Why convert REC to MPG?
A Topfield .rec file is an MPEG-2 transport stream with a proprietary header that most players and editors cannot parse. Removing that header makes the recording usable in VLC, HandBrake, or any MPEG-aware editor without touching the video or audio data.
How to convert REC to MPG
rec2mpg FREE
Place rec2mpg.exe alongside the .rec file and run it; the tool strips the Topfield header and writes a .mpg file with the video and audio intact.
tfrec2ts FREE
Run tfrec2ts on the .rec file to produce a clean transport stream, then rename the output from .ts to .mpg if the target program expects that extension.
ffmpeg OPEN-SOURCE
If VLC plays the .rec directly, run ffmpeg -i yourfile.rec -c copy yourfile.mpg to remux without re-encoding. If ffmpeg rejects the header, de-header first with rec2mpg or tfrec2ts.
About these formats
.REC
Topfield PVR Recording
A REC file is a TV recording saved by a Topfield personal video recorder. Try VLC first - it plays many of them directly. If VLC fails, strip the Topfield header with rec2mpg or tfrec2ts to…
Open .REC details →
.MPG
MPEG-1/MPEG-2 Video File
An MPG file is a video compressed with the older MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 standard - the format behind Video CDs, DVDs, and recorded TV. To play it, use the free VLC media player on any platform.…
Open .MPG details →Quality & what to watch
- Stripping the Topfield header is lossless - the MPEG-2 video and audio are bit-for-bit identical to the original capture.
- The Topfield header holds channel name and EPG metadata; that information is discarded when the header is removed.
- CCTV and DVR
.recfiles use a different proprietary structure and are not compatible with rec2mpg or tfrec2ts.
Frequently asked questions
Is there any quality loss when converting REC to MPG?
What if ffmpeg cannot read the .rec file?
.mpg or .ts to ffmpeg.
