Free online M2TS to AVC converter

M2TS files from Blu-ray discs and AVCHD cameras are not accepted by some editors, phones, or media players. Converting them to AVC, usually H.264 in an MP4 container, improves compatibility and can reduce file size for sharing or storage.

What the M2TS format is

M2TS is a filename extension for an MPEG-2 Transport Stream used by Blu-ray BDMV structures and AVCHD camcorders. It can contain H.264/AVC, MPEG-2, or sometimes VC-1 video alongside multiple audio, subtitle, and metadata streams.

Blu-ray authoring software creates M2TS streams inside the BDMV/STREAM folder. Sony, Panasonic, Canon, and other AVCHD cameras also record M2TS files, often on memory cards. A single recording may contain several language tracks, commentary tracks, or camera-generated timecode.

What the AVC format is

AVC, formally H.264 or MPEG-4 Part 10, is a video compression standard rather than one specific container. It is commonly stored in MP4, MKV, and MOV files; some tools also produce a raw H.264 elementary stream with an .avc or .h264 extension.

AVC provides broad support in browsers, televisions, phones, editing applications, and hardware players. It usually produces smaller files than MPEG-2 at comparable visual quality, while retaining more device compatibility than many newer codecs. Choose AVC when the receiving application specifically requires H.264, or when the source uses MPEG-2 and needs more efficient compression.

How to convert M2TS to AVC

FFmpeg is the most controllable desktop option and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Install FFmpeg, open a terminal in the folder containing the source, and inspect its streams first:

ffprobe input.m2ts

For the usual result—AVC video in a widely supported MP4 file—run:

ffmpeg -i input.m2ts -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a? -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 192k output.mp4

-map 0:v:0 selects the first video stream, while -map 0:a? includes available audio without failing when the file has none. The libx264 encoder creates AVC video; -crf 20 gives high quality, with lower values increasing quality and file size. Use -preset slow for better compression at the cost of encoding time, or -preset fast for faster output.

If the source video is already AVC and you only need a more compatible container, avoid re-encoding the video:

ffmpeg -i input.m2ts -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a? -c:v copy -c:a aac -b:a 192k output.mp4

This is remuxing rather than conversion, so it is much faster and does not reduce video quality. It may fail or produce an unsuitable file if the source codec, frame format, or stream metadata is incompatible with MP4.

If the destination specifically requires a raw AVC elementary stream rather than an MP4 file, use:

ffmpeg -i input.m2ts -map 0:v:0 -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -an -f h264 output.avc

A raw .avc file normally has no audio, subtitles, or container metadata, so MP4 is preferable unless the receiving system explicitly requests elementary H.264.

For a no-install option, use the free converter on the 101convert.com website, upload the M2TS file, select AVC as the output, start the conversion, and download the result. Upload limits, processing time, and supported audio tracks may depend on the file and service configuration.

Quality and compatibility considerations

Re-encoding from AVC to AVC can introduce generation loss. If the M2TS already contains AVC, use video stream copy when the target accepts MP4; re-encode only when you need a different bitrate, pixel format, resolution, or codec profile.

M2TS recordings may use interlaced video, 10-bit color, 4:2:2 chroma, unusual frame rates, or Dolby audio. -pix_fmt yuv420p maximizes playback compatibility but converts unsupported source chroma formats and may reduce color fidelity. AAC in MP4 is broadly supported; preserving AC-3 or other Blu-ray audio may require MKV or a player with matching codec support.