TS to 3GP Converter

How to Convert TS to 3GP Online

1. Upload Your TS File: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to load one or more .ts transport-stream recordings — typically captured from HDHomeRun, OBS, IPTV recorders, DVB tuners, or HLS-segment downloads. Batch upload is supported, and 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.
2. Pick a Quality Preset: The default Very High (Recommended) preset re-encodes at conservative CRF for clean playback on feature phones and emulators. Drop to High, Medium, or Low for smaller files, or switch to Constant Bitrate / Variable Bitrate to dial in an exact kbps (3GP devices typically expect 64-384 kbps video), or Specific file size to hit an MMS or storage cap.
3. Set Resolution and Trim (Optional): Under Video resolution, pick a Preset Resolution like 320x240 (QVGA, fits most 3GP devices), 176x144 (QCIF, original 3GP spec), or 480x320, or enter a custom Width x Height. Use Trim > Time Range to clip the broadcast or stream segment you want — useful since TS captures often include channel-changes or pre-roll.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and grab each .3gp individually or as a ZIP. No watermark, no account, no email gating.

Why Convert TS to 3GP?

TS (MPEG-2 Transport Stream, ISO/IEC 13818-1, standardised July 1995) is built for broadcast — 188-byte packets with error-correction so DVB, ATSC, IPTV, and HLS streams survive lossy networks. 3GP (defined by 3GPP and first released April 2003) is the opposite: a tiny container designed for GSM mobile networks, with H.263 / MPEG-4 Part 2 / H.264 video and AMR-NB / AMR-WB / AAC-LC audio sized for low-bandwidth playback. Converting TS to 3GP rewraps and re-encodes broadcast captures so they play on the long tail of devices that still expect 3GP. Typical scenarios:

• Feature-phone and basic-handset playback — Series 40 Nokias, KaiOS phones (JioPhone, Cat S22 Flip), and many low-cost Android Go handsets play 3GP natively but reject .ts because they have no MPEG-2 TS demuxer.
• MMS attachments — Mobile carriers still expect 3GP for MMS video; most networks cap MMS payloads at roughly 300 KB-1 MB, which forces a small container with AMR audio.
• Older car-radio and dashboard video — Mid-2000s aftermarket head units (Pioneer AVH series, Kenwood DDX) often list 3GP in supported formats but choke on H.264-in-TS containers.
• Legacy phone-museum or emulator playback — DOSBox-X, Symbian emulators, and J2ME midlets expect 3GP for sample media; a 176x144 H.263 + AMR-NB file is the lowest common denominator.
• Compact archival of low-resolution clips — Family video shot on a 2008-era handset that you want to keep in its original container family rather than rewrapping to MP4.
• Embedded systems and field hardware — Industrial inspection cameras, certain medical-imaging review terminals, and older interactive kiosks ship with 3GP decoders but no MPEG-2 TS support.

Need a different target? Most modern playback uses TS to MP4 instead; for QuickTime or Final Cut workflows use TS to MOV; to keep .ts but shrink the file, see Compress TS. Already have an MP4 and want a 3GP? Use MP4 to 3GP.

TS vs 3GP — Format Comparison

3GP Codec Quick Guide — Which to Pick

3GP allows three video codecs and several audio codecs. Pick by target device generation:

If you do not know the target device, H.264 Baseline + AAC-LC at 320x240, 24 fps, ~384 kbps video / 64 kbps audio is the safest universal 3GP recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my converted 3GP much smaller than the source TS?

A typical 30-minute 1080p broadcast TS captured at 8 Mbps is roughly 1.8 GB. The same clip at 320x240 H.264 Baseline + 64 kbps AAC inside 3GP lands near 60-90 MB — a 95% reduction. That is the point of the format: 3GP is engineered for narrow-band mobile delivery, so it both downscales resolution and uses far lower bitrates. If you need the original visual fidelity, convert to MP4 instead.

My 3GP plays on VLC but not on my old phone. What went wrong?

VLC accepts almost anything inside a 3GP container, but real handsets are strict. Common causes: the video uses H.264 Main or High profile (use Baseline), resolution exceeds the device's maximum (try 320x240 or 176x144), frame rate is above 24 fps, audio is AAC at a sample rate the phone doesn't support (try 16 kHz or 22.05 kHz mono), or the file uses HE-AAC v2 (try plain AAC-LC). Re-encode with the safest preset and retest.

Do I need to trim the TS first, or can I trim during conversion?

You can trim during conversion. TS captures from HDHomeRun, OBS, and IPTV recorders often include 10-30 seconds of channel-change static or stream-startup garbage. Open Trim > Time Range, set the start offset past the junk, and set the end at the actual program-end. This avoids a separate re-encode pass and saves time on long captures.

Should I pick 3GP or 3G2?

.3gp (3GPP, GSM lineage) is the global default and what almost every "3GP-compatible" phone, car stereo, and emulator means by the term. .3g2 (3GPP2, CDMA lineage) was used by Verizon, Sprint, and KDDI handsets in the 2000s. Both are MP4-derived containers with very similar codec lists, but 3G2 adds support for EVRC voice codecs not used outside CDMA networks. If your target hardware is GSM-derived (anything sold in Europe, India, or by AT&T / T-Mobile USA), pick 3GP. For an explicit CDMA device, use TS to 3G2.

Why does my AMR audio sound bad?

AMR-NB (Adaptive Multi-Rate Narrow-Band) is a speech codec — it samples at 8 kHz and bitrates between 4.75 and 12.2 kbps. It was designed for voice over a GSM call, not music. If your TS clip has any music, dialog mixed with score, or sound effects, switch the audio codec to AAC-LC at 64 kbps or higher. AMR is appropriate only for talk-radio captures, voicemail-grade content, or hard MMS size constraints.

Can I keep the original 1080p resolution inside 3GP?

Technically the container allows it, but in practice almost no 3GP decoder honours resolutions above 640x480. Many cap at 320x240 (QVGA) or 352x288 (CIF), and feature phones often refuse anything above 176x144. If you need 1080p, you want MP4, not 3GP — see TS to MP4. If you must use 3GP, downscale to 320x240 for the broadest compatibility.

Will the subtitles or closed captions from my TS broadcast carry over?

No. TS broadcasts carry CEA-608 / CEA-708 captions or DVB subtitle tracks, and 3GP supports a separate Timed Text format that almost no decoder actually renders. Closed captions are dropped during conversion. If you need readable subtitles, burn them in via an MP4 or MOV workflow before going to 3GP, or extract to an .srt and ship it as a sidecar.

Why does the converted file size not exactly match what I picked under "Specific file size"?

The encoder back-solves a bitrate from your target size and duration, then runs the encode. Real bitrate varies slightly per frame (motion-complex scenes need more bits), so the final container lands within roughly 5% of your target. Aim a little under your MMS or storage cap to leave headroom for the container index and audio.

Is anything uploaded to your servers?

Conversion runs through your browser session and files are removed after the session ends. No sign-up, no watermark, no file-count limit, no Pro tier gating output.