TS to MPG Converter

How to Convert TS to MPG Online

1. Upload Your TS File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select TS (MPEG-2 Transport Stream) files. Cable-box DVR recordings, IPTV captures, HDHomeRun grabs, ATSC over-the-air recordings, satellite (DVB-S) dumps, and HLS segment downloads from youtube-dl / yt-dlp all work. Batch is supported — drop in a whole night's DVR queue at once. No 100 MB cap like Convertio, no Google Drive / Dropbox round-trip.
2. Pick a Video Codec: Default is MPEG-2 — the codec the MPG / DVD-Video spec is built around, and the same codec your TS source already uses, so staying on MPEG-2 keeps the encode in the same codec family — a fresh encode at the visually-lossless default, with no cross-codec loss. Switch to MPEG-1 for the broadest legacy-VCD / 1990s-PowerPoint compatibility, MPEG-4 / DivX / Xvid for smaller files inside the MPG container, or H.264 / H.265 if your downstream tool accepts modern codecs in a .mpg wrapper. Set Quality Preset (Highest → Lowest, default Very High), target a File Size Percentage, lock to a specific MB target, or fine-tune with Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate, or Constant Quality (CRF / qscale).
3. Resize, Trim, or Keep Original (Optional): Pick a Preset Resolution (1080p / 720p / 576p / 480p / 360p / 240p — these set height only, with the width following your source's aspect ratio) or, for DVD authoring, enter a custom Width × Height of 720 × 480 (NTSC) or 720 × 576 (PAL), or scale by Resolution Percentage. Use Time Range trim with start time + duration in HH:MM:SS.sss format to drop ad breaks, the news lead-in before the show starts, or dead air at the end of an overnight DVR capture. Audio defaults to MP2 (the DVD-Video / VCD standard) — switch to AC-3 (Dolby Digital) to keep broadcast 5.1 surround, MP3 for size, or PCM for lossless.
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.

Why Convert TS to MPG?

TS (MPEG-2 Transport Stream) and MPG (MPEG-2 Program Stream) are two sides of the same MPEG-2 systems standard (ISO/IEC 13818-1, 1996). Transport stream is what broadcast TV, ATSC over-the-air, DVB satellite, IPTV, and DVRs write — it's packetized into 188-byte chunks with PAT/PMT/PCR tables so the stream can survive packet loss across noisy transmission paths. Program stream (.mpg) is what DVD-Video authoring tools, legacy media players, and most NLEs from the 2000s expect — a single multiplexed program with a simpler, file-oriented structure. Converting TS → MPG keeps the video in the MPEG-2 codec family when both ends use MPEG-2 — a same-family re-encode at the visually-lossless default, with no cross-codec loss.

• DVD authoring from broadcast captures — DVD-Video is locked to MPEG-2 in a program stream container at 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL). Tools like DVDStyler, ImgBurn, Nero, and TMPGEnc Authoring Works expect .mpg input. A TS recording from a Hauppauge tuner, HDHomeRun, or set-top box has to be remuxed to MPG before it can be burned to a playable DVD.
• Importing into legacy NLEs — Sony Vegas 12, Pinnacle Studio 14, Adobe Premiere CS5, Avid Media Composer 5, and Windows Movie Maker all accept MPG / MPEG-2 program streams cleanly but stumble on TS's transport packet structure. MPG is the path of least resistance for older editing software that can't be upgraded.
• Archiving DVR recordings on legacy hardware — Older WD TV Live, Roku 1, classic Xbox, and PlayStation 2/3 with DVD playback recognize .mpg as a video file but treat .ts as unknown. Keeping MPEG-2 stays in the source codec family, so the picture is visually indistinguishable from the original, while making the file playable on a USB stick.
• Splitting multi-program ATSC mux captures — Over-the-air ATSC channels often pack a primary HD program plus 1-2 SD subchannels into a single 6 MHz transmission. Converting to MPG flattens the recording to a single program with the primary video and audio selected, which downstream tools handle without the PID-selection dance TS demands.
• Feeding broadcast / playout systems — Some legacy playout servers, ad-insertion systems, and cable-access TV setups expect MPEG-2 program stream input. MPG is the format their ingest pipelines were designed around.
• Maximum compatibility with old Windows / Mac apps — Default Windows Media Player on Windows 7-11 and QuickTime on macOS pre-Catalina recognize .mpg and play it without a codec pack. TS files often fail to even open, never mind play. See also TS to MP4 for modern devices and TS to AVI for legacy Windows compatibility.

