Free online M2T to FLV converter

What the M2T format is

M2T is usually an MPEG-2 Transport Stream file containing MPEG-2 video and MPEG audio. The .m2t extension is commonly associated with HDV camcorders and tape-based digital video systems, which record high-definition footage at transport-stream data rates.

You may encounter M2T files after transferring footage from Sony, Canon, JVC, or similar HDV equipment, or when capturing HDV over FireWire with software such as HDVSplit, Adobe Premiere Pro, or older versions of Vegas. M2T is designed for reliable transport and recording rather than compact web delivery, so its bitrate and interlaced video can be unsuitable for browser-based workflows.

What the FLV format is

FLV is a Flash Video container developed for streaming video through Adobe Flash Player. It commonly stores H.264 video with AAC audio, although older FLV files may use Sorenson Spark or On2 VP6 video and MP3 audio.

FLV was widely used by older video portals and Flash-based players because it supported progressive download and relatively compact encoded streams. Flash Player has been discontinued and modern browsers do not natively support FLV, so MP4 with H.264/AAC is usually a better current delivery format. FLV remains useful when a legacy application, Flash-era player, or older publishing system specifically requires it.

How to convert M2T to FLV

For a local conversion, FFmpeg provides the most controllable method and handles M2T transport streams directly. Install FFmpeg, open a terminal in the folder containing the source file, and run:

ffmpeg -i input.m2t -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100 -f flv output.flv

This re-encodes the MPEG-2 video as H.264, encodes audio as AAC, and writes an FLV container. Replace input.m2t and output.flv with your filenames. A lower CRF value increases video quality and file size; values around 18–23 are typical starting points for H.264.

If the M2T contains interlaced camcorder footage and the destination requires progressive video, add the deinterlacing filter:

ffmpeg -i input.m2t -vf yadif -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100 -f flv output.flv

For a free browser-based conversion without installing software, use the converter on 101convert.com, select the M2T file, choose FLV as the output format, and download the generated file when processing finishes.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

Because M2T normally contains MPEG-2 and FLV commonly uses H.264, this conversion is generally a lossy re-encode; the output cannot recover detail already lost in the source. Inspect the source with ffprobe input.m2t if you need its resolution, frame rate, scan type, or audio properties before choosing settings.

HDV footage is often 1440×1080 with non-square pixels, while playback systems may expect square-pixel 16:9 video. Preserve the source display aspect ratio unless the target application requires resizing. If the output has stretched or squashed people, specify an appropriate aspect-ratio setting or resize deliberately rather than changing only the pixel dimensions.

FLV is not a suitable archival format, and current browsers, phones, and media players may reject it. Use MP4 instead when the receiving system does not explicitly require FLV:

ffmpeg -i input.m2t -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4