MPG to M2TS Converter

MPG to M2TS: Program Stream to BDAV Transport Stream

Both formats are MPEG systems layers, but they were designed for opposite jobs. An MPG file is an MPEG program stream — low overhead, built for random access on a disc or a hard drive, which is what DVD-Video and Video CD use. An .m2ts file is a BDAV transport stream — packetised, self-synchronising, timestamped for a recorder, which is what Blu-ray and AVCHD store inside BDMV/STREAM/. Converting between them is a full re-encode of both the video and the audio, not a re-wrap, so what you choose on this page determines whether the result is a file that merely plays or a file a disc-authoring tool will accept.

MPG Format at a Glance

M2TS Format at a Glance

What This Page Writes — and the One Setting Worth Changing

We checked the output at byte level: the file really is BDAV-framed. Each packet is 192 bytes — a four-byte arrival-timestamp header beginning 0x0e, followed by the 188-byte transport packet whose 0x47 sync byte therefore sits at offset 4. That is the layout Blu-ray and AVCHD media use, and it is the reason a .m2ts target is worth choosing over a plain .ts or .mts when a disc tool is involved: those extensions produce ordinary 188-byte packets instead.

Two honest limits go with that.

First, a single .m2ts file is not a disc. Playable Blu-ray and AVCHD volumes also carry INDEX.BDMV, MovieObject.bdmv and a PLAYLIST directory alongside the streams. Authoring software — tsMuxeR, multiAVCHD, or the disc templates in Vegas and EDIUS — builds that structure around a stream you supply. This page supplies the stream.

Second, the default audio codec is AAC, and AAC is not disc-legal. The AVCHD specification permits Dolby Digital (AC-3) at 64–640 kbps or Linear PCM, and Blu-ray authoring tools expect the same family. AAC plays perfectly well in VLC, PowerDVD, Premiere and on a computer, but a spec-checking authoring app will reject it. If the file is going anywhere near a disc, change Audio Codec to AC3 before you convert. The same logic applies to video: H.264 and MPEG-2 are on the BD-ROM list, while MPEG-4, Xvid, DivX and H.265 are not.

How to Convert MPG to M2TS

1. Upload Your MPG File: Drag and drop your video, or click "Add Files" to pick a .mpg or .mpeg. Several files can be queued and each is converted independently.
2. Set Video Codec and Audio Codec: Video Codec starts on H.264, which is the safe choice for both playback and authoring. Audio Codec starts on AAC — switch it to AC3 for any disc workflow.
3. Choose a Rate Control and Resolution (Optional): File Compression opens on Quality Preset at "Very High (Recommended)"; Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate, Constant Quality, Constraint Quality and Specific file size are the alternatives. Under Video resolution, "Keep original" preserves a DVD source's pixel aspect, and Trim encodes only a start time and duration.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert and download the .m2ts. Files upload over an encrypted connection, are processed on our servers, and are deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the output really BDAV-framed, or just a transport stream with an .m2ts name?

It is really BDAV-framed. The packets are 192 bytes each: a four-byte arrival-timestamp prefix followed by the standard 188-byte MPEG-2 transport packet, so the 0x47 sync byte appears at offset 4 rather than offset 0. That is the difference between M2TS and a plain .ts file, and it is what a Blu-ray or AVCHD authoring tool inspects. Choosing the .ts or .mts targets on this site gives you ordinary 188-byte packets instead.

Should I keep AAC audio or switch to AC-3?

Switch to AC3 whenever the file might end up on a disc or inside an authoring tool. The AVCHD specification allows Dolby Digital (AC-3) at 64–640 kbps with up to 5.1 channels, or Linear PCM; AAC is not part of it, and Blu-ray authoring expects the same Dolby or PCM family. Keep AAC only when the .m2ts will be played on a computer or fed to an editor that you know accepts it — software players are entirely happy with it.

Is the converted file a complete Blu-ray?

No — it is one stream file. A playable disc image also needs INDEX.BDMV, MovieObject.bdmv and a PLAYLIST folder next to the streams in BDMV/STREAM/. Those are generated by authoring software that takes your .m2ts as an input. If your only goal is playback rather than a disc, you never need that structure at all; the file plays directly in VLC, mpv and most modern TVs and media boxes.

Which video codec should I pick for disc authoring?

H.264, or MPEG-2 if a tool specifically asks for it. BD-ROM players are required to decode MPEG-2, H.264/AVC and SMPTE VC-1, with HEVC reserved for Ultra HD Blu-ray. The other options on this page — MPEG-4, Xvid, DivX and H.265 — will produce a valid transport stream that software plays, but they sit outside the disc specification and authoring apps will usually refuse them. H.264 is the default here for exactly that reason.

Will converting a DVD-resolution MPG produce genuine HD?

No. Selecting a 1080p preset interpolates pixels; it does not recover detail that a 720×480 MPEG-2 encode never captured. You end up with a much larger file carrying upscaled standard definition. Choose an HD raster only when a downstream tool insists on one, and otherwise leave Video resolution on "Keep original" and let the display do any scaling.

My source is a 16:9 DVD and the output looks stretched. What happened?

DVD MPEG-2 stores non-square pixels: a 16:9 title is coded as 720×480 or 720×576 and flagged for the player to widen at display time. Any resize option on this page normalises pixels to square and drops that flag, so the picture takes on the stored shape instead. Keeping "Keep original" preserves the source behaviour; if you must resize, use Width × Height and type the display size yourself — 1920×1080 or 854×480 for 16:9, 640×480 for 4:3.

Why does the output still show combing on fast motion?

Because the source is interlaced and nothing in this conversion deinterlaces it. MPEG-2 from DVDs, broadcast captures and camcorders very often stores each frame as two fields sampled at slightly different moments, and the re-encode carries that pattern straight through. This is intentional — deinterlacing is a subjective filtering decision better made in an editor where you can compare the result — but it means an interlaced source produces an interlaced-looking result on a progressive screen.

What is the difference between the M2TS, MTS, TS and AVCHD targets?

They all carry the same kind of H.264 transport stream; the framing and the naming differ. .m2ts gets the 192-byte BDAV packets described above and is what Blu-ray and imported AVCHD use. MPG to MTS and MPG to TS produce plain 188-byte packets — .mts being the camcorder-card name and .ts the broadcast one. MPG to AVCHD locks the codec pair to H.264 plus AC-3 and writes an .avchd filename you will need to rename. For plain playback on phones, TVs and browsers, none of these is the right answer — MPG to MP4 is.