MP4 to TS Converter

Convert MP4 to TS: What This Tutorial Covers

This page is for anyone who needs an MPEG transport stream (.ts) from an ordinary MP4 — to feed an IPTV server, produce classic HLS segments, hand material to a playout or DVB chain, or load video onto hardware that only ingests transport streams. By the end you will have a .ts with the right codec pair, and you will know the two things that surprise people most: the file is re-encoded rather than repackaged, and it comes out slightly larger than the MP4 you started with.

How to Convert MP4 to TS

1. Upload Your MP4 File: Drag and drop onto the page or click "+ Add Files". MP4 and M4V are accepted and multiple files can be queued with one set of settings.
2. Set Video Codec and Audio Codec: Video Codec defaults to H.264 and also offers H.265, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, Xvid and DivX. Audio Codec defaults to AAC, with AC3, EAC3, MP2, MP3 and DTS (DCA) available for broadcast chains.
3. Choose a File Compression Mode: Quality Preset is the default mode and opens on "Very High (Recommended)". Specific file size, Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate, Constant Quality (CRF 16-51 on H.264, lower is better) and Constraint Quality are the alternatives.
4. Convert and Download: Optionally set Video resolution or a Trim time range, then click Convert and download the .ts file. No sign-up, no watermark.

Walk-through: Picking the Codec Pair for Your Target

TS is a container, not a compression method. It wraps whatever codec you select into fixed 188-byte packets so a receiver can join mid-stream and recover from losses — which is why broadcast, IPTV and traditional HLS all use it. The codec pair therefore decides compatibility, and the container decides packaging.

MPEG-4, Xvid and DivX are also selectable and will mux into the stream, but they are not what transport-stream hardware expects — treat them as niche options rather than compatible choices.

TS, M2TS, and MP4 Compared

The framing difference is easy to check yourself: open a .ts in a hex viewer and you will find 0x47 at every 188-byte boundary, while a .m2ts has four extra bytes before each of those sync bytes. If you specifically need the Blu-ray style framing, use MP4 to M2TS instead.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

• "The .ts will not play in my browser or phone gallery" — Expected. Browsers and mobile galleries do not open raw transport streams. Use VLC or another TS-aware player, or convert back with TS to MP4 for a file that plays everywhere.
• "The TS is bigger than the MP4" — Also expected. Each 188-byte packet spends 4 bytes on its header, and program tables are repeated throughout the stream, so the same video carries more container overhead than in MP4. Lower the Quality Preset or set a target under Specific file size if size matters.
• "My set-top box shows video but no sound" — Some broadcast and AV hardware wants AC3, EAC3 or MP2 rather than AAC. Re-run with the matching Audio Codec.
• "The picture will not decode on an older device" — You probably chose H.265. Re-convert with Video Codec set to H.264.
• "I needed segments and a playlist, not one big file" — A single .ts is one continuous stream. Cut it first with the Video Cutter, or run the output through your streaming packager to produce the .m3u8 and numbered segments.
• "The output looks squashed" — Any resize normalises sample aspect to 1:1, so non-square-pixel sources lose their display shape. Set an explicit Width x Height that matches the intended display geometry instead of a percentage.

When This Doesn't Work

DRM-protected purchases, partially downloaded files and truncated recordings cannot be converted — the source has to be a complete, playable MP4. The output is also a single transport-stream file, not a packaged HLS delivery: RFC 8216 permits both MPEG-2 transport-stream segments and fragmented-MP4 (CMAF) segments, and many current platforms have moved to the latter, so confirm your delivery system still wants .ts before building a workflow around it. Nothing here deinterlaces, either — an interlaced source keeps its combing in the encoded frames.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does converting MP4 to TS re-encode the video, or just repackage it?

It re-encodes. The server runs a real encode rather than copying the existing stream into a new container, so the conversion is a fresh lossy generation even when you leave Video Codec on H.264. Keeping the quality preset high, or setting a bitrate at or above the source's, keeps that generation hard to see — but it is not a bit-for-bit repackage, and no setting on this page makes it one.

Why is my TS file larger than the MP4?

Two reasons stack up. Transport streams spend 4 bytes of every 188-byte packet on a header — about 2% before anything else — and they repeat program tables (PAT/PMT) and timing references throughout the stream so a receiver can join partway through. MP4 stores its index once. On top of that, a re-encode at a generous quality preset can target a higher bitrate than the source used.

What is the actual difference between .ts and .m2ts?

Packet size. A .ts uses the plain 188-byte MPEG transport packet. A .m2ts uses BDAV framing: the same 188-byte packet with a 4-byte arrival timestamp in front, giving 192-byte packets, which is what Blu-ray and AVCHD players expect. A single .m2ts file is still not a disc structure — there is no BDMV/STREAM folder layout — so it is best thought of as a differently framed transport stream.

Which codec pair should I use for IPTV or HLS?

H.264 video with AAC audio. That is the default here and the pairing that classic .ts HLS segments and virtually all IPTV middleware were built around. Reserve H.265 for targets you have confirmed decode HEVC, and MPEG-2 with MP2 or AC3 for legacy DVB workflows.

Can I produce HLS segments and an .m3u8 playlist here?

No. This produces one continuous .ts file. HLS needs a playlist plus numbered segments, which a packager generates from a mezzanine file — this converter makes that mezzanine. If you only need a short piece, trim it during conversion or split it afterwards with the Video Cutter.

Will the TS keep multiple audio tracks or subtitles?

Transport streams can carry many elementary streams by design, but this conversion produces a single video and a single audio stream in the codecs you selected. Multi-track audio, subtitle PIDs and service information belong to broadcast packaging tools that run after conversion.

Does H.265 in a .ts play on my TV?

Only if the TV's decoder supports HEVC in a transport stream, which varies by model year and firmware more than any other setting on this page. If you are not certain, keep Video Codec on H.264: it is universally decoded by transport-stream hardware, and the file-size penalty is smaller than the risk of an unplayable file.

How are my files handled?

Uploads travel over an encrypted connection, are converted on our servers, and are deleted automatically a few hours afterwards — never shared, never made public, no sign-up. The practical limit is upload size and time rather than anything in the encoder. To go back the other way, TS to MP4 produces a file that plays everywhere; to shrink a large result, run it through the Video Compressor.