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Need help?M2TS to M4R: Ringtones from Blu-ray and AVCHD Video
M2TS is the BDAV MPEG-2 transport stream used on Blu-ray discs and by AVCHD camcorder footage once it has been copied to a computer or authoring tool. It uses 192-byte packets, a standard 188-byte transport packet with a 4-byte timestamp in front, and typically carries H.264 video next to Dolby Digital (AC-3) or Linear PCM audio, or on Blu-ray a range of Dolby and DTS formats. This page ignores the picture, decodes the soundtrack, folds it to stereo if you ask, and encodes the result as AAC in an .m4r file, the AAC-LC-in-MPEG-4 format iPhone uses for ringtones.
Two limits shape the job. Apple says ringtones can be up to 30 seconds long, so you will trim a short moment out of a long clip. And commercial Blu-ray discs are encrypted with AACS, often with BD+ as well; an encrypted stream cannot be decoded here, so this page is for your own AVCHD footage and other unprotected recordings.
How to Convert M2TS to an iPhone Ringtone
- Upload the M2TS Clip: Drag the
.m2tsfile onto the page or click "Add Files". HD clips are large, so allow time for the upload; the ringtone that comes back is well under a megabyte at ordinary bitrates. - Choose the 30 Seconds: Switch Trim from Unchanged to Trim and enter the Start time and a Duration of 30 seconds or less, in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss.
- Fold Surround to Stereo: Set Audio Channel to Stereo so a 5.1 mix becomes a two-channel ringtone, or Mono for speech. Under File Compression, Constant Bitrate (8-384 kbps) gives a predictable size; Variable Bitrate, Quality Preset, Custom Bitrate and a target file size are also offered.
- Convert and Install: Click Convert, download the
.m4r, copy it to the iPhone and select it in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone.
M2TS vs M4R
| Property | M2TS | M4R |
|---|---|---|
| Container | BDAV MPEG-2 transport stream, 192-byte packets | MPEG-4, .m4r extension |
| Made by | Blu-ray discs, AVCHD clips after import, Blu-ray authoring tools | Finder or iTunes workflows, GarageBand, converters like this one |
| Video | H.264 (AVC); on Blu-ray also MPEG-2 or VC-1 | None |
| Audio | AC-3, LPCM; on Blu-ray also Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD | AAC-LC only |
| Channels | Stereo up to 7.1 | Original, Mono or Stereo (Stereo suits a ringtone) |
| Sample rate | 48 kHz for most tracks | Original, or a fixed rate you choose |
| Encryption | AACS on commercial discs | None |
| Size of 30 seconds | Dozens of megabytes with HD video | About 480 KB at 128 kbps |
What the Source Audio Means for Your Ringtone
| Audio in the M2TS | Typical source | Suggested settings |
|---|---|---|
| Dolby Digital 2.0 | Many consumer AVCHD camcorders | Stereo, 128-192 kbps |
| Dolby Digital 5.1 | Camcorders with surround microphones, Blu-ray | Audio Channel: Stereo; 192 kbps for music |
| Linear PCM | Some professional AVCHD models, Blu-ray | One clean lossy encode; 128-256 kbps |
| Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus | Blu-ray soundtracks | Stereo; going above 192 kbps is rarely audible on a phone |
Whatever arrives, the ringtone is AAC-LC. A lossless Blu-ray or LPCM track does not make a noticeably better 30-second tone than a good Dolby Digital one, because the phone's speaker, not the source, is the limiting factor.
Several Audio Tracks on One Clip
Blu-ray clips often carry more than one audio stream: the main mix, a commentary, other languages, sometimes a stereo and a surround version of the same mix. This page has no track picker, so the converter chooses one audio stream automatically, normally the main soundtrack. If you need a different track, extract it with a desktop tool first and upload that file.
Putting It on Your iPhone
- Mac (macOS Catalina or later): connect the iPhone, select it in the Finder sidebar and drag the
.m4ronto it. - Windows: add the tone to the connected iPhone with iTunes.
- iPhone only: save the file to Files, import it into GarageBand and use Share > Ringtone.
Choose it in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, or for one caller in Contacts > the person > Edit > Ringtone. On Android, use M2TS to MP3 instead, since Android ringtones are usually MP3 or OGG.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is M2TS the same as MTS?
Effectively, yes. AVCHD camcorders name clips .MTS on the memory card, while Blu-ray discs and many import tools use .m2ts for the same kind of 192-byte-packet transport stream. This page accepts the .m2ts spelling; for clips straight off the card use MTS to M4R.
Can I make a ringtone from a commercial Blu-ray?
Not from the encrypted disc. Retail Blu-rays use AACS encryption, often with BD+, and an encrypted stream cannot be decoded here. This page works with files you can already play without the disc's protection, such as your own camcorder footage.
Why should I choose Stereo for a 5.1 source?
A ringtone plays through a phone speaker or earbuds, which are two-channel at most. Setting Audio Channel to Stereo folds the centre and surround channels into the left and right mix explicitly, so you know what the tone contains instead of keeping a surround layout the phone has no use for.
How long can the ringtone be?
Apple says ringtones can be up to 30 seconds long, and its GarageBand for iPhone guide gives 30 seconds as the maximum for exported ringtones. You may find a 40-second figure from the iTunes era online, but it is not in Apple's current documentation.
Does a Linear PCM source give a better ringtone?
Marginally, on paper. LPCM is uncompressed, so the AAC encode is the only lossy step, while Dolby Digital to AAC is a second lossy generation. On a 30-second clip at 128-192 kbps the difference is very hard to hear on a phone.
Is the M4R the same file as an M4A?
Yes, apart from the extension: AAC-LC in an MPEG-4 container, written by the same muxer. If you want the full soundtrack as a music file, use M2TS to M4A.
What happens to my M2TS upload?
It is transferred over an encrypted (TLS) connection, processed on our servers and deleted automatically after a few hours, along with the ringtone. No sign-up, no watermark, no charge.