MTS to MOV Converter

How to Convert MTS to MOV Online

1. Upload Your MTS Files: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select MTS (AVCHD) clips from your camcorder, SD card, or computer. Batch is supported — drop in a whole day's shoot, a full SD card dump, or every clip in a wedding folder.
2. Pick Quality Preset and Codec: Default is Very High (Recommended) — visually identical to source for editing handoff. Drop to High or Medium to shrink files for review copies. For finer control, switch to Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate, Constant Quality, or Constraint Quality, and pick the video codec (H.264 by default; switch to H.265/HEVC for ~40% smaller files, or MPEG-4/MJPEG for legacy workflows). Audio defaults to AAC; AC-3 and PCM are available if you need to preserve the camcorder's original Dolby Digital track.
3. Resolution and Trim (Optional): Choose Keep original to passthrough the source resolution (typically 1920x1080 for AVCHD camcorders), pick a Preset Resolution (4K / 1440p / 720p / 480p), scale by percentage, enter exact Width x Height, or constrain by Width or Height keeping aspect ratio. Use Time Range trim to slice out the part you actually need before export — far faster than re-trimming in your NLE.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files process on our servers and download individually or as a ZIP — no sign-up, no watermark, no sign-up.

Why Convert MTS to MOV?

MTS is the file extension for AVCHD recordings — H.264 video and Dolby AC-3 audio packaged into an MPEG transport stream. AVCHD was introduced in 2006 by Sony and Panasonic for consumer HD camcorders, and the format is still produced by current Sony Handycam, Canon VIXIA / LEGRIA, Panasonic HC-series, and JVC Everio camcorders. MOV is Apple's QuickTime container, made public in 2001 and the basis for the ISO/MP4 spec. Converting MTS → MOV solves a stack of real workflow problems:

• iMovie won't import standalone MTS files — iMovie expects the full AVCHD folder structure off the camera (BDMV / PRIVATE / AVCHD directories). If you've already pulled the.mts clips out, iMovie refuses them. Re-wrapping to MOV gets them on the timeline immediately.
• Final Cut Pro handoff — FCP natively supports AVCHD, but editors routinely transcode to a MOV-wrapped intermediate (Apple ProRes 422 ~147 Mbps at 1080p) before the timeline. Long-GOP H.264 from a camcorder is decode-heavy on every scrub; ProRes is intra-frame and scrubs instantly.
• DaVinci Resolve audio dropouts — Resolve lists AVCHD as supported, but users frequently report missing audio or skipped imports on.mts files depending on version and frame rate. Transcoding to MOV with explicit AAC or PCM audio sidesteps the issue.
• QuickTime Player on macOS — QuickTime will not open a raw.mts file. Same for AirPlay, Apple TV, and Photos.app. MOV plays natively everywhere in the Apple ecosystem.
• Archival reorganization — A 64 GB SD card of AVCHD shoots often arrives as dozens of 1.99 GB / 1.97 GB clips (the FAT32 / AVCHD 2 GB split threshold). Converting to single MOV files with the trim feature consolidates a shoot into one clean per-scene asset.
• Sending to a non-Sony / non-Panasonic editor — MTS is rare outside the camcorder world. Sending a MOV (or MP4) to a freelance editor avoids them asking "what is this file."

MTS (AVCHD) vs MOV — Format Comparison

Quality / Codec Mode Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does iMovie refuse to import my.mts files?

iMovie reads AVCHD through the original camera folder structure (the BDMV and PRIVATE directories on the SD card). Once you copy the .mts clips out of that structure to a desktop folder, iMovie no longer recognizes them as AVCHD media and silently rejects them. Re-wrapping each clip to MOV strips the dependency on the folder structure — the resulting MOV imports the same way as any other QuickTime clip. (If you still have the full card folder, use File → Import → Camera Archive in iMovie instead.)

Will converting MTS to MOV reduce quality?

At the Very High preset with H.264 or H.265, the re-encode is visually indistinguishable from the source on a normal viewing screen. AVCHD camcorder footage is typically recorded at 17-24 Mbps H.264; encoding to MOV at equal or higher bitrate is bit-equivalent for practical viewing. For zero generational loss before editing, set the codec to a high-quality intra-frame profile and crank the bitrate (Constant Bitrate, 100+ Mbps for 1080p) — that scrubs and color-grades far better than Long-GOP H.264 through subsequent edits.

Should I pick H.264 or H.265 inside the MOV?

H.264 if your editor or delivery target is older than 2017 (older FCP X versions, older Adobe Premiere, older smart TVs) — universal compatibility. H.265 / HEVC for ~40% smaller files at the same visual quality on FCP 10.4+, Premiere 2019+, Resolve 16+, and any 2017+ Apple device. For an editing intermediate going into Final Cut Pro, ignore both and use ProRes — it's intra-frame and scrubs and color-grades far better than either Long-GOP codec.

Why are my AVCHD clips split into ~2 GB pieces?

AVCHD inherits a 2 GB file split from the FAT32 file system on older SD cards and Blu-ray spec. Sony, Panasonic, and Canon camcorders chunk every continuous recording at the 2 GB threshold (roughly 17 minutes at 17 Mbps). The clips play seamlessly when read from the card folder structure but become independent files once copied off. Drop the split clips in together and they'll convert to individual MOV files — your NLE will treat them as adjacent clips on the timeline. To join into a single MOV before editing, concatenate the source MTS files first, then convert.

Will the AC-3 (Dolby Digital) audio survive?

Yes — by default the audio is re-encoded to AAC (which plays everywhere in QuickTime, iMovie, FCP, and on Apple devices). If you need to preserve the original AC-3 stream losslessly, pick AC-3 from the audio codec dropdown. For uncompressed audio, pick PCM (16-bit or 24-bit) — that's what most NLEs prefer for sound design. Audio sync is preserved through re-encode.

How big will the output MOV be?

For typical 1080p AVCHD source at 17 Mbps:

• Very High preset, H.264: roughly equal to source (~7-8 GB per hour)
• High, H.265: 50-60% of source (4 GB per hour)
• Medium, H.265: 25-35% of source (2-3 GB per hour)
• High-bitrate intra-frame intermediate (Constant Bitrate 100+ Mbps): ~45-65 GB per hour — intentional, that's the intermediate trade-off in exchange for instant scrub and clean color grading

Can I trim out the dead air at the start and end before exporting?

Yes — the Time Range trim cuts before encode, so you save processing time AND output size. AVCHD camcorders often roll for a couple of seconds before and after the action you actually pressed Record for. Trimming a 90-minute reel down to 75 minutes of content drops file size by ~17% before any quality setting changes. For frame-accurate cuts in the middle of a clip, use the MTS trimmer before conversion.

Does this work for M2TS files from Blu-ray or AVCHD 2.0?

Yes — drop M2TS files in directly, or use the dedicated M2TS to MOV page. M2TS is the same MPEG-2 transport stream as MTS with a slightly different header; the underlying H.264 + AC-3 streams are identical. Blu-ray Disc M2TS is also supported, and AVCHD Progressive (1080p50 / 1080p60 at up to 28 Mbps, the 2011 spec amendment) re-encodes the same way.

Will the converter preserve frame rate and interlacing?

Yes by default — 24p / 25p / 30p / 50p / 60p source preserves through to the MOV. For interlaced AVCHD (1080i50 / 1080i60, common on older Sony / Canon camcorders), the source is preserved as interlaced unless you change the resolution preset, which triggers a deinterlace. If you're handing off to Final Cut Pro for finishing, leave it interlaced and let FCP deinterlace on the timeline — the result is usually cleaner than a pre-encode deinterlace.