M2TS to MPEG Converter

M2TS to MPEG Converter

M2TS and MPEG are two ends of the same family tree. M2TS is a transport stream — the packetised, error-resilient form of MPEG systems that Blu-ray discs and AVCHD camcorders record, carrying H.264 video in 192-byte packets. A .mpeg file is a program stream: the same systems layer arranged for reliable storage rather than broadcast, holding MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video. Converting between them is what you do when a DVD-authoring application, an editing suite from the disc era or a set-top box refuses to open modern camcorder footage. It is a full re-encode — H.264 is decoded and recompressed as MPEG-2 — so the reason to do it is compatibility, never quality.

M2TS (Source) at a Glance

MPEG (.mpeg Output) at a Glance

How to Convert M2TS to MPEG

1. Upload Your M2TS File: Drag and drop the .m2ts (or .mts) clip onto the page, or click "+ Add Files". Several clips can be queued with the same settings.
2. Confirm the Video Codec and Audio Codec: Video Codec offers MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, with MPEG-2 selected — that is the one DVD-era hardware expects. Audio Codec starts on MP2, the classic MPEG program-stream soundtrack, with MP3, AC3 and DTS also listed.
3. Set the bitrate under File Compression, and the frame size: Choose Constant Bitrate or Variable Bitrate and enter a rate in Mbps, or use Specific file size to aim at a disc budget. Under Video resolution, use Width × Height if you need an exact frame size such as 720×480 or 720×576.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and save the .mpeg file. No sign-up, no watermark.

Bitrate, Not Quality Sliders: How MPEG-2 Behaves

Modern codecs let you dial a quality number and let the encoder decide the bitrate. MPEG-2 predates that idea: it is a bitrate-driven codec, and it compresses far less efficiently than H.264, so it cannot squeeze a high-resolution picture into a small file no matter what you ask for. Our encoder handles that by enforcing a minimum bitrate derived from the output resolution — request less and the floor is applied instead, which means the file you get can be larger than the one you asked for.

The practical consequence: if you want a smaller .mpeg, reduce the resolution rather than fighting the bitrate. Downscaling 1080p to a DVD frame drops the floor from roughly 7.5 Mbps to 2 Mbps, which is the difference between a file that fits on a disc and one that does not. Setting a bitrate at or above the floor for your chosen frame size — 4 to 8 Mbps is the usual DVD-authoring range — gives the encoder room to work.

Hitting a DVD-Compatible Frame Size

DVD-Video is a standard-definition format: 720×480 at 29.97 fps for NTSC, 720×576 at 25 fps for PAL. HD camcorder footage always needs downscaling to fit, and the control you choose matters. The Preset Resolutions list sets a height and lets the width follow the source aspect ratio, so picking 480p from a 16:9 clip yields roughly 854×480 rather than the 720×480 a DVD expects. To land on the exact frame size, use Width × Height and type both numbers. There is one more wrinkle on 1440×1080 anamorphic AVCHD: those recordings store non-square pixels and rely on the player to stretch them, and no pixel-aspect correction is applied here, so setting the target width and height explicitly is the way to control the final shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the .mpeg this produces a program stream or a transport stream?

A program stream. Transport streams like your source M2TS interleave small fixed-size packets so that a corrupted broadcast or a scratched disc loses as little as possible; program streams use larger variable-length packs designed for a reliable file or disc, which is what DVD authoring tools and older editors expect to read. If you specifically need a transport stream instead — for streaming hardware or an IPTV workflow — use M2TS to TS.

Which MPEG version does the output use?

MPEG-2 unless you change it. Both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 are offered under Video Codec, with MPEG-2 selected — it is the codec DVD-Video is built on and the one virtually every legacy player and authoring suite handles. MPEG-1 is worth choosing only for very old software or Video CD workflows; it is limited in resolution and quality by comparison. M2TS to MPEG-2 writes the same program-stream bytes under a .mpeg2 file name, which suits software that expects that extension — rename it to .mpg or .mpeg if a player refuses to open it.

What audio codec ends up in the file?

MP2 by default — MPEG-1 Audio Layer II, the soundtrack format of the program-stream era and part of the DVD-Video specification for PAL discs. MP3, AC3 and DTS are also offered under Audio Codec; Dolby Digital (AC3) is the codec most NTSC DVDs use, so it is a reasonable pick if your authoring software prefers it. Whichever you choose, the source audio is decoded and re-encoded — a Dolby track from an AVCHD camcorder does not pass through untouched.

Can I burn this file straight to a DVD?

Not on its own. A DVD-Video disc is a whole folder structure — VIDEO_TS with VOB, IFO and BUP files — that authoring software builds from compliant MPEG-2 material. What this converter produces is the compliant material: an MPEG program stream your authoring app can import without complaining about H.264 or transport-stream packaging. You still need DVD-authoring or burning software to lay out the disc, add menus and write the file system.

Why is my MPEG file larger than the M2TS I started with?

Because MPEG-2 is roughly a generation behind H.264 in compression efficiency, so matching the source's visual quality takes substantially more data. On top of that, the encoder enforces a resolution-based minimum bitrate — around 7.5 Mbps at 1920×1080 — so a request for a small 1080p file is raised back up to that floor. Downscale to a DVD frame size and the floor drops to 2 Mbps, which is the fastest way to get a genuinely smaller file.

Does the converter downscale my HD footage automatically?

No. Video resolution starts on Keep original, so a 1920×1080 source produces a 1920×1080 MPEG-2 file — legal in the format, but not something a DVD player will accept. Set the size yourself with Width × Height (720×480 for NTSC, 720×576 for PAL) before converting if the destination is a disc.

My footage is 1080i — will the interlacing be cleaned up?

No. No deinterlacing is applied anywhere in the pipeline, so interlaced fields come through as they were recorded. For DVD authoring that is usually what you want, since DVD-Video is itself an interlaced format (480i / 576i) and the fields carry through to a television correctly. If you are targeting a computer screen instead, deinterlace in a desktop editor first.

Is MPEG the right target at all, or should I use MP4?

Only if something specifically needs it. MPEG-2 exists on this page for DVD authoring, legacy standalone players and older editing software. For anything else — phones, browsers, smart TVs, sharing, storage — M2TS to MP4 keeps the footage in H.264, which is smaller at the same quality and plays essentially everywhere. Whichever you pick, your upload travels over an encrypted connection, is processed on our servers and is deleted automatically after a few hours, with no sign-up and no watermark. Camcorder-named files convert identically via MTS to MPEG.