TS file format (.ts)
MPEG transport stream used for broadcast and streaming.
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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.
Questions
What is a TS file?
MPEG transport stream used for broadcast and streaming. Files use the .ts extension.
How do I open a TS file?
Most video software opens TS directly. If yours does not, convert it here to something more common. It takes a few seconds and nothing is uploaded.
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.