Free online USM to M2T converter

USM files are commonly used for video playback inside games, while M2T is accepted by MPEG-2 transport-stream workflows, HDV tools, and some editing applications. Conversion normally requires extracting the streams from the CRI USM container first, then encoding or muxing them as an MPEG-2 transport stream.

What the USM format is

USM is a proprietary CRI Middleware video container used in game cutscenes, visual novels, and other interactive software. Game build pipelines using CRIWARE or CRI Movie tools create USM files; players usually read them through CRI’s runtime rather than through ordinary desktop video software.

A USM can contain video, one or more audio streams, subtitles, metadata, and sometimes encryption or proprietary stream variants. Its extension does not identify the actual video codec, so changing the filename extension cannot convert it. VLC and FFmpeg may fail to open USM files directly because they generally do not provide a complete CRI USM demuxing and decryption path.

What the M2T format is

M2T is a filename extension commonly used for an MPEG-2 transport stream, especially footage captured from HDV camcorders. The stream can carry MPEG-2 video with MPEG audio or other compatible audio, along with transport-stream packetization and timing data.

M2T is useful when an editor, capture application, hardware recorder, or playback device expects HDV-style MPEG-2 transport stream media. It is not a single fixed profile: some applications accept any MPEG-2 TS, while HDV-oriented software may require a specific frame size, bitrate, frame rate, and audio format.

How to actually convert USM to M2T

Use the built-in online converter

For a one-off file, upload the USM to the free converter on 101convert.com, select M2T as the output format, start the conversion, and download the resulting file. This is suitable only when the USM is supported by the service and does not contain content that should remain private or protected by distribution restrictions.

Use a desktop extraction and encoding workflow

1. Make a working copy of the original USM. Do not overwrite it.
2. Open the copy with a CRI USM-capable extractor, such as a current USM extraction toolkit or VGMToolbox build that explicitly lists CRI USM support. Choose the option that extracts or demultiplexes the video and audio streams instead of merely renaming the file.
3. Inspect the extracted files. The video may be produced as H.264, MPEG-2 video, or another elementary stream; audio may be WAV, ADX, HCA, or another CRI-related stream. If the extractor produces CRI audio, use a compatible decoder supplied by the same toolkit before sending it to FFmpeg.
4. If the extractor produces a playable intermediate file such as cutscene.mp4, encode it as MPEG-2 transport stream with FFmpeg:

ffmpeg -i cutscene.mp4 -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a? -c:v mpeg2video -q:v 2 -c:a mp2 -b:a 384k -ar 48000 -f mpegts output.m2t

The -map 0:a? option keeps the command working when the extracted file has no audio. The command re-encodes the video because H.264 or a CRI-specific codec is not automatically valid for an HDV-style M2T file.

If the extractor produces an elementary MPEG-2 video file such as video.m2v and a decoded audio file such as audio.wav, encode and combine them with:

ffmpeg -i video.m2v -i audio.wav -map 0:v:0 -map 1:a:0 -c:v mpeg2video -q:v 2 -c:a mp2 -b:a 384k -ar 48000 -f mpegts output.m2t

For a stricter HDV-style target, use the source’s frame rate and dimensions where possible. A common 1080i HDV profile uses 1440×1080 MPEG-2 video at approximately 25 Mb/s with 48 kHz audio, but forcing those values onto a different source can distort aspect ratio or frame timing. Ask the receiving application which M2T profile it accepts before selecting fixed parameters.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

Extraction does not improve the original USM quality. Re-encoding to MPEG-2 introduces another lossy-generation step, and M2T files are often substantially larger than the source. Preserve the original USM if archival quality matters.

Some USM files are encrypted or depend on keys embedded in the game executable or supplied by the publisher. An extractor may list the file but still be unable to decode its streams; FFmpeg cannot bypass that protection. Audio, subtitles, multiple language tracks, and timing metadata may also require separate handling after extraction.

A file named .m2t is not guaranteed to be HDV-compliant. If the destination rejects the result, verify that it supports MPEG-2 video, the selected audio codec, interlaced or progressive scanning, frame rate, resolution, and transport-stream bitrate rather than relying on the extension alone.