IPUenc

IPUenc is an open-source video converter for PlayStation 2 .IPU video files.

The main input/output format is .M2V (MPEG-2 video).

.M1V (MPEG-1 video) is also supported.

Requirements

.NET 8.0 (or higher) - Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Supported conversions

• IPU → M2V
• M2V → IPU

IPU modes

Mode 1: Raster order (row-major)

In this mode, the macroblocks that compose a frame are stored in row-major order.

Used by games such as The Getaway, etc...

Example:

1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16

---

Mode 2: Column-major order

In this mode, the macroblocks that compose a frame are stored in column-major order.

Used by games such as SingStar, EyeToy, Buzz! Quiz, etc...

Example:

1	5	9	13
2	6	10	14
3	7	11	15
4	8	12	16

Note

If -mode argument is not specified, converter defaults to mode 2.

Other options

• -idx: Writes a SingStar .IDX file alongside the converted .IPU file.
• -ntsc: Writes a 29.97 FPS tag in the .M2V header. Experimental.

Notes

Important

The Linux/macOS binaries must be made executable:

chmod +x <path-to-IPUenc>

The macOS binary is not signed, so you may need to remove the quarantine attribute:

sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine <path-to-IPUenc>

• The converter is designed for PlayStation 2 IPU streams, which are usually based on MPEG-2 I-picture data.
• Intra VLC and non-Intra VLC streams are both supported.
• Some games store macroblocks in different orders, so choosing the correct -mode is important for proper decoding or encoding.