Free online TS to DAT converter

A Video CD player or older authoring workflow may require MPEG-1 video stored as a .dat file rather than an MPEG transport stream. Converting is also useful when a TS recording contains broadcast codecs or resolutions that VCD software cannot read.

What the TS format is

TS, or MPEG-2 Transport Stream, packages video, audio, subtitles, and program metadata in fixed-size 188-byte packets. Television broadcasters, DVB receivers, IPTV systems, Blu-ray workflows, and digital video recorders commonly create .ts files.

A TS file may contain MPEG-2, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, or other codecs, along with several audio and video programs. Its extension identifies the container, not a single video codec, so a TS file may need transcoding rather than a simple container change.

What the DAT format is

In the Video category, .dat usually refers to the MPEG-1 program stream used by Video CDs. A VCD DAT file normally contains MPEG-1 video at 352×288 pixels for PAL or 352×240 for NTSC, with approximately 1,150 kbit/s video and 224 kbit/s MPEG-1 Layer II audio at 44.1 kHz.

DAT is useful for VCD-compatible playback on older standalone players, disc-authoring applications, and software that expects the files from a VCD's MPEGAV directory. It is not a general-purpose replacement for TS: it supports lower resolution and normally requires MPEG-1-compatible encoding.

How to actually convert TS to DAT

Using FFmpeg

FFmpeg is suitable when you need a reproducible desktop conversion and can install command-line software. Choose the VCD standard that matches the intended player:

ffmpeg -i input.ts -target pal-vcd output.dat

For NTSC video, use:

ffmpeg -i input.ts -target ntsc-vcd output.dat

The -target option selects the VCD-compatible MPEG-1 video, audio, frame rate, resolution, bitrate, and program-stream settings. FFmpeg may re-encode both streams, which is expected when the TS contains HD, H.264, HEVC, AAC, AC-3, or incompatible frame-rate content.

When the TS contains multiple programs or unwanted streams, select the first video and audio streams explicitly:

ffmpeg -i input.ts -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -target pal-vcd output.dat

Inspect available streams before converting with:

ffprobe input.ts

If the destination only needs an MPEG program stream and is not a strict VCD player, a less restrictive conversion can preserve compatible codecs without re-encoding:

ffmpeg -i input.ts -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -c copy -f mpeg output.dat

This second command produces an MPEG program stream with a .dat filename, but it does not guarantee VCD compliance. Use the VCD target for physical Video CD playback.

Using the online converter

You can convert the file on the 101convert.com website for free without installing software. Select TS as the source format, DAT as the output format, upload the file, start the conversion, and download the generated file. For private recordings or very large TS files, local FFmpeg avoids uploading the video and is less dependent on browser limits.

Quality and compatibility limits

Converting a high-definition TS to VCD DAT reduces it to standard-definition MPEG-1; lost detail cannot be restored. Re-encoding also reduces quality, and interlaced broadcast footage may show combing unless the converter applies suitable deinterlacing.

PAL and NTSC must match the target player. A DAT file can be playable as an MPEG program stream while still failing a VCD authoring check if its resolution, frame rate, bitrate, audio sampling rate, or sector layout is wrong.

If you need a complete VCD, creating one DAT file is not sufficient. VCD authoring software must build the disc filesystem and required directories, typically including MPEGAV and VCD, before burning the image. Do not merely rename .ts to .dat; that changes the filename but not the container or codecs.