MPG to TS Converter

How to Convert MPG to TS Online

1. Upload Your MPG File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select your MPG or MPEG file. Batch conversion is supported, and both .mpg and .mpeg extensions are accepted.
2. Choose Video Codec: The default for TS output is H.264 (AVC). Pick H.265/HEVC for roughly half the bitrate at equivalent quality, MPEG-2 if you need DVB-style broadcast compatibility, or AV1 for newer streaming pipelines. Audio Codec defaults to AAC, which is what HLS players expect.
3. Set File Compression (Optional): Open Advanced Options to pick a Quality Preset ("Very High (Recommended)" by default), set a Specific file size in MB/KB, dial in Constant Bitrate or Variable Bitrate, or use Constant Quality (CRF) for visually lossless output.
4. Adjust Video Resolution and Trim (Optional): Keep original, choose Preset Resolutions (2160p, 1440p, 1080p, 720p, 480p), scale by Resolution Percentage, or enter a custom Width x Height. Under Trim, switch from Unchanged to Time Range and enter Start Time and Duration.
5. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files process in your browser session — no sign-up, no watermark, no upload to a third party.

Why Convert MPG to TS?

MPG (MPEG Program Stream) and TS (MPEG Transport Stream) are both defined in ISO/IEC 13818-1, the MPEG-2 Systems standard first published on 10 July 1995. They carry the same elementary streams but package them differently: PS assumes a reliable storage medium like a DVD, while TS wraps each elementary stream in fixed 188-byte packets with a 4-byte header and a 13-bit PID, plus a Program Clock Reference (PCR) transmitted at least every 100 ms. That packet structure is what makes TS the standard container for broadcast, IPTV, and HLS streaming.

• HLS streaming origin uploads — Apple's HLS authoring spec recommends 6-second target segments, and the classic HLS profile delivers them as .ts files referenced from an .m3u8 playlist. A .mpg won't load in HLS players; the .ts will.
• DVB / ATSC / ISDB broadcast chains — Terrestrial, cable, and satellite DTV transmit MPEG-2 TS multiplexes. Studio and playout equipment expects transport stream input; program stream files have to be re-wrapped before they can be inserted into a broadcast playlist.
• IPTV and OTT distribution — Most IPTV set-top boxes and middleware (Minerva, NetUP, Wowza, nginx-rtmp) ingest and emit .ts. Converting an archive of .mpg recordings is the first step in republishing them through an IPTV head-end.
• Editing and concatenation — TS files survive concatenation with cat or ffmpeg's concat demuxer because each segment is self-synchronizing on the 0x47 sync byte. Joining two MPG program streams often produces audio drift or broken timestamps.
• DVR and PVR archives — Many Linux-based PVR projects (TVHeadend, Channels DVR, MediaPortal) record directly to TS because the format tolerates dropped packets from a weak signal; an MPG export from older capture cards is often re-wrapped to TS before long-term archiving.
• Blu-ray and AVCHD prep — Blu-ray Disc and AVCHD camcorders use M2TS, which is a TS variant with a 4-byte timecode prefix on each packet (192 bytes total). Converting to plain TS is the intermediate step before authoring tools wrap it as M2TS.

MPG vs TS — Format Comparison

Codec Quick Guide for TS Output

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my MPG file not work in an HLS player?

HLS players load an .m3u8 playlist that points to one or more .ts segments (or fragmented MP4 segments in newer pipelines). An .mpg is a program stream and lacks the 188-byte packet structure, the PID multiplexing, and the PCR cadence that HLS demuxers expect. Converting to .ts produces a file the player can read, then it can either be served as-is or sliced into 6-second segments per Apple's HLS authoring recommendation.

What is the difference between TS and M2TS?

Both are MPEG transport streams carrying the same elementary streams. M2TS, used by Blu-ray Disc and AVCHD camcorders, prepends a 4-byte timecode to every 188-byte TS packet, producing 192-byte packets. Plain .ts is what HLS, DVB, and most IPTV chains consume; .m2ts is what Blu-ray authoring tools expect. If you need M2TS specifically, convert to TS here and re-wrap with a Blu-ray authoring tool, or use MPG to M2TS directly.

Should I pick H.264 or H.265 for TS output?

H.264 is the safer default — it plays everywhere, including older smart TVs, set-top boxes, and any HLS player from the last decade. H.265/HEVC produces roughly 50% smaller files at the same visual quality, which matters for 4K HLS or storage-bound archives, but playback requires iOS 11+ (2017), tvOS 11+, Edge/Safari on supported hardware, and Chrome only since version 105 (Aug 2022). For broadcast equipment using MPEG-2 input, change the codec from the default.

Does the conversion preserve the original timestamps?

The tool rewrites Presentation Timestamps (PTS) and inserts a new PCR cadence appropriate for transport stream playback. Frame-accurate timing is preserved relative to the start of the file, but the absolute SCR values from the source PS are not carried into the output. For most playback and streaming use cases this is exactly what you want; if you need to preserve broadcast timestamps from a captured DVB recording, work directly with the original .ts capture rather than round-tripping through MPG.

Will the output TS work with FFmpeg's concat demuxer?

Yes — that's one of the reasons people convert to TS. Because every 188-byte packet starts with the 0x47 sync byte and TS has no global header, you can join multiple .ts files at the byte level (cat a.ts b.ts > out.ts) or use ffmpeg's concat demuxer. The same trick fails on .mpg because pack headers and SCR values don't line up across files. Just ensure the codecs and resolution match across the files you're joining.

Why is my TS file slightly larger than the MPG?

TS adds packet headers (4 bytes per 188-byte packet, about 2.1% overhead) and adaptation fields carrying the PCR. If you keep the same MPEG-2 codec, expect the output to be 2-5% larger than the input. If you let the default H.264 re-encode happen, the output is usually substantially smaller because H.264 is roughly 2x more efficient than MPEG-2 at equivalent visual quality.

Can VLC and MPC-HC play the converted TS?

Yes. VLC has played MPEG-2 transport streams natively since version 0.5.0 (2003); MPC-HC, MPV, and PotPlayer all handle TS without plugins. On Windows, Movies & TV plays H.264-in-TS but not always MPEG-2-in-TS without the optional MPEG-2 codec pack. On macOS, IINA and VLC are the most reliable choices.

How do I trim the file before converting?

Open Advanced Options, scroll to Trim, switch from "Unchanged" to "Time Range", and enter Start Time and Duration. Times accept HH:MM:SS.sss or seconds. The trim happens during the conversion pass, so there's no quality loss beyond the single re-encode. For trim-only without re-encoding the codec, use Video Cutter on the MPG first, then convert.

What if my source has multiple audio tracks?

Program streams can carry multiple audio elementary streams, and the converter preserves them in the TS output, each on its own PID. HLS players will pick up the alternate tracks if you reference them correctly in the .m3u8 playlist. If you need to drop or select a specific track, use Audio Cutter or run an FFmpeg -map pass before uploading.