What is a MTS file?

MTS — AVCHD Camcorder

What is it?

MTS is the format used by digital camcorders: it's what you'll find on the memory card of a Sony, Panasonic, or Canon device in the AVCHD line.

It carries more than just video: it embeds timecode, date, and shooting settings, all organized in a strict folder structure that must not be disturbed when copying files.

History & origin

Sony and Panasonic jointly created the AVCHD standard in 2006 to succeed the DV tape, capitalizing on H.264 encoding and memory card storage.

The format relies on the MPEG transport stream, the same one used in digital television broadcasting, chosen for its robustness.

Why it is useful

Excellent high-definition quality, with shooting metadata attached to each clip.

Professional editing software supports it flawlessly.

Limits & drawbacks

Unreadable as-is by most consumer players, and rejected by video-sharing sites.

Its folder structure is fragile: pull files out of their tree, and some software can no longer reassemble them.

Practical tips

Convert your MTS files to MP4 as soon as you offload them from the camcorder: you'll get files that play everywhere, with no visible quality loss.

Always copy the entire card, folder structure included, before doing anything else: it's the only way to avoid losing data.

Convert your MTS in seconds, on our secure servers in France.

Convert a MTS