TS file (MPEG Transport Stream)
MPEG transport stream used for broadcast and streaming.
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Convert TS to MP4, free and without uploading it.
What is a TS file?
In short: A TS file (.ts) is a video file in the TS format. A transport stream chops video into fixed 188-byte packets, each beginning with a marker, so a receiver can join a broadcast already in progress and recover after losing signal. It can be converted to MP4, MOV or GIF for free in a web browser with iHateFiles, without uploading it.
The MPEG-2 transport stream, designed in the mid-1990s for broadcasting over unreliable channels.
A transport stream chops video into fixed 188-byte packets, each beginning with a marker, so a receiver can join a broadcast already in progress and recover after losing signal. That design is why it is used for digital television, Blu-ray, and the segments of streaming video.
What TS is good at
- Recoverable: a damaged file still plays from the next packet
- Can be joined mid-stream, which broadcasting requires
- The basis of HLS streaming and Blu-ray
Where TS falls short
- Packet overhead makes files larger than necessary for storage
- Awkward to edit
- Not played by browsers
When to use TS
Convert TS to MP4 for storage or editing. Its advantages only matter during transmission.
How to open a TS file
VLC and most desktop players. Not browsers.
| Windows | VLC. Windows treats .ts as a TypeScript source file and will offer to open it in a text editor. |
|---|---|
| macOS | VLC. The same extension collision happens on macOS. |
| Linux | VLC and mpv read transport streams natively. |
| Phone | VLC. |
| In a browser | No browser plays a raw transport stream, though HLS streams are made of them. |
The thing that usually goes wrong
TS files from a recorder often contain several programmes or several audio tracks at once, so a converter may pick a different one than you expected.
Not sure the file really is a TS? Identify it by its contents, whatever its extension says.
Questions
What is a TS file?
TS stands for MPEG Transport Stream. MPEG transport stream used for broadcast and streaming. Files use the .ts extension.
What does TS stand for?
TS stands for MPEG Transport Stream.
How do I open a TS file?
On Windows: VLC. Windows treats .ts as a TypeScript source file and will offer to open it in a text editor. On a Mac: VLC. The same extension collision happens on macOS. On a phone: VLC. Or convert a TS here to a format that opens everywhere, free and without uploading it.
Can I convert TS for free?
Yes. Every conversion here is free and unlimited, because your own device does the work rather than a server we have to pay for.
Is TS lossless?
That depends on the codec inside the container rather than the container itself. Everything written here is re-encoded, so expect one generation of loss.