Converting TS Video to MP4 using FFmpeg

By Yauheni Yakauleu

Converting TS Video to MP4 using FFmpeg

FFmpeg is a powerful, open-source, and widely-used multimedia framework that can handle a wide variety of audio and video formats. In this guide, we will focus on how to use FFmpeg to convert a video file in the Transport Stream (TS) format to the more common MP4 format.

The command we will be using for this conversion is:

ffmpeg -i input.ts -c:v libx264 -c:a copy output.mp4

When to Use This Command

You might need to convert a video file from the TS format to the MP4 format in the following scenarios:

  1. Compatibility: The TS format is typically used for broadcasting and streaming purposes, while the MP4 format is more widely supported across various platforms and devices. Converting the file to MP4 can help ensure compatibility with a broader range of media players and devices.

  2. Storage and Sharing: The MP4 format often provides better compression and smaller file sizes than the TS format, making it a better choice for storing and sharing videos.

  3. Video Editing: The MP4 format is more compatible with popular video editing software, so converting a TS file to MP4 can be helpful when you need to edit your video.

How to Use This Command

To use this command to convert a TS video to MP4, you need to have FFmpeg installed on your computer. If you don’t have it installed, you can follow the instructions on the official FFmpeg website to download and install it for your operating system.

Once you have FFmpeg installed, follow these steps:

  1. Open a terminal or command prompt.

  2. Navigate to the directory where your TS video file is located.

  3. Run the following command:

ffmpeg -i input.ts -c:v libx264 -c:a copy output.mp4

Replace input.ts with the name of your TS video file and output.mp4 with the desired name for the converted MP4 file.

Understanding the Command

Let’s break down the command and understand what each part does:

  • ffmpeg: This is the command-line tool that is part of the FFmpeg framework.
  • -i input.ts: This specifies the input file, which is the TS video you want to convert.
  • -c:v libx264: This sets the video codec to libx264, which is a popular and efficient codec for encoding video in the H.264 format. This codec is widely supported and offers good compression.
  • -c:a copy: This tells FFmpeg to copy the audio stream from the input file without re-encoding it. This is useful to preserve the original audio quality and save processing time.
  • output.mp4: This specifies the name and format of the output file, which will be in MP4 format.

After running the command, FFmpeg will convert the TS video to the MP4 format, and the output file will be saved in the same directory as the input file.

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