MTS (MPEG-2 Transport Stream / AVCHD)
MTS is the file extension for AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) recordings from camcorders and some DSLRs. It uses H.264 video within an MPEG-2 transport stream container and is commonly found on Sony, Panasonic, and Canon camcorders.
MIME Type
video/mp2t
Type
Binary
Compression
Lossless
Advantages
- + High-quality H.264 HD recording direct from camcorders
- + Transport stream structure enables error-resilient recording
- + Widely supported by video editors (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve)
Disadvantages
- − Transport stream overhead is larger than MP4 for the same content
- − File management is complex (AVCHD folder structure)
- − Conversion recommended before editing for better performance
When to Use .MTS
MTS files come from camcorders; convert to MP4 (H.264) for editing and sharing, as most video editors handle MP4 more efficiently.
Technical Details
MTS files use MPEG-2 transport stream packets (188 bytes each) containing H.264/AVC video and AC-3 or LPCM audio. The transport stream structure enables error resilience and random access through PAT/PMT tables.
History
Sony and Panasonic developed the AVCHD format in 2006 for HD camcorders recording to memory cards, replacing MiniDV tape. The .mts extension stores the raw transport stream files from the camera.