Free online TS to XVID converter

What the TS format is

TS means MPEG transport stream, a container designed to carry video, audio, subtitles, and program data in fixed-size packets. Digital television systems, DVB and ATSC recording software, capture devices, broadcast encoders, VLC, and FFmpeg commonly create TS files. A recording can contain several channels or audio tracks, so a converter may need to select one video and one audio stream.

TS is a container rather than a single video codec. Its video is often MPEG-2 or H.264, while audio may be AAC, MPEG audio, AC-3, or another broadcast format.

What the Xvid format is

Xvid is an MPEG-4 Part 2 video codec, not a container. Xvid-encoded video is commonly stored in an AVI file with an .avi extension. It is useful for older standalone players, televisions, editing applications, and software that supports AVI but does not handle transport streams.

Xvid can produce smaller files than lightly compressed MPEG-2 while retaining acceptable quality at moderate resolutions. Its disadvantages are lower efficiency than modern H.264 or H.265 and limited support on newer hardware that expects those codecs.

How to actually convert TS to Xvid

FFmpeg provides reliable stream selection and Xvid encoding on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Install a build that includes the libxvid and libmp3lame encoders, then run:

ffmpeg -i input.ts -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -c:v libxvid -q:v 4 -vf "format=yuv420p" -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 128k -f avi output.avi

• input.ts is the source transport stream; replace it with the actual filename.
• -map 0:v:0 selects the first video stream and -map 0:a:0 selects the first audio stream.
• -c:v libxvid encodes video with Xvid, and -q:v 4 uses quality-based encoding; lower values generally produce higher quality and larger files.
• -vf "format=yuv420p" produces the pixel format expected by many older AVI players.
• -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 128k creates MP3 audio, which is widely compatible with AVI and Xvid hardware.

If the TS contains multiple audio tracks, inspect them with ffmpeg -i input.ts and change the audio stream index, for example -map 0:a:1. To use a target bitrate instead of quality-based encoding, replace -q:v 4 with a setting such as -b:v 1500k.

For a no-install option, upload the file to 101convert.com, choose Xvid or AVI as the output when available, and download the converted file. Upload limits, supported audio codecs, and maximum duration can vary.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

Encoding from MPEG-2 TS to Xvid is a lossy conversion: the source is decoded and compressed again, so it cannot improve detail. A larger quality setting does not restore information already lost in the TS file.

Broadcast TS recordings are often interlaced. If the output will be watched on a progressive computer or television, deinterlace during conversion with -vf "yadif,format=yuv420p"; retaining interlacing may be preferable for archival use or interlaced displays.

AVI has limited support for modern broadcast features. Multiple programs, subtitles, teletext, unusual surround formats, and some metadata may be omitted; standard Xvid AVI with MP3 audio is the safest choice for older players. Check the output on the intended device because some players impose limits on resolution, frame rate, file size, or Xvid profile.