Convert MXF to MTS — Free Online Tool
Convert MXF broadcast files to MTS (AVCHD) format using H.264 video and AAC audio — entirely in your browser. This tool is ideal for taking professional MXF footage from broadcast workflows and repackaging it into the MPEG-2 Transport Stream container used by Sony and Panasonic camcorders and editing software.
to
FFmpeg Command
Copy this command to run the same conversion locally with FFmpeg on your desktop. Download FFmpeg
Drop your MXF file here
or click to browse
Free — no uploads, no signups. Your files never leave your browser.
Settings
Note: Browser-based encoding uses approximate quality targets. For precise CRF compression, copy the FFmpeg command above and run it on your desktop.
Estimated output:
Conversion Complete!
DownloadHow It Works
MXF files from broadcast and post-production environments often carry H.264, MPEG-2, or Motion JPEG video alongside PCM audio (16-bit or 24-bit). During this conversion, the video is re-encoded to H.264 using the libx264 encoder with a CRF of 23, which balances file size and visual quality. The audio — typically uncompressed PCM in the source MXF — is transcoded to AAC at 128k bitrate, a lossy format suited to the MTS/AVCHD container. The output is wrapped in an MPEG-2 Transport Stream (.mts), which is the native container for AVCHD recordings. Because both the audio and video codecs differ from common MXF payloads, full re-encoding occurs rather than a simple remux.
What Each Flag Does
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
ffmpeg
|
Invokes the FFmpeg tool, which is running here as a WebAssembly (FFmpeg.wasm) instance entirely inside your browser — no data leaves your machine during this conversion. |
-i input.mxf
|
Specifies the input MXF file. FFmpeg will detect the MXF container and identify the internal video codec (H.264, MPEG-2, or MJPEG) and audio codec (typically PCM) to determine what transcoding is needed. |
-c:v libx264
|
Encodes the output video using the libx264 H.264 encoder, which is required for AVCHD-compatible MTS files. This ensures the output works regardless of whether the source MXF carried MPEG-2, MJPEG, or H.264 video. |
-c:a aac
|
Transcodes the audio to AAC using FFmpeg's native AAC encoder. This converts the uncompressed PCM audio typical in broadcast MXF files into a compressed format compatible with the MTS/AVCHD container. |
-crf 23
|
Sets the Constant Rate Factor for H.264 encoding to 23, which is the libx264 default and a good balance between visual quality and file size. Lower values (e.g., 18) produce larger, higher-quality files; higher values (e.g., 28) compress more aggressively. |
-b:a 128k
|
Sets the AAC audio bitrate to 128 kilobits per second. This is a moderate bitrate suitable for most dialogue and ambient audio from broadcast MXF sources; if your MXF contains 24-bit PCM music or high-fidelity audio, increasing this to 256k or 320k is recommended. |
output.mts
|
Defines the output filename with the .mts extension, signaling FFmpeg to wrap the encoded H.264 video and AAC audio in an MPEG-2 Transport Stream container formatted for AVCHD compatibility. |
Common Use Cases
- Ingesting broadcast MXF footage into Sony Vegas Pro or other NLEs that handle MTS/AVCHD natively but struggle with certain MXF profiles
- Preparing MXF clips from a professional camera or broadcast deck for playback on Sony or Panasonic camcorder-connected TVs that expect AVCHD MTS files
- Archiving selected MXF segments from a broadcast server into a compact MTS format for storage on SD cards or USB drives used with consumer AVCHD players
- Delivering H.264-encoded footage in MTS format to a client whose editing system or playback device is calibrated for AVCHD workflows
- Reducing file size of large PCM-audio MXF masters by transcoding audio to AAC while keeping H.264 video quality high for review copies
- Testing AVCHD compatibility of broadcast content before committing to a full pipeline conversion from MXF-based playout systems
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the source MXF content. If the MXF already contains H.264 video, re-encoding it again with CRF 23 introduces a generation loss, though at CRF 23 this is typically minimal for most viewing contexts. The more significant quality change is in the audio: professional MXF files often carry uncompressed PCM (16-bit or 24-bit), and converting to AAC at 128k is a lossy step. For critical listening or broadcast master delivery, consider increasing the AAC bitrate in the command before running a local conversion.
No — this is an important limitation of this conversion. MXF is specifically designed to carry extensive broadcast metadata including timecode, reel name, OP-Atom descriptors, and production data. The MTS/AVCHD container does not have equivalent metadata fields, so this information will be lost during conversion. If preserving timecode and production metadata is critical, retain the original MXF files alongside the converted MTS outputs.
MXF files can contain video encoded as MPEG-2, Motion JPEG (MJPEG), or H.264, while the MTS/AVCHD container expects H.264. If the MXF source uses MPEG-2 or MJPEG video, direct stream copy into MTS would not work without re-encoding. The command uses libx264 to ensure the output is always a valid AVCHD-compatible H.264 stream regardless of what codec the source MXF contains.
The -crf flag controls video quality. Lower values mean higher quality and larger files — CRF 18 is considered visually near-lossless for H.264, while CRF 28 produces smaller files with more visible compression. For example, replace '-crf 23' with '-crf 18' for a higher-quality output. To improve audio quality, replace '-b:a 128k' with '-b:a 256k' or '-b:a 320k', which is especially worthwhile if your source MXF carries 24-bit PCM audio.
Yes. On Linux or macOS, you can use a shell loop: 'for f in *.mxf; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v libx264 -c:a aac -crf 23 -b:a 128k "${f%.mxf}.mts"; done'. On Windows Command Prompt, use 'for %f in (*.mxf) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:v libx264 -c:a aac -crf 23 -b:a 128k "%~nf.mts"'. The browser-based tool processes one file at a time, so the FFmpeg command is the recommended route for bulk conversions.
Both MXF and MTS support multiple audio tracks, but by default FFmpeg may only map the first audio stream. If your MXF contains multiple audio tracks — common in broadcast MXF files with discrete mono channels — add '-map 0:v -map 0:a' to the command to explicitly include all audio streams, or '-map 0:a:0' to select a specific track. Note that some AVCHD playback devices have limited support for multi-track audio in MTS files.
Technical Notes
MXF (Material Exchange Format) is a structured professional wrapper designed for broadcast environments, supporting OP-Atom, OP-1a, and other operational patterns. It can encapsulate MPEG-2 (common in XDCAM workflows), H.264 (used in AVC-Intra and XAVC), and MJPEG streams alongside uncompressed PCM audio. MTS, by contrast, is a rigid MPEG-2 Transport Stream container conforming to the AVCHD specification, designed primarily for H.264 video and AAC or AC-3 audio from consumer and prosumer camcorders. The conversion pipeline always involves at least audio transcoding (PCM → AAC) and potentially video transcoding depending on the MXF payload codec. One key limitation: MTS does not support chapters or MXF-style descriptive metadata, and while MTS does support subtitle streams, the standard conversion command does not map subtitles since MXF source files typically do not carry subtitle tracks in this context. File sizes will generally decrease significantly compared to MXF masters because PCM audio is replaced with compressed AAC, and professional intra-frame video codecs (like MPEG-2 at high bitrates) are replaced with the more efficient inter-frame H.264 at CRF 23.