media player, convert in batches, and so on before converting them. 

More Features:

  • Best free MP3 converter on Windows PC
  • Change the parameters for video and audio
  • Media files merge and batch conversion
  • The high-speed conversion that's 30x faster than normal

Now, download this video converter on Windows PC!

Overview of MPEG

The Moving Pictures Experts Group is the developer who created MPEG. to be more exact, they use MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 as a method to compress video files, resulting in MPEG or .mpg and .mpeg. There are different kinds of MPEG files, namely MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MPEG-7, MPEG-2, and many more depending on the usage. Plenty of software can open MPEG files, such as Windows Media Player, VLC, and many more thanks to MPEG's wide compatibility (except mobile devices).

However, when using Windows Media Player, you need to install the MPEG-2 encoder first to play the MPEG file.

Despite the setbacks, MPEG is renowned for its high quality. The quality MPEG maintains makes it a choice among cinematography connoisseurs. The quality also makes it a better choice when it comes to backing up videos, especially if the user wants to maintain the original video's quality.

Overview of MP4

MP4, often known as MPEG-4, was also produced by The Moving Pictures Experts Group with the thought of MP4 as the standard for video files. MP4 is the combination of MPEG-4 and AAC audio. Why MPEG-4? Because MPEG-4 can store other things such as still images, subtitles, video, audio, and many more.

Due to the video's flexibility, MP4 can be played on almost all devices, including mobile devices. This perk of MP4 makes it one of many people's favorites now.

MPEG is great for storing movies on DVDs and CDs, but MP4 offers a lot more flexibility. This is due to the fact that MP4 files may be played on any device and can even be used to back up movies on optical discs. 

Conclusion

From the "MPEG vs MP4" summary above, we can see how MPEG and MP4 give benefits from their own perspectives. So, you can choose either one as long as the one you choose is more suitable for your needs.

If you would like to convert from MPEG and MP4 (and vice versa), EaseUS Video Converter is there to save it. You can tweak the video's parameters without changing the video's quality!