Convert TS to MPG — Free Online Tool
Convert MPEG-2 Transport Stream (.ts) files to MPG format by re-encoding the video to MPEG-2 and audio to MP2 — producing files compatible with DVD players, broadcast systems, and legacy MPEG hardware. This conversion strips TS's multi-program transport layer and subtitle tracks, distilling the stream into a straightforward MPEG program stream.
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FFmpeg Command
Copy this command to run the same conversion locally with FFmpeg on your desktop. Download FFmpeg
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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
TS (Transport Stream) uses a packetized structure designed for unreliable transmission channels like broadcast TV, carrying multiple programs, PIDs, and optional subtitle streams. MPG (MPEG Program Stream) is a simpler, sequentially structured container intended for reliable storage media like DVDs and VCDs. This conversion re-encodes the video to MPEG-2 (mpeg2video) and transcodes the audio to MP2 — the standard audio codec for MPEG-1/2 program streams. The TS container's transport-layer overhead, program-specific information tables, multiple audio tracks, and subtitle data are all discarded in the process. The result is a single-program MPEG-2 program stream with interleaved audio and video packs, which is the native structure expected by DVD authoring tools and classic MPEG players.
What Each Flag Does
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
ffmpeg
|
Invokes the FFmpeg command-line tool, which handles all demuxing, decoding, encoding, and muxing operations for this TS-to-MPG conversion. |
-i input.ts
|
Specifies the input file as a MPEG-2 Transport Stream. FFmpeg detects the TS container and probes for the program stream, identifying the video and audio PIDs to demux for encoding. |
-c:v mpeg2video
|
Encodes the video stream using the MPEG-2 video codec, which is the native and required video format for the MPG program stream container and DVD/VCD compatibility. |
-c:a mp2
|
Encodes the audio to MP2 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer II), the standardized audio codec for MPEG program streams that ensures compatibility with DVD players, VCD players, and broadcast playout systems expecting strict MPEG compliance. |
-q:v 2
|
Sets the MPEG-2 video quality using the quantizer scale, where 1 is maximum quality and 31 is minimum. A value of 2 produces near-maximum quality output while keeping file sizes manageable — appropriate for preserving broadcast source material. |
-b:a 192k
|
Sets the MP2 audio bitrate to 192 kilobits per second, which is the standard bitrate for broadcast-quality stereo MP2 audio and is compliant with MPEG-1 Audio Layer II specifications used in DVD and VCD authoring. |
output.mpg
|
Specifies the output filename with the .mpg extension, which tells FFmpeg to mux the encoded MPEG-2 video and MP2 audio into an MPEG program stream container — the format expected by DVD authoring tools and legacy MPEG players. |
Common Use Cases
- Importing a recorded broadcast TV capture (.ts from a DVB tuner or set-top box) into DVD authoring software like DVD Architect or DVDStyler, which expects MPEG-2 program stream input
- Preparing digitized broadcast footage for playback on standalone DVD players or legacy hardware that reads MPEG-2 discs but cannot parse Transport Stream containers
- Converting PVR or IPTV recordings in .ts format to .mpg for compatibility with older non-linear editing systems that predate native TS support
- Archiving broadcast captures in MPEG program stream format for integration with tape-based or broadcast playout systems that use MPG as their native ingest format
- Stripping multi-track audio and subtitle complexity from a broadcast TS file to produce a clean single-audio MPEG-2 file for straightforward media library cataloging
- Re-packaging a Transport Stream recording into MPG so it can be opened by Windows Media Player or other consumer players on systems without TS demuxer support installed
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, some quality loss is expected because this conversion re-encodes the video rather than remuxing it. Even if the source TS already contains MPEG-2 video, the stream must be decoded and re-encoded to fit the MPEG program stream structure, introducing a generation of compression loss. The default quality setting (-q:v 2) is near the top of MPEG-2's quality range (1 is best, 31 is worst), so quality degradation is minimized, but it is not lossless. If your source TS contains H.264 or H.265 video, the visual difference will be more noticeable because MPEG-2 is a less efficient codec requiring higher bitrates for equivalent quality.
MPEG Program Stream (.mpg) was designed for single-program delivery on physical media like VCDs and DVDs, and the format does not support multiple independent audio tracks in the same way TS does. MPEG-2 TS was explicitly engineered for broadcast multiplexing of many programs and audio languages into one stream. During this conversion, FFmpeg selects the default or first audio track from the TS file and encodes it to MP2; all secondary audio tracks, commentary tracks, and alternate language streams are dropped. If you need a specific non-default audio track, you can use the -map flag in the FFmpeg command to select it explicitly.
Subtitles are not carried over because the MPG format does not support embedded subtitle streams. TS files from broadcast TV often contain DVB subtitles or teletext, but MPEG program streams have no equivalent subtitle container mechanism. If you need to preserve subtitles, you would need to extract them to a separate .srt or .sup file before converting, using a tool like CCExtractor or an FFmpeg subtitle extraction command.
MP2 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer II) is the historically standardized audio codec for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 program streams and is a mandatory part of the DVD-Video and VCD specifications. Using MP2 ensures the output .mpg file is recognized as fully compliant by DVD players, broadcast playout systems, and MPEG-aware authoring tools. While FFmpeg can technically mux MP3 or AAC into an MPG container, doing so creates non-standard files that may be rejected by hardware players and DVD authoring software expecting strict MPEG compliance.
To adjust video quality, change the -q:v value: lower numbers produce higher quality (1 is maximum quality, 31 is minimum). For example, use -q:v 3 or -q:v 4 if you want a smaller file at a slight quality trade-off. To change audio bitrate, modify the -b:a value to 128k, 256k, or 320k depending on your needs. For example, a full adjusted command might look like: ffmpeg -i input.ts -c:v mpeg2video -c:a mp2 -q:v 3 -b:a 256k output.mpg. Note that MPEG-2 video at -q:v 1 can produce very large files.
Yes. On Linux or macOS you can use a shell loop: for f in *.ts; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v mpeg2video -c:a mp2 -q:v 2 -b:a 192k "${f%.ts}.mpg"; done. On Windows Command Prompt, use: for %f in (*.ts) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:v mpeg2video -c:a mp2 -q:v 2 -b:a 192k "%~nf.mpg". This processes each .ts file in the current directory and outputs a matching .mpg file, preserving the base filename. The browser-based tool processes one file at a time, so the FFmpeg command is particularly useful for bulk conversions of large libraries.
Technical Notes
The TS-to-MPG conversion involves a fundamental container architecture change: from a transport stream (ISO 13818-1) built around 188-byte fixed-size packets with PIDs and program tables, to an MPEG program stream (ISO 13818-1 PS) built around variable-length packs with system headers. The mpeg2video encoder in FFmpeg produces standard MPEG-2 Main Profile at Main Level (MP@ML) by default, which caps resolution at 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480 (NTSC). If your source TS contains HD content (1080i, 720p), it will be encoded at full resolution but may fall outside strict DVD compliance — some DVD players and authoring tools may reject it. The MP2 audio codec is encoded at 48 kHz sample rate by default, consistent with broadcast standards. One key limitation is that the MPG container does not support chapter markers, so any chapter metadata in the source is silently dropped. File sizes for MPG output at -q:v 2 are typically larger than modern H.264-encoded TS files at equivalent visual quality, because MPEG-2 is a less efficient codec — expect roughly 2x to 4x the bitrate of an H.264 source for comparable perceived quality. This tool processes files entirely in your browser via FFmpeg.wasm, so no data leaves your machine.