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DVD Video Movie File (.mpg)

.mpg file signature | video/mpeg

MPEG Program Stream (MPG) is a container format defined by the Moving Picture Experts Group and standardized through ISO/IEC for multiplexing digital audio and video. It is used for DVD video, older digital television recordings, and general-purpose MPEG media playback and authoring. The format is considered legacy in many workflows, and files from untrusted sources should still be handled carefully because they may contain embedded streams or corrupted metadata.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
00 00 01 BA

Sources: Apache Tika, Wikipedia, Gary Kessler

All Known Signatures

3 signature variants are documented for .mpg files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
00 00 01 BA 0 Apache Tika, Wikipedia, Gary Kessler
00 00 01 B3 0 Apache Tika, Wikipedia
00 00 01 0 Gary Kessler

Extension

.mpg

MIME Type

video/mpeg

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .mpg files in Python

Python 
def is_mpg(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid MPG by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0xBA])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(4) == signature

How to validate .mpg files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isMPG(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0xBA]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 4).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .mpg files in Go

Go 
func IsMPG(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0xBA}
    if len(data) < 4 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:4], signature)
}

API Endpoint

GET /api/v1/mpg
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/mpg

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Related Formats

.m2v .mpe .mpeg .vob .mov .3g2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .mpg file?

A .mpg file is a DVD Video Movie File file. MPEG Program Stream (MPG) is a container format defined by the Moving Picture Experts Group and standardized through ISO/IEC for multiplexing digital audio and video. It is used for DVD video, older digital television recordings, and general-purpose MPEG media playback and authoring. The format is considered legacy in many workflows, and files from untrusted sources should still be handled carefully because they may contain embedded streams or corrupted metadata.

What are the magic bytes for .mpg files?

The magic bytes for DVD Video Movie File files are 00 00 01 BA at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .mpg file?

To validate a .mpg file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (00 00 01 BA) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .mpg files?

The primary MIME type for .mpg files is video/mpeg.

Is it safe to open .mpg files?

DVD Video Movie File (.mpg) files are generally safe to open. They are classified as low risk because they primarily contain data rather than executable code. However, always ensure files come from a trusted source.