[cd34]

Pinnacle is supposedly the dream tool

Alternatively, you could get a Mac G4 or G5 - the convert video phenominally well.

There are reasons sponsors don't use .mpg. Without a lot of experience, you can get a .wmv to look better with less hassle. If you know what you are doing, .mpg can look great, but, will still be larger than .wmv. To make the surfer download quicker, they use .wmv. Additionally, .wmv will start playing as it is downloaded -- not always the case with .mpg.