What Is a TS File Extension? | How to Play TS Files

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What Is a TS File Extension?

April 17, 2024

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What is a TS file? A TS file is one of many different file types you might encounter when working with videos and DVDs. But what is a TS movie file, and how to play TS files? A lot of people ask these kinds of questions, and the TS file extension can cause a lot of confusion the first time you see it. In this guide, we'll look at a clear definition of a TS format. We'll also go over how to playback TS files and provide some solutions for when you want to convert a TS file to MP4 with a TS file converter too.

What is a TS file?

Before we look at how to convert TS files to MP4 or some methods for playing TS files, it's important to begin with a definition. So, what is a TS video file? A TS file is a type of video stream file. It's used to store video content on DVD and Blu-ray discs.

It makes use of standard MPEG compression in order to compress video data, mostly being used for saving streamed or broadcast video content. If you look at the files on a standard DVD disc, you may see a sequence of TS files representing the different parts of video content contained on the disc.

How to open a TS file: best and free TS file players

You may find yourself with TS files that you want to access and need to know how to open TS files on different devices, such as how to play TS files on Windows 10 or Mac.

If you want to open a TS file stored on a DVD or Blu-ray, you can simply make use of a DVD or Blu-ray player as normal, without the need for any extra equipment or software. In terms of playing TS files on computers, you can also play them straight from the disc or make use of different media players.

There is a wide range of free TS file players you can download to your devices and start using right away for how to open TS files.

4Videosoft TS Converter

OS
Windows

4Videosoft TS Converter is a popular TS file converter for Windows platforms. It can be used to convert TS files into other formats, as well as to convert other files into TS format too.

It supports dozens of different video file types, from MPG and MP4 to AVI, MKV, 3GP, and MPV, as well as 4K and HD video too. It also works with converting many different types of audio files, such as MP3, AC3, WAV, WMA, and OGG.

Designed to be both powerful and simple to use, 4Videosoft TS Converter is a speedy and reliable TS converter, and it also offers a range of professional editing tools and features for users who want to adjust and improve their video files.

You can trim, crop, merge, add watermarks, and carry out a range of additional edits and changes to your existing video clips, as well as improving quality or compressing files to make them more portable or easily readable across