What is the MTS file format?
Files with the .mts extension contain video data stored in the AVCHD format, dedicated to high-resolution movies using the MPEG-2 Transport Stream container with H.264/AVC video compression.
.mts files are most commonly produced by consumer camcorders recording high-definition video. The AVCHD format was jointly introduced by Sony and Panasonic in 2006, and .mts is the on-camera extension for footage captured directly to flash memory, built-in hard drive, or miniDVD disc. The format can also serve as a carrier for high-resolution content on Blu-ray discs.
When AVCHD video is processed on a PC or imported from a Blu-ray disc, it is typically stored as a .M2TS file instead. Both formats share the same MPEG-2 Transport Stream structure, but .m2ts packets carry a 4-byte Blu-ray timecode prefix, making each packet 192 bytes rather than the standard 188 bytes used in .mts.
Properties of the .mts format:
- uses H.264/AVC (MPEG-4 Part 10) video compression
- supports 720p and 1080i HD resolutions; AVCHD 2.0 extended this to 1080/60p and 3D
- supports dual-channel (stereo) and 5.1 surround audio tracks
- enables audio compression with the Dolby AC-3 codec
- audio can also be stored as uncompressed linear PCM
Beyond audio/video content, the format supports navigation features including simple menus, subtitles, and slide shows.
Content in the AVCHD format can be stored on SDHC or SDXC memory cards and played directly on many TVs and multimedia consoles. It is worth noting that regular DVD players do not support .mts content - a Blu-ray player or compatible device is needed.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWMTS is passive video data with no scripting, so opening one is safe. The only real cautions are practical: a malformed download could be mislabelled, so play unknown files in VLC (sandboxed-ish, robust) rather than enabling unknown codec packs; and avoid sketchy 'MTS codec' or 'free MTS converter' downloads that bundle adware - VLC and HandBrake are the trustworthy free tools.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open MTS files
Windows4 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Drag the .mts into VLC and it plays immediately - no extra codecs needed. 
HandBrake
Open-source Open the .mts, pick the 'Fast 1080p30' MP4 preset (enable deinterlace if 1080i), and Start Encode to convert to MP4. 
Films & TV / Windows Media Player
Built-in Windows 10/11 can play many MTS files natively (HEVC/AVCHD support); if audio/video is missing, use VLC instead.
DaVinci Resolve
Freemium Free professional editor; import the MTS (or the whole AVCHD folder) to edit and export. 
macOS2 apps
iMovie / Final Cut Pro
Free Import from the AVCHD camera/folder; iMovie (free) and Final Cut transcode AVCHD on import. 
Linux3 apps
Technical details
deep spec| Container format | MPEG-2 Transport Stream (MPEG-TS); fixed 188-byte packets |
| Video codec | H.264/AVC (MPEG-4 Part 10) |
| MIME type | video/mp2t |
| Sync / magic bytes | 0x47 ("G") at offset 0, repeating every 188 bytes - the TS packet boundary fingerprint |
| Supported resolutions | 720p (1280×720), 1080i (1920×1080); AVCHD 2.0 adds 1080/60p |
| Maximum video bitrate | Up to 24 Mbps (AVCHD 1.0); up to 28 Mbps (AVCHD 2.0) |
| Audio codecs | Dolby AC-3 (Dolby Digital) and uncompressed linear PCM |
| Audio channels | Stereo (2.0) and 5.1 surround |
| Color subsampling | YCbCr 4:2:0 |
| Developer | Sony and Panasonic (AVCHD consortium) |
| Primary use case | On-camera recording by consumer and prosumer camcorders |
| Supported storage media | SDHC/SDXC cards, built-in camcorder HDD, miniDVD optical discs |
| Relation to .m2ts | .m2ts uses the same TS stream with a 4-byte Blu-ray timecode prefix per packet (192-byte packets vs. 188) |
| Subtitle support | Bitmap-based sub-picture subtitle streams multiplexed into the TS |
| Frame scan | Interlaced (1080i) or progressive (720p, 1080/60p in AVCHD 2.0) |
| Released | AVCHD format announced 2006 by Sony and Panasonic |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | en.wikipedia.org |
MTS conversions
Community Q&A
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