AVCHD to MPEG-2 Converter

AVCHD to MPEG-2 Converter

AVCHD is the consumer HD camcorder format — H.264 video with Dolby AC-3 or LPCM audio, wrapped in an MPEG-2 transport stream and saved as .mts or .m2ts. MPEG-2 is the older DVD-and-broadcast video codec stored in .mpg/.mpeg files. This converter transcodes the efficient H.264 inside your AVCHD clips to MPEG-2, which is what you need when authoring a DVD or feeding a legacy editor or hardware deck that only accepts MPEG-2. Because MPEG-2 is a less-efficient codec than H.264, expect the file to grow and — if you target DVD resolutions — the picture to be downscaled; re-encoding can never add back detail the source didn't have.

AVCHD Format at a Glance

MPEG-2 Format at a Glance

How to Convert AVCHD to MPEG-2

1. Upload Your AVCHD File: Drag and drop your .mts or .m2ts files onto the page or click "Add Files." You can queue several clips and convert them with the same settings.
2. Confirm MPEG-2 and Set Quality Preset: The output is already MPEG-2 (the video stream encodes to the MPEG-2 codec); under File Compression, leave the Quality Preset on "Very High" for the cleanest result or pick a lower preset to shrink the file.
3. Set Resolution and Trim (Optional): Under Video resolution use Width x Height to downscale to 720×480 or 720×576 for a standards-compliant DVD — the Preset Resolutions list sets height only, so it cannot pin those widths — or keep the original frame size for a legacy HD editor; use Trim to export only a time range.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download your .mpg file. Files upload over an encrypted connection, are processed on our servers, and are deleted automatically after a few hours. No sign-up, no watermark.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will converting AVCHD to MPEG-2 lose quality?

Yes, some loss is unavoidable. You are decoding H.264 and re-encoding it to MPEG-2, a lossy and less-efficient codec, so even at a high bitrate the result can't exceed the AVCHD original. Keeping the Quality Preset high and the resolution unchanged minimizes the visible difference; downscaling to a DVD resolution adds further loss.

Why is my MPEG-2 file larger than the AVCHD source?

Because MPEG-2 is less efficient than the H.264 inside AVCHD, it needs a higher bitrate to hold similar detail, so the file often grows. That is expected behavior for this codec direction. If a smaller, modern file is your real goal, convert to MP4 instead with AVCHD to MP4, which keeps the H.264 quality at a fraction of the size.

What resolution should I pick for burning a DVD?

DVD-Video requires MPEG-2 at 720×480 at 29.97 fps for NTSC regions or 720×576 at 25 fps for PAL regions. Type the matching numbers into Width x Height so your 1080p AVCHD footage is downscaled to a disc-legal frame size before you load it into DVD-authoring software; the height-only presets would leave the width at 16:9 and produce an off-spec raster.

Should I convert AVCHD to MPEG-2 or just to MP4?

For DVD authoring or a legacy editor or deck that demands MPEG-2, convert to MPEG-2. For everyday playback on phones, computers, TVs, and the web, convert to MP4 (H.264) instead — it preserves the HD quality and is far more widely supported. MPEG-2 only makes sense when something downstream specifically requires it.

Does the conversion keep my camcorder's AC-3 audio?

Your AVCHD soundtrack is decoded and re-encoded for the MPEG-2 output; the standard audio for MPEG program streams is MPEG audio (MP2), which is what DVD-Video and most MPEG-2 hardware expect. The audio remains in sync, but as with the video it is a re-encode rather than a copy.

How accurate are MPEG-2 file sizes from this converter?

In our testing, a one-minute 1080p AVCHD clip re-encoded to MPEG-2 at a typical DVD bitrate of around 6 Mbit/s lands near 45 MB, versus roughly half that for the same clip kept as H.264 — a direct consequence of MPEG-2 being the less-efficient codec.

My camcorder split one recording into several .mts files — how do I handle them?

AVCHD camcorders often break a single long take into multiple files, commonly around 2 GB each, because the camera's FAT32 card cannot hold a file larger than 4 GB. Each .mts/.m2ts segment converts here as its own .mpg. To rejoin a recording that was split mid-take, either import the original AVCHD folder into an editor (which relinks the segments as one clip) before exporting, or convert each segment and join the resulting MPEG-2 files in your authoring or editing tool. Converting the pieces separately will otherwise leave you with several short clips rather than one continuous file.

Is it safe to upload my camcorder footage here?

Your files travel over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, are converted on our servers, and are deleted automatically after a few hours. There is no sign-up, no watermark, and your footage is never shared or made public.