TS vs MPG — Format Comparison

Video Codec Choice Inside the MPG

Frequently Asked Questions

Is TS to MPG conversion lossless?

Not literally — this page always re-encodes; there's no stream copy that lifts the elementary streams out of the transport packets untouched. But when both ends use MPEG-2 (the default), the encode stays in the same codec family at the visually-lossless preset, so there's no cross-codec generation loss and the result is hard to tell apart from the source. If your TS source uses H.264 (some IPTV streams and newer DVR captures do) and you pick MPEG-2 as the output, that's a larger codec change with a small quality cost — minimize it by picking Quality Preset Highest, or by keeping H.264 as the output codec inside MPG if your downstream tool accepts it.

Can I burn the resulting MPG straight to a playable DVD?

Almost — MPG is the right container, but DVD-Video has additional rules: 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL) resolution, MPEG-2 video at 4-9.8 Mbps max, MP2 or AC-3 audio at 224-448 kbps, and a specific GOP / IFO / VOB structure. Convert with resolution preset 480p (NTSC) or 576p (PAL), MPEG-2 + MP2 or AC-3, then run the resulting .mpg through a DVD authoring tool (DVDStyler, ImgBurn, TMPGEnc) which builds the IFO/VOB structure and burns the disc.

What's the actual difference between a TS file and an MPG file when they both contain MPEG-2?

Same codec, different multiplexing. TS chops the elementary streams into fixed 188-byte packets with PAT/PMT/PCR tables so the stream can survive 5-10% packet loss on a satellite or terrestrial broadcast and let any tuner sync up mid-stream. MPG (program stream) uses variable-length packs designed for a reliable file system — smaller per-byte overhead, simpler to demux, but no error resilience. Think of TS as "designed for the wire" and MPG as "designed for the disc."

Why does my Windows Media Player open the MPG but not the TS?

WMP on Windows 10/11 ships with a built-in MPEG-2 program stream demuxer (so .mpg opens) but not a transport stream demuxer (so .ts doesn't). Microsoft considers TS a "professional" / broadcast format and shipped it only with Windows Media Center, which was discontinued. Converting to MPG makes the file natively playable on every Windows install since XP, no codec pack required.

Will the AC-3 surround track from my broadcast TS survive?

Yes — pick AC-3 (Dolby Digital) as the audio codec output to keep the audio as 5.1 surround. It's re-encoded at the source bitrate rather than copied, so the surround channels survive instead of being downmixed. AC-3 is also a DVD-Video standard audio format, so this is the right pick if you're going to burn the result to a DVD. Default is MP2 (the original DVD-Video / VCD audio standard), which stays in the same family when your TS source already uses MP2 audio. MP3 is smaller but not DVD-compliant; LPCM is uncompressed but very large.

How big a TS file can I convert?

Multi-hour DVR captures (4-12 GB transport streams) work — there's no fixed cap because Conversion runs on our servers, so the practical limit is upload size and connection speed and patience for the upload. This is the differentiator vs Convertio (100 MB limit) and most other online converters. For very long broadcasts, trim first with Time Range to extract the part you need — converting a 30-minute slice of a 6-hour overnight recording is dramatically faster.

My TS has multiple programs (HD primary + SD subchannels). Which one ends up in the MPG?

The converter selects the primary video and audio program (the first listed in the PMT) by default and writes a single-program MPG. If you specifically need a subchannel (e.g., a network's weather subchannel, an alternate-language audio track), demux the TS first with ffmpeg -map 0:p:1 or Project X to extract the program you want, then convert the extracted stream to MPG here.

Should I pick MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 as the output codec?

MPEG-2 if you want to stay in your source's codec family — a same-family re-encode at the visually-lossless default with no cross-codec loss, file size stays similar to the TS, and the result is DVD-Video compliant. MPEG-1 only if you're authoring a Video CD (VCD) for a 1990s VCD player or you need maximum compatibility with very old PowerPoint / Windows 98 systems — it's a bigger codec change, files end up 1.5-2× larger at equivalent quality, and most modern uses don't need it.

What's the difference between this and converting to MP4?

MPG is the legacy / DVD-authoring / older-NLE target — DVD authoring tools, Sony Vegas 12, Premiere CS5, classic Windows Movie Maker, 2000s media players. MP4 is the modern target — phones, browsers, smart TVs, social media, Plex. Pick MPG when the destination is older than ~2010 or specifically expects MPEG-2 program stream. For everything else, TS to MP4 is the better landing page; to keep multiple audio tracks in a modern container, TS to MKV is the path.