Guide

TS Format: MPEG-2 Transport Stream — Complete Guide and Conversion

PC By Pablo Cirre • Updated May 7, 2026

TS Format: MPEG-2 Transport Stream Complete Guide

The .ts file extension stands for Transport Stream — a container format defined in the MPEG-2 standard (ISO 13818-1). It is the backbone of digital television broadcasting worldwide: every DVB-T terrestrial signal, DVB-S satellite broadcast, and ATSC over-the-air channel is transmitted as an MPEG-2 Transport Stream. TS files appear on your computer when you record digital TV, rip Blu-ray discs, or work with broadcast-grade video equipment.

What Is a TS File?

A Transport Stream is a multiplexed stream designed to carry multiple programs simultaneously over unreliable transmission channels (broadcast RF, satellite, cable). Unlike a Program Stream (.mpg), a Transport Stream:

Uses fixed 188-byte packets — easy to resync after transmission errors
Can carry multiple video, audio, and subtitle programs simultaneously
Includes PCR (Program Clock Reference) for timing synchronization
Has PAT/PMT tables that describe which PIDs (Packet Identifiers) carry which services

A TS file on your hard drive is typically a single-program recording extracted from a broadcast stream, containing:

Video: MPEG-2, H.264, or H.265 (HEVC)
Audio: MP2, AC3, AAC, or E-AC3 (Dolby Digital Plus)
Subtitles: DVB subtitle streams or teletext

Technical Specifications

Property	Details
Extension	`.ts`, `.m2ts`, `.mts`, `.tp`, `.trp`
MIME type	`video/mp2t`
Standard	ISO/IEC 13818-1 (MPEG-2 Part 1)
Packet size	188 bytes (TS) or 192 bytes (M2TS with Blu-ray timestamp)
Video codecs	MPEG-2, H.264, H.265 (DVB-T2)
Audio codecs	MPEG-1/2 Audio, AC3, AAC, E-AC3
Subtitles	DVB bitmap, teletext, DVB teletext
Streaming	HLS (Apple HTTP Live Streaming) — uses `.ts` segments

TS vs M2TS vs MTS

Extension	Used for	Timestamp
`.ts`	DVR recordings, broadcast capture	No extra timestamp
`.m2ts`	Blu-ray discs (BDAV format)	4-byte timestamp prefix
`.mts`	Sony / Panasonic camcorders (AVCHD)	4-byte timestamp prefix

How TS Is Used in HLS Streaming

Interestingly, .ts files are also the segment format used by Apple's HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) protocol. When you watch a video stream on iPhone, the video server breaks it into small 2–10 second .ts segments delivered over HTTP. These are different from broadcast TS recordings — they typically contain a single H.264+AAC program.

Convert TS to MP4 with FFmpeg

# Fast re-mux (H.264 video → MP4, no re-encoding)
ffmpeg -i input.ts -c copy -movflags +faststart output.mp4

# Re-encode with deinterlacing (MPEG-2 broadcast source)
ffmpeg -i input.ts -vf yadif -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -c:a aac -b:a 192k output.mp4

# Select a specific audio track (if TS has multiple)
ffmpeg -i input.ts -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1 -c copy output.mp4

# Convert M2TS (Blu-ray) to MP4
ffmpeg -i input.m2ts -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -c:a aac -b:a 256k output.mp4

# Extract subtitles from TS
ffmpeg -i input.ts -map 0:s:0 output.srt

List All Streams in a TS File

ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_streams input.ts

This shows every stream: video PIDs, audio language tracks, subtitle streams, and their codecs. Essential before converting a multi-program TS file.

Convert TS to MKV (Keeping All Tracks)

# Keep all streams (video + all audio + subtitles)
ffmpeg -i input.ts -c copy output.mkv

# Re-encode video, keep all audio tracks
ffmpeg -i input.ts -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -c:a copy output.mkv

Common TS Problems

Problem	Cause	Solution
"No such file or directory" despite file existing	Special characters in filename	Rename file, remove spaces/brackets
Video plays but audio is silent	Wrong audio track selected	Use `-map 0:a:0` explicitly
Interlacing artifacts	MPEG-2 broadcast source	Add `-vf yadif` to FFmpeg command
Timestamp discontinuities	Incomplete recording / channel switch	Add `-fflags +discardcorrupt`
Large file size	MPEG-2 at broadcast bitrate	Re-encode to H.264: 60–70% size reduction
M2TS files from Blu-ray	BDAV 192-byte packets	FFmpeg handles automatically

Related conversions

Frequent conversions across the catalogue:

Frequently Asked Questions

All three are MPEG-2 Transport Stream variants. .ts is the generic extension used for DVR recordings and broadcast captures. .m2ts (Blu-ray BDAV format) and .mts (Sony/Panasonic AVCHD camcorders) add a 4-byte timestamp prefix to each 188-byte packet, making packets 192 bytes. FFmpeg handles all three transparently — just change the input filename.

All three are MPEG-2 Transport Stream variants. .ts is the generic extension used para DVR recordings e broadcast captures. .m2ts (Blu-ray BDAV formato) e .mts (Sony/Panasonic AVCHD camcorders) add a 4-byte timestamp prefix to each 188-byte packet, making packets 192 bytes. FFmpeg handles all three transparentely — just change the input filename.

All three are MPEG-2 Transport Stream variants. .ts is the generic extension used für DVR recordings und broadcast captures. .m2ts (Blu-ray BDAV Format) und .mts (Sony/Panasonic AVCHD camcorders) add a 4-byte timestamp prefix to each 188-byte packet, making packets 192 bytes. FFmpeg handles all three transparently — just change the input filename.

All three are MPEG-2 Transport Stream variants. .ts is the generic extension used para DVR recordings y broadcast captures. .m2ts (Blu-ray BDAV formato) y .mts (Sony/Panasonic AVCHD camcorders) add a 4-byte timestamp prefix to each 188-byte packet, making packets 192 bytes. FFmpeg handles all three transparentely — just change the input filename.

On KaijuConverter every file is processed inside an isolated container, encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest, and automatically deleted after 60 minutes with multi-pass overwrite. We never train on, share, or analyze user content. For maximum privacy on extremely sensitive material, prefer offline tools (ImageMagick, FFmpeg, LibreOffice) that you control end-to-end.

If the TS file contains H.264 video and AAC audio (common for DVR recordings), use: 'ffmpeg -i input.ts -c copy -movflags +faststart output.mp4' — this re-muxes in seconds with no quality loss. If the video is MPEG-2 (broadcast TV), re-encode: 'ffmpeg -i input.ts -vf yadif -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -c:a aac output.mp4'. The yadif filter removes interlacing artifacts.

If the TS arquivo contém H.264 video e AAC audio (common para DVR recordings), use: 'ffmpeg -i input.ts -c copy -movflags +faststart output.mp4' — this re-muxes in seconds com no quality loss. If the video is MPEG-2 (broadcast TV), re-encode: 'ffmpeg -i input.ts -vf yadif -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -c:a aac output.mp4'. The yadif filter removes interlacing artifacts.

If the TS Datei contains H.264 video und AAC audio (common für DVR recordings), use: 'ffmpeg -i input.ts -c copy -movflags +faststart output.mp4' — this re-muxes in seconds mit no quality loss. If the video is MPEG-2 (broadcast TV), re-encode: 'ffmpeg -i input.ts -vf yadif -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -c:a aac output.mp4'. The yadif filter removes interlacing artifacts.

If the TS archivo contains H.264 video y AAC audio (common para DVR recordings), use: 'ffmpeg -i input.ts -c copy -movflags +faststart output.mp4' — this re-muxes in seconds con no quality loss. If the video is MPEG-2 (broadcast TV), re-encode: 'ffmpeg -i input.ts -vf yadif -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -c:a aac output.mp4'. The yadif filter removes interlacing artifacts.

For 95% of use cases, yes — server-side ImageMagick, FFmpeg and LibreOffice produce identical output to the same tools on your laptop. Desktop software wins for: extremely large files (multi-GB), batch jobs of thousands of files, scripted pipelines, or content too sensitive to upload. KaijuConverter caps at 25 MB per file on the free tier (up to 2 GB on paid plans).

Broadcast TS streams often carry multiple audio programs: the main program in the broadcast language, plus versions in other languages, audio description for visually impaired viewers, or different audio quality levels. Use 'ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_streams input.ts' to list all streams, then select the desired audio track with '-map 0:a:N' (where N is the track index).

Broadcast TS streams often carry multiple audio programas: the main program no broadcast language, plus versions in other languages, audio description para visually impaired viewers, ou different qualidade do áudio levels. usar 'ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_streams input.ts' to list all streams, then select the desired audio track com '-map 0:a:N' (where N is the track index).

Broadcast TS streams often carry multiple audio Programme: the main program im broadcast language, plus versions in other languages, audio description für visually impaired viewers, oder different Audioqualität levels. verwenden 'ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_streams input.ts' to list all streams, then select the desired audio track mit '-map 0:a:N' (where N is the track index).

Broadcast TS streams often carry multiple audio programas: the main program en el broadcast language, plus versions in other languages, audio description para visually impaired viewers, o different calidad de audio levels. usar 'ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_streams input.ts' to list all streams, then select the desired audio track con '-map 0:a:N' (where N is the track index).

Most format conversions are lossy by design — JPG, MP3, MP4, WebP all discard perceptual data to save bytes. Going through a lossy intermediate compounds the loss. To minimize visible/audible drift: convert from the original master, choose a higher quality setting, and avoid converting back and forth between lossy formats.

Yes. VLC Media Player, mpv, and MPC-HC play .ts files directly. Most smart TVs with a USB port also support TS playback if the video codec is H.264 or MPEG-2. However, TS files do not play in web browsers and are not supported by most mobile apps — for those use cases, convert to MP4.

Yes. VLC Media Player, mpv, e MPC-HC reproduzir .ts arquivos directly. Most smart TVs com a USB port also support TS playback if the video codec is H.264 ou MPEG-2. Porém, TS arquivos do not reproduzir in web browsers e are não suportado by most mobile apps — para those usar cases, converter to MP4.

Yes. VLC Media Player, mpv, und MPC-HC abspielen .ts Dateien directly. Most Smart-TVs mit a USB port also support TS playback if the video Codec is H.264 oder MPEG-2. Jedoch, TS Dateien do not abspielen in web browsers und are nicht unterstützt by most mobile apps — für those verwenden cases, umwandeln to MP4.

Yes. VLC Media Player, mpv, y MPC-HC reproducir .ts archivos directly. Most smart TVs con a USB port also support TS playback if the video codec is H.264 o MPEG-2. Sin embargo, TS archivos do not reproducir in web browsers y are no soportado by most mobile apps — para those usar cases, convertir to MP4.

Yes — KaijuConverter accepts multiple files in a single drop and returns a ZIP. For very large batches (thousands of files) consider command-line tools or our API: <code>find . -name "*.heic" -exec magick {} {.}.jpg \;</code> or similar one-liners scale to millions of files when run locally.