Free online H264 to TS converter

Devices and broadcast applications often require an MPEG transport stream instead of a standalone H.264 video stream. Converting it packages the H.264 video into a .ts container that can carry timestamps, audio, subtitles, and multiple programs.

What the H.264 format is

H.264, also called AVC, is a video codec, not a complete container format. A file named .h264 or .264 usually contains an elementary H.264 video stream without a standard container, audio track, or reliable presentation timestamps.

Security cameras, action cameras, screen recorders, IPTV equipment, FFmpeg, OBS, and video editing software can create H.264 streams. H.264 video also commonly appears inside MP4, MKV, MOV, and TS files, so the filename extension alone does not identify the underlying container.

What the TS format is

TS usually means MPEG transport stream, stored with the .ts extension. It divides data into 188-byte packets and is designed for broadcast, cable, satellite, IPTV, Blu-ray-related workflows, and transmission over unreliable networks.

An MPEG-TS file can contain H.264 or H.265 video, AAC or MPEG audio, subtitles, program metadata, timestamps, and more than one program. It tolerates packet loss better than many file-oriented containers and can begin playback before the entire file has arrived, but it is less convenient than MP4 or MKV for ordinary editing and seeking.

How to convert H.264 to TS

Remux with FFmpeg without re-encoding

If the source already contains compatible H.264 video, remuxing copies the compressed frames and avoids quality loss:

ffmpeg -i input.h264 -c:v copy -f mpegts output.ts

For an MP4, MKV, or MOV source containing H.264 and compatible audio, copy all streams:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0 -c copy -f mpegts output.ts

If an MP4 source requires the H.264 Annex B bitstream format used by some TS equipment, add the bitstream filter:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0 -c copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -f mpegts output.ts

Use -map 0:v:0 -an when the destination must contain only the first video stream and no audio:

ffmpeg -i input.h264 -map 0:v:0 -c:v copy -an -f mpegts output.ts

Convert with FFmpeg when remuxing fails

Re-encode when the source codec, audio format, frame rate, timestamps, or TS device requirements are incompatible:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f mpegts output.ts

For a video-only source, omit audio encoding and use -an:

ffmpeg -i input.h264 -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -an -f mpegts output.ts

FFmpeg is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. A no-installation alternative is the free converter on 101convert.com; upload the source, choose TS as the output format, start the conversion, and download the resulting file.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

Remuxing with -c copy does not reduce video quality because it does not decode and re-encode the H.264 frames. Re-encoding can change quality, bitrate, frame timing, and file size; lower CRF values generally produce higher quality and larger files.

Renaming input.h264 to input.ts does not create a valid transport stream. The stream must be muxed so that TS packet structure, program information, and timestamps are written correctly.

Raw H.264 files often lack audio and dependable timestamps, so the output may contain video only or show inaccurate duration in some players. If a receiving device rejects the result, check its required H.264 profile and level, frame rate, resolution, audio codec, and whether it expects standard MPEG-TS or a vendor-specific M2TS variant.