What is a TS file?

The TS format in brief: what it is, what it is used for, and how to convert it.

TS: conversion steps

  1. Upload your TS file to start.
  2. Convert TS to 3GP.
  3. Download the TS file.

About TS files

the broadcast and Blu-ray transport stream format

An MPEG transport stream (TS, MTS, M2TS) is the container used for digital TV broadcasting and Blu-ray. It is built from small fixed-size packets that tolerate transmission errors.

TV recordings, AVCHD camcorder files (.mts), Blu-ray discs (.m2ts) and HLS streaming segments.

TS: what conversion changes

Converting TS re-encodes video.

TS: settings to change

Before you convert TS files, you can adjust: Video codec, Audio codec, Frame rate, Rate control, Width, Quality (CRF), Audio bitrate, Video bitrate, Quality (VBR), Resolution, Sample rate, Colours, Channels, Height, Scale fit, Normalize loudness, Dithering, Encoder preset, Trim start, Trim duration, Keep tags, and Remove metadata.

Limits of the TS format

The packet structure adds overhead, and many editors and phones do not open TS files directly.

Common questions about TS

Why won't my media player open the .ts file I recorded? A transport stream is written for broadcast, so many players expect a renamed or converted container before they accept it.

Why convert video to MPEG TS? Broadcast workflows and set-top boxes expect the transport stream, which also tolerates interrupted recordings gracefully.

Convert TS files

Guides and tools for TS