MTS is a video format taken by high-definition cameras such as Sony, Canon, and Panasonic. It goes down well with ordinary households due to the wide use of digital cameras. MTS usually adopts AVC high-definition coding, which can produce high-quality video outputs, but in large size, and low compatibility than the traditional formats like MP4. Well, our goal in this article is to show you exactly how to convert MTS to MP4 on Mac and Windows.
Cisdem Video Converter is a fantastic MTS/M2TS to MP4 converter that enjoys a good reputation in this field. It can also convert among other 300 plus formats (4K included), like WebM to MP4, MTS to MOV, AVCHD to MP4, MP4 to MP3, AVI to MOV, FLV to WMV, and so on. All are done within an attractive and minimalist interface.
Not only can it serve as the best MTS to MP4 converter for Mac, but it also works well on ripping DVD to videos and downloading online videos from main video streaming sites.
Step 1 - Add MTS files to the Mac converter
When finish installing the best MTS to MP4 converter on your Mac, run it and go to the main interface.
Import the MTS files that you want to convert to the program. You can add files in batches to the program.
Step 2 - Select an MP4 target file format
Click on the format icon> "General Video"> "MP4 Video" or “MP4 HEVC Video”. If you want to convert MTS to iPhone, iPad, Samsung, etc. supported MP4 format, just choose the corresponding device in the menu.
tips: If it's your first time using the converter, then the "MP4 Video" option has been made as output to the default.
To allow videophiles to get more experiments, the converter offers advanced settings to make adjustments of video codec, frame rate, bit rate, resolution, etc. Just go ahead by clicking the "gearwheel" icon beside the MP4 format.
Step 3 - Customize output MP4 videos (Optional)
This MTS files to MP4 converter for Mac compasses some video editing features. Click the button and edit videos by trimming, cropping, adding watermarks & subtitles, etc.
Tips:If you have some MTS files from some old camcoder, you may found that some of the videos may have blurring lines and pixelation appearing in the borders of people and objects, this is because MTS files are normally AVCHD files, which is 1080i, to remove the blurring lines you need to deinterlace it. With Cisdem Video Converter you can easily remove this by go to Effects >> Enable Deinterlacing.
Step 4 - Start batch converting MTS to MP4 on Mac
Hit the button on the lower right side corner of the window to get the batch conversion started.
VLC is a portable open-source multimedia player made by VideoLAN. Most types of media files (including CDs, DVDs, streaming protocols, etc.) imaginable can be opened on VLC. Digging deeper, it has a more absorbing feature – converting video. It holds the ability to convert plentiful formats, with no exception of convert MTS to MP4 for free.
You will find that the converted file is in M4V format, not MP4. You only need to change the extension .m4v to .mp4. Step 5 is very important. If this step is missing, the changed MP4 file won’t be opened on the Mac.
Handbrake is a cross-platform MTS to MP4 converter for Mac powered by Eric Petit. It's able to transcode video files and rip DVDs to MP4, MKV, Apple devices, Android, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast, etc. The app also helps reset the MTS video & audio parameters, dimensions, and filters before converting it to MP4 on Mac. But since 2006, HandBrake seems to have stagnated without innovation and progress.
Convertfiles.com is an integrated file converter. Besides converting MTS to MP4 online, it's capable of converting archive, document, presentation, eBook, drawing, image, etc. as well. But unfortunately, the maximum upload file size of this free online MTS converter is 250 MB. Once exceeded, an error will occur during the upload process.
Cloudconvert.com is another convenient web-based tool to convert MTS to MP4 on Mac free. You can upload MTS videos from your Mac, Google Drive, Dropbox, or a link. Although it enables you to add multiple MTS videos, the conversion progress is pretty long, and may even fail in the end.
Full name | MPEG Transport Stream |
Extension | .mts |
Video compression | MPEG-4 / H.264 |
Audio compression | Dolby AC-3 codec (or uncompressed LPCM audio) |
Supported audio track | Stereo, 5.1 surround |
Supported resolution | 720p, 1080p, and 1080i |
Contained by | Blu-ray Disc, AVCHD |
You may not be able to distinguish the relationship between AVCHD, MTS, and M2TS. In fact, AVCHD file includes MTS and M2TS. We typically refer to AVCHD videos stored on the camcorder as MTS (.mts). For AVCHD videos edited on a computer or created from a Blu-ray disc, we will name them M2TS (.m2ts).
MTS (or M2TS) | MP4 | Winner | |
---|---|---|---|
File size | Over-large file size | Smaller size | MP4 |
Compatibility | Supported by several recording media devices, Blu-ray disc format and v.Color technology | Compatible with almost any media network, player, device, etc. | MP4 |
Video quality | 1080p 50p/60p with the maximum bitrate of 28 Mbit/s | 1080p at 60 frames per second | MTS (or M2TS) |
Popularity | Used among camcorders, HDTV sets, Blu-ray discs, etc. | Used on mobile phones, computers, video editors, etc. | MP4 (more commonly-used) |
Compared with MTS (or M2TS), MP4 occupies an absolute advantage in file size, compatibility, and popularity. Therefore, people intend to convert MTS file to MP4 on Mac for much space on Mac and easy playback. Moreover, the video quality of MP4 file is relatively high as well.
Of course, you can!
FFMPEG is an open-source and formidable project for formats transcoding. It’s able to convert a bunch of MTS files in a folder to MP4 format. However, it's a tool completely for technicians. If you are not familiar with the command line, you won't know how to use it.
The installation of FFMPEG is also a hassle. You have to install FFmpeg using package manager - Homebrew in Terminal. But Homebrew is not compatible with many old Mac systems.
All in all, if you are not a developer or a tech nerd, we don't recommend you to make a conversion from MTS files to MP4 with FFMPEG.
Based on our test, there is no problem playing MTS file on Mac. The Mac’s default player, QuickTime, supports the MTS format. Also, you can use other free MTS players for Mac, such as VLC and Cisdem Video Player.
As you can see, it is so simple to convert MTS to MP4. Above we respectively introduced the professional app, freeware, and online converters. The first one ensures to convert MTS files on Mac without losing quality. The other two are totally free to use on Mac and Windows. It's your turn to make your own choice now!
Emily is a girl who loves to review various multimedia software. She enjoys exploring cutting edge technology and writing how-to guides. Hopefully her articles will help you solve your audio, video, DVD and Blu-ray issues.