What Is a TS File?

Some TS files are video files, but others are completely unrelated text files

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on December 30, 2022
File Types

What to Know

  • A TS file is a Video Transport Stream file that stores video data. It's compressed with MPEG-2 video compression.
  • Use VLC or MPEG Streamclip to open a TS video file.
  • An online converter like Zamzar can save one to MP4, MP3, MOV, GIF, etc.

This article explains what a TS file is, how to open one, and how to convert one to a different file format.

What Is a TS File?

A file with the .TS file extension is a Video Transport Stream file used to store MPEG-2-compressed video data. They're often seen on DVDs in a sequence of multiple .TS files.

TS Files.

TypeScript is another file format that uses the .TS file extension. These are text files used to make JavaScript applications and are in fact similar to JavaScript (.JS) files, but include code in the TypeScript programming language.

A file ending in .TS might instead be an XML-formatted Qt Translation Source file used to store translations for a specific software program developed with the Qt SDK.

M2TS and MTS files are similar to Video Transport Stream files explained here, but are targeted specifically at Blu-ray video files.

How to Open a TS File

Video Transport Stream files stored on a DVD will play in a DVD player without needing any extra software. If you have a TS file on your computer, you can open it with a number of media players.

VLC should be your first choice since it's completely free and can open these files on Mac, Windows, and Linux. MPEG Streamclip is another option, and the Movies & TV Windows app might work, too.

If you can't get your file to open with VLC, the file extension is probably already tied to a different program. To open it, try dragging it directly into the open program window or use the Media > Open File menu item. You can also change the program currently associated with .TS files, and set it as VLC.

Another option for opening the TS file is to rename it to something that your existing media player will support, like .MPEG. Most multimedia players already support .MPEG files, and since TS files are MPEG files, the same program should also play your TS file.

Some non-free TS players include Roxio's Creator NXT Pro, Corel's VideoStudio, Audials One, CyberLink's PowerProducer, and Pinnacle Studio.

TypeScript supports that kind of TS file. You can use TS files with Microsoft's Visual Studio program by installing the TypeScript SDK for Visual Studio, or this plug-in for opening the file in Eclipse.

Qt Translation Source files open with Qt, a software development kit.

How to Convert TS Files

Several free video file converters are available that can convert TS to MP4, MKV, or even audio formats like MP3. One example is MiniTool Video Converter.

It's best to use an offline, desktop converter if the file is large. However, you can also convert the TS to MP4 online without needing to download any programs, with sites like Zamzar or FileZigZag.

Remember that with the online converters, you have to first upload the file and wait for it to convert, and then download it again before you can use it. It's much more convenient to use an offline converter for bigger videos.

There probably isn't much of a need to convert TS files from the TypeScript language to something else. However, if possible, do the conversion with the same program that opens the file. You can normally find this option within a Save As or Export menu.

To convert your TS file to QPH (Qt Phrase Books) so the translations can be used with more than one Qt program, use the "lconvert" tool included within the Qt SDK.

Still Can't Open the File?

It's possible that you're misreading the file extension and are treating a different kind of file as a TS file, causing it to not open in the programs mentioned above.

For example, TSV files are tab separated values files that share two of the same file extension letters as TS, but have nothing to do with video content, TypeScript, or the Qt SDK. Therefore, opening one in the software linked above won't let you use it as it was intended.

The same is true for lots of other file formats. Some of them use extensions like ADTS, TST, TSF, TSC, TSP, GTS, TSR, and TSM. If you have any of those files or a different one that doesn't actually end in .TS, research that specific file extension to see which programs are able to view, edit, and/or convert it.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What's the easiest way to play Video Transport Stream .TS files? As a container format for MPEG, a widely supported video codec, simply changing the name of the extension to .MPEG will let you play your file on a wider range of software.
  • Are .TS files a good video file format? Yes! While less commonly seen today, because .TS files rely on the MPEG codec, they have the same quality as other more common formats, like .MP4.
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