FormatDrop
Video Format

TS

MPEG Transport Stream

TS (Transport Stream) files come from DVB digital TV recordings, CCTV/IP security cameras, Blu-ray disc rips, and television broadcast capture equipment. If you have a DVR that records TV programs or a security camera system, the recordings are probably .ts files. They're not compatible with most consumer video software but convert to MP4 easily.

What is TS?

MPEG Transport Stream (TS, MTS, or .ts) is defined in the MPEG-2 standard (ISO/IEC 13818-1) and is specifically designed for broadcast and streaming transmission over unreliable networks. Unlike MP4 or MKV (which assume reliable storage), Transport Stream is error-resilient — it's designed so that a decoder can synchronize mid-stream even if some data has been lost (essential for over-the-air TV, cable, and satellite transmission). TS files contain: video (H.264 or H.265 in modern digital TV, MPEG-2 video in older broadcasts), audio (AC3, AAC, or MP2), EPG (Electronic Program Guide) metadata, multiple audio tracks (for language variants), and subtitles/teletext. DVB-T, DVB-S, and DVB-C (terrestrial, satellite, and cable digital TV) all use Transport Stream as their broadcast format. Security cameras from brands like Hikvision, Dahua, and Axis often record in TS format. The .mts and .m2ts extensions are variants used by AVCHD camcorders (Sony, Canon, Panasonic) for recording to flash media.

TS pros and cons

Advantages

  • Designed for error-resilient broadcast — can sync mid-stream after data loss
  • Supports multiple video, audio, and subtitle streams
  • Standard format for digital TV recording worldwide
  • Can be played back starting from any point, even with transmission errors
  • Widely used in professional broadcast infrastructure

Limitations

  • Not natively supported by most consumer media players on Windows/Mac/iOS
  • Larger file sizes than MP4 due to broadcast overhead
  • Requires transcoding for compatibility with consumer devices
  • May contain multiple programs/channels in one file (requires demuxing)
  • File structure not optimised for seeking in video players

When should you convert TS files?

Convert TS to MP4 to make your TV recordings or security camera footage playable on any device. The video inside a TS file is usually H.264 or H.265, which can often be remuxed (container-changed) to MP4 without re-encoding — a fast, lossless conversion. Convert to MKV if you want to preserve multiple audio tracks or subtitle streams from the TS recording. MKV supports multi-track content like TS, while MP4 is more limited to single audio/video streams.

Convert TS files

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All FormatDrop conversions run entirely in your browser — no file upload, no server processing. Your files stay on your device.

TS FAQ

How do I play a .ts file?
VLC Media Player plays .ts files on all platforms. PotPlayer (Windows) handles .ts natively. MPV (cross-platform, open-source) plays .ts files. On Mac, IINA (built on MPV) is a good option. iOS and Android don't support .ts natively — convert to MP4 first or use an app like VLC for mobile.
What is the difference between TS and MTS files?
Both are variants of the MPEG Transport Stream format. TS (or .ts) is the generic extension used for broadcast recordings and IPTV. MTS (or .mts) is specifically the extension used by AVCHD camcorders — Sony, Canon, and Panasonic video cameras recording to SDHC or internal flash storage. M2TS is a slightly larger variant with 4-byte timestamp headers, used on Blu-ray discs. All three are functionally very similar — they differ mainly in the context they come from, not in fundamental format structure.
Can I convert TS to MP4 without losing quality?
Yes — if the TS file contains H.264 or H.265 video (most modern digital TV recordings and security cameras), you can remux to MP4 without re-encoding. The video and audio data are copied bit-for-bit from the TS container to the MP4 container. No encoding = no quality loss, and conversion is very fast (near real-time for modern hardware). Only MPEG-2 video (older recordings) requires re-encoding to H.264 for MP4 compatibility.

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HEICWebPAVIFEPUBWebMOpusMP3WAVM4AFLACAACMP4AVIMKVMOVJPGPNGGIFSVGTIFFICOBMPEPSARWOGGWMVPPTXPagesPDFDOCXRAWHEVCH.264AIFFM4VWMA3GPDNGRTFPSDOGVFLVAIXLSXCSVZIPAPNGMIDIJPEG XLMPG/MPEGVOBM2TSAC3ALACDTSJP2HEIFAPECBZ3G2SRTDOCPPTXLSODTODSM3URAR7ZM4BAMRTXTMOBITARGZJSONXMLYAMLKEYMTSCR2NEFMXFTGACAFASSVTTDSFRMF4VWVASFRMVBORFRW2EAC-3TTAISODMGXZDjVuFB2AUM4RAZW3MKAEXRVCFICSAAXPRCMP2SPXXSPFM3U8