TS, MTS and M2TS files are MPEG transport streams: the format of camcorders (AVCHD), digital TV recordings, set-top boxes and some screen recorders. Many editors, phones and websites prefer MP4. Because most transport streams already contain H.264 video, the conversion usually copies the video unchanged and only rewraps it.
How to convert TS, MTS or M2TS to MP4
- Upload the file (up to 2 GB).
- Keep Convert to: MP4 and Conversion: Automatic.
- Download the MP4.
What happens
- H.264 and H.265 video (camcorders, most HD recordings) is copied unchanged: no quality loss, and much faster than re-encoding.
- MPEG-2 video (standard-definition and older broadcast recordings) is re-encoded to H.264 and deinterlaced.
- Sound: AAC and MP3 are copied. AC-3 (Dolby Digital), common in camcorder and TV recordings, is re-encoded to AAC so every MP4 player can play it. Every sound track is kept.
Camcorder and TV recording tips
- Interlaced recordings (1080i) are copied as they are when the video is copied; players deinterlace them while playing. Choose Always re-encode to get a progressive (deinterlaced) file, which some editors and websites prefer.
- Split recordings: camcorders split long recordings into several MTS files. Convert each file separately.
- Encrypted TV recordings from some receivers can't be converted.
- Teletext and DVB subtitles are left out of the MP4; the result says so when a file had subtitles. MKV keeps picture-based subtitles.
Copying works for recordings up to 3 hours; when the video has to be re-encoded, the limit is about 25 minutes of 1080p video (longer for smaller videos).
More about what this tool reads and writes: Video Converter.