Convert MPEG to MP3 - extract audio
Old MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 videos carry MP2 or AC-3 audio inside their Program Streams. Wave discards the video and re-encodes the audio to a portable 192 kbps MP3 that plays on any device.
What actually changes
MPEG-1 System Streams (.mpg, .mpeg from the VCD era) hold MP2 audio. MPEG-2 Program Streams (from DVDs and the early digital-TV era) hold MP2, AC-3, or LPCM audio. Wave's wasm engine decodes all three locally with no server involved.
Because the video track is discarded entirely, extract runs several times faster than a full MPEG-to-MP4 conversion - an hour of source content typically finishes in under a minute. Wave uses LAME (libmp3lame) at VBR around 190 kbps, which is transparent for any content old enough to be in an MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 file.
Three steps.
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01
Step 1
Drop the .mpg or .mpeg file onto the card.
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Step 2
Pick MP3 as the output format.
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Step 3
Convert and save the MP3.
Answers, specifically.
Isn't MP2 basically the same as MP3?
They're close cousins - MPEG-1 Audio Layer 2 versus Layer 3 - but not the same bitstream. MP3 players won't decode raw MP2 samples, so a full re-encode is required. At typical source bitrates the audible loss is negligible.
My .mpg is audio-only. Will Wave handle it?
No. Wave requires a video track and rejects audio-only sources up front. If you have an MPEG audio file (usually .mp2 or .mp3), a dedicated audio tool is the right fit.
What about the surround audio on a DVD-sourced MPEG?
Wave downmixes multi-channel AC-3 to stereo before encoding to MP3. MP3 doesn't carry surround audio at all - a downmix is the only path.
Are MPG and MPEG the same file format?
Yes. Different extensions, identical Program Stream container. Wave treats them the same.
How fast is it?
An hour of MPEG audio typically re-encodes in 30–60 seconds on a modern laptop, because Wave never has to decode a single video frame.