How to Convert M2TS to MP4 on Windows/Mac/Mobile

M2TS or MPEG-2 Transport Stream was created to store 1080i and 720p high-definition video files on AVCHD, HD camcorder, Blu-ray discs, hard-drives, or more. Compared with MP4, it's larger in size and less compatible. If you desire to convert M2TS to MP4, this post shows 5 reliable methods to accomplish the task on desktop and mobile.

 

M2TS file origin

Typically, there are two main sources: AVCHD camcorders and Blu-ray discs.

• Most HD camcorders contain .mts files. When you directly drag-and-drop them from the camcorder to your computer, the file suffix is .mts. If files are imported using, for instance, PlayMemories Home™, its suffix becomes .m2ts. Some M2TS files are renamed from MTS because there is not much difference.
• Similar to VOB files stored in a DVD VIDEO_TS folder, M2TS in a Blu-ray disc BDMV or BDAV folder are used to provide multimedia content like video, audio, and subtitle. The content is often encrypted and cannot be copied directly to your computer.

More M2TS source details:

Which method should I use?

All 5 methods in this guide work with regular M2TS files from your camcorder, but for protected Blu-ray M2TS files, go to method 1.

 

1. Convert M2TS to MP4 with a Dedicated Video Converter & BD Ripper

Cisdem Video Converter is an all-encompassing M2TS to MP4 converter for Windows and Mac. Its advanced video processing and GPU acceleration technology helps to quickly convert large M2TS files to MP4 in bulk. It supports all imports including M2TS, MP4, 1080p/4K video, H.264, HEVC, VP9, AV1 files and can change them to any format and device profiles, including iPhone, iPad, Android, Sony/Apple TV, and more. And it will display the estimated output file size.

Its DVD/Blu-ray ripping function allows you to rip and convert M2TS files in BDMV to MP4 smoothly.

Apart from video and disc conversion, Cisdem Video Converter offers extra tools for video editing/downloading/compressing, making it easy to handle your media library.

Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7 Free Download macOS 10.13 or later

Learn how to convert M2TS file to MP4 without quality degradation:

1. Download and install Cisdem M2TS to MP4 converter on your Windows or Mac PC. Launch it and you will see a clean interface with 5 tabs. Stay at the first tab.
   
2. Drag and drop one or multiple M2TS video files to its “Convert” interface.
3. Choose MP4 format.
   Unfold the "Convert all tasks to" list, select "Video > MP4 > Same as source". This will convert the M2TS to MP4 in H.264.You can click the gear icon to tweak the output parameters, such as the codecs, resolution, quality, bitrate, etc. Auto setting is still the best if you don't have special requirements.
4. Specify the output destination.
   Click the path setting box at the bottom of the interface.
5. Click the Start button to start the video conversion simultaneously. If needed, you can enable the Merge option to combine selected .m2ts videos into a single MP4 file.
6. When the conversion is complete, click the blue check icon to quickly locate the MP4 file in folder.

Tip: How to rip BDMV M2TS to MP4

If you want to convert Blu-ray M2TS files to MP4, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Rip interface of Cisdem Video Converter by clicking the second icon at the top.
2. Import the whole Blu-ray disc or BDMV folder into Cisdem interface.
3. When all video titles are loaded, set output format with the same steps above.
4. Select subtitles and sound track you want to preserve from the drop-down lists if available.
5. Click the Start button to convert Blu-ray M2TS video to MP4.

 

2. Convert M2TS to MP4 with Open-Source Freeware

If you prefer free and open source options, you can also try HandBrake and VLC. But their processing speed can be slower, and they can't decrypt or convert M2TS files stored on Blu-rays.

Use HandBrake

HandBrake is a powerful transcoder used to convert various videos and DVD/Blu-ray discs to MP4, MKV or WebM. It offers various output settings, but doesn't work with M2TS files in commercial Blu-ray discs.

Steps to convert M2TS file/BDMV folder to MP4 with HandBrake:

1. Install and open HandBrake on your computer.
2. Choose M2TS file(s) or a BDMV/BDAV folder as the video source. Tip: to convert multiple titles, go to Preferences to check the "Automatically name output files" option. Then add all titles to the queue.
3. Choose MP4 from the Format drop-down list. The preset output format is MP4 in x264 and AAC codecs.
4. Adjust parameters under the Dimension, Video, Audio, Subtitles, Chapters tabs according to your needs.
5. Click Browse to select a save folder.
6. Click the Start button at the top to begin the encoding.

Use VLC

As the most popular free player, VLC media player can play and convert single M2TS files, DVDs and unprotected Blu-rays. It’s a convenient option if you already have it installed on your computer. One thing you need to pay attention to is that the audio of converted MP4 may not be recognized by computer’s included player, and you need to adjust the audio settings to avoid the issue.

Steps to convert M2STS to MP4 with VLC:

1. Launch VLC, go to Media > Convert/Save.
2. Add your M2TS video to the pop-up dialog. The Mac version doesn’t allow to add folder and multiple files. Click Convert/Save button to proceed.
3. Select an MP4 format from the Profile list, like Video - H.264 + MP3.
4. Click the wrench icon to customize the audio/video codec. To make sure the converted video has sound, go to the Audio codec tab, check the “Keep original audio track” option, or select MP3/AAC from the Codec list.
5. Click Browse to specify the destination folder and file name. Note: If you add more than one file, VLC will save the converted files to the source folder.
6. Click Start to begin the M2TS to MP4 conversion.

If you want to convert M2TS files stored on Blu-ray disc, check our guide on how to rip Blu-ray to MP4 with VLC. Note that VLC doesn’t allow you to choose subtitles and audio tracks.

 

3. Convert M2TS to MP4 Online (Applies to all platforms)

There are web-based M2TS to MP4 converters that allows you to convert files online. It’s convenient, but has limitations on the upload video size, the number of simultaneous conversions, and the total number of conversions per day.

Here are 4 stable picks for you:

Online tools are easy to use and work in much the same way:

1. Open one of the online video converters in your browser.
2. Upload M2TS from local to the website.
3. Select MP4 as the output format.
4. Click the Convert button and wait for the conversion to finish.
5. Download the MP4 files to your device.

You can upgrade to the paid plans of these online services to convert more, but only desktop converter provides true unlimited conversion and one-time purchase.

 

4. FFmpeg (Command-line tool for advanced users)

FFmpeg is a free, flexible, command-line based tool for video conversion. It doesn’t provide a graphical user interface and thus can be quite complicated for beginners. FFmpeg enables you to convert M2TS to MP4 with or without re-encoding.

Easy way to convert .m2ts to .mp4 with FFmpeg:

1. Install FFmpeg on your computer. You can also download the it from ffmpeg.org and drag it to command interface to use it.
2. Open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS) app, and run the following commands: ffmpeg -i input.m2ts output.mp4Replace “input.m2ts” with your M2TS file name/path and “output.mp4” with your desired name/path.
3. This basic command will convert M2TS file to MP4 in preset format of x264 and AAC codecs with good quality. You can also specify other encoders if needed. FFmpeg will display progress in the terminal interface.

Tip: Remux m2ts to mp4 with no re-encoding the video or audio

Sometimes my M2TS video is H.264 stream and I don’t want to re-encode it. Then we can use FFmpeg to simply change the container format to MP4 or transcode only the audio stream. It's fast and ensures lossless quality, since the video data remains unchanged.

• To remux both video and audio, run: ffmpeg -i input.m2ts -c copy output.mp4
• To remux the video stream and specify the audio encoder, use: ffmpeg -i input.m2ts -c:v copy -c:a aac output.mp4

 

5. Convert M2TS to MP4 on Mobile

Have M2TS files on your Android or iPhone? Try these two apps to convert to MP4.

For Android

VidSoftLap Video Converter boasts an elegant, smooth interface and a wealth of features. It can convert videos between different formats, including converting M2TS to MP4 and vice versa. It also consists of some other tools that can be used to cut/join/slow motion/reverse/compress video, create ringtones, and edit audio.

Ads are terrible, however. They will be played every time you convert a video. Whether you convert a 4k or 1080p video, the output resolution is only 960p. To remove the ad and get a high-quality video, you can pay.

How to convert M2TS to MP4 on Android:

1. Get VidSoftLap Video Converter in Google Play and start it.
2. On the welcome interface, tap “Video Converter” at the top of the screen.
3. Choose the M2TS video you wish to convert from your Android. Tap “Next”.
4. Select MP4 from the format list. If needed, set the resolution, subtitle tracks, audio tracks, etc. options.
5. Tap the tick symbol in the lower right corner to turn .m2ts into .mp4.

For iOS

MP4 Converter!, powered by AliAkbar Ramezani, is an easy-to-use video converter. It runs on iOS 13.0 or later. The program allows you to change the M2TS file dimension, convert it to MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, MP3, GIF, etc., and share the converted video.

Check how to convert M2TS file to MP4 on iPhone:

1. Navigate to App Store. Search for MP4 Converter! and download it.
2. Initiate MP4 Converter!. Tap on “SELECT VIDEO” to pick an M2TS video from your iPhone. Tap “Done”.
3. The output format will be MP4 by default. Tap on “START CONVERSION” to make an MP4 from M2TS.
4. When finished, find the converted MP4 in your gallery.

 

More Questions

1. Why convert M2TS to MP4?

For easy storage and fast sharing: M2TS is used to store raw video and multi-channel audio. It requires more memory to save and more bandwidth to transmit. MP4 files are typically more compressed without visible quality loss.

See an estimate of the size of a 2 hour M2TS and MP4 movie.

For better upload/playback/editing: You may encounter scenarios like not being able to open M2TS with a video player or editor, can't upload M2TS video to social media platform. The best fix is to convert M2TS to MP4, as MP4 is supported by almost all platforms and devices.

2. Which MP4 format should I choose?

Most of video converters allow you to choose different output MP4 codecs. H.264(AVC) is often the default/preset setting since it’s widely supported. H.265 offers better compression ratio but may be slower to encode and less compatible.

3. How to play M2TS?

Use a third-party player such as VLC media player, which can open both individual M2TS files as well as BDMV or BDAV folders. Cisdem Video Converter also offers a built-in video player that lets you play and edit M2TS videos and Blu-ray titles.

 

Conclusion

Your M2TS files may come from high-definition camcorders, Internet downloads, friends' sharing, Blu-ray discs, etc. All these files can be transcoded by a professional video converter software like Cisdem Video Converter, whatever the source. Of course, if you have coding skills, you can use FFmpeg to convert or remux M2TS to MP4 freely.