MTS to MP4 Converter

How to Convert MTS to MP4 Online

1. Upload Your MTS or M2TS File: Drag and drop, or click "+ Add Files" to select recordings from your computer or an SD card mounted on it. AVCHD camcorders store clips under PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM/ with 8.3-style names like 00001.MTS. Batch upload is supported.
2. Pick a Quality Preset: The default "Very High (Recommended)" preset under File Compression keeps the original 1080p H.264 quality. Switch to Specific file size to target a megabyte budget, Constant Bitrate for streaming, Variable Bitrate for download, or Constant Quality to set a CRF directly for fine-grained control.
3. Resize or Trim (Optional): Under Video resolution, keep original, scale by Resolution Percentage, choose a Preset Resolution (720p, 1080p, 4K, etc.), or enter custom Width x Height. Use Trim to keep only a Time Range — useful for cropping the dead frames many AVCHD camcorders write at the start and end of a clip.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared. Download each clip individually or grab everything as a ZIP.

Why Convert MTS to MP4?

MTS is the on-camera filename for AVCHD — a format Sony and Panasonic introduced in 2006 and Canon, JVC, and others adopted soon after. It wraps H.264 video and Dolby AC-3 audio inside an MPEG-2 transport stream. The transport-stream container is great for camcorders (resilient to dropped frames, splices cleanly across SD card writes) but a poor fit for everything that comes next — uploading, sharing, editing in consumer apps, or just double-clicking the file on a phone. MP4 carries the exact same H.264 video into a container the rest of the world actually plays.

• Plays on phones, TVs, and browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari 14.1+, iOS, Android, smart TVs, and Roku all play MP4 with H.264 natively. MTS does not play in any major desktop browser.
• Uploads to social platforms — YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X all list MP4 (H.264 + AAC) as the recommended upload container; MTS uploads either fail or get re-encoded server-side at low quality.
• Imports cleanly into consumer editors — iMovie, CapCut, DaVinci Resolve Free, and Clipchamp accept MP4 directly. AVCHD MTS requires Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X to import from the original BDMV folder structure; copying loose .mts files off the SD card often breaks even those.
• Skips the AC-3 audio trap — many editors and browsers drop the AC-3 track in MTS, leaving you with silent video. Our default re-encodes audio to AAC, which every platform understands.
• Cuts file size — modern H.264 encoders (x264) at the same visual quality typically produce files 30-50% smaller than the camcorder's high-bitrate AVCHD output (up to 24 Mbps at 1080p30, 28 Mbps at 1080p60).
• Future-proofs old footage — AVCHD camcorder sales peaked around 2012; converting now means you can still open the file in 2030 without hunting for a legacy codec pack.

MTS vs M2TS vs MP4 — Format Comparison

Encoding Mode Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find MTS files on my camcorder?

Mount the SD card or connect the camcorder over USB and open PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM/ (some Panasonic and Canon models put it directly at AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM/). Clips are named with the 8.3 convention as 00001.MTS, 00002.MTS, etc. AVCHD uses 8.3 filenames because the spec is rooted in the FAT filesystem used by the original camcorders.

What is the difference between MTS and M2TS?

Both are MPEG-2 transport streams carrying H.264 video and AC-3 audio — Sony's own support page confirms there is no functional difference between the two extensions. .MTS is what AVCHD camcorders write to SD cards (8.3 filenames). .M2TS is the same stream after import to a Windows / macOS filesystem, or as authored on a Blu-ray Disc's BDMV/STREAM/ directory. XConvert accepts both — pick this tool for either, or use M2TS to MP4 if your files were already renamed.

Will converting lose video quality?

At the default Very High preset, the difference vs the original is visually imperceptible — x264 at a low CRF retains detail, sharpness, and color even on 1080p source. If you need bit-for-bit preservation, choose a Constant Quality CRF of 18 (mathematically near-lossless) or use MTS to MKV for a stream copy that does not re-encode the video at all.

Why does Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro reject my loose.mts files?

Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro expect the full AVCHD folder structure (the PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/ tree) to import natively — they read clip metadata from the playlist (.mpl) and clip-info (.cpi) files alongside the streams. When you copy individual .mts files off the card the metadata is gone, so the editor refuses or imports without audio. Converting to MP4 strips that dependency: any editor that opens MP4 will open your converted file.

Why is the audio missing or distorted when I play MTS in my editor?

MTS uses Dolby AC-3 audio at 64-640 kbps. Several consumer editors and browsers do not decode AC-3 because of licensing — they show video with silent or garbled audio. The MP4 output here re-encodes to AAC by default, which every major editor, browser, and platform supports.

Can I keep the original 1080p (or 4K) resolution?

Yes. Under Video resolution, leave "Keep original" selected and the output matches the source dimensions exactly. AVCHD typically records at 1920x1080; the AVCHD 2.0 spec also covers 1080p60 (28 Mbps) and AVCHD Progressive. If your source is 4K-recorded H.264 wrapped in MTS (some prosumer Canon and Panasonic models), the output preserves 3840x2160.

Can I trim the dead frames camcorders add at the start and end of a clip?

Yes. Many AVCHD camcorders buffer a brief lead-in / lead-out around the record button press. Open Advanced Options → Trim → Time Range and enter start and end timestamps; the encoder cuts to those bounds before producing the MP4. For frame-accurate cuts on already-converted MP4s, see Video Cutter.

Is there a file size limit?

xconvert does not impose a fixed per-file cap — the practical limit is upload size and connection speed, as files are processed on xconvert's servers. A typical 1080p MTS clip is 50–200 MB per minute (at 17–24 Mbps); a 30-minute camcorder reel of ~6 GB converts without issue.

Should I pick MP4 or just remux to MKV?

MP4 is the right call when you need broad compatibility (web, phones, social, consumer editors). If your goal is to preserve the AC-3 audio track and avoid any re-encode at all, MTS to MKV does a stream-copy remux that finishes in seconds and keeps the original quality bit-for-bit — at the cost of MKV not playing in Safari, iOS, or most TVs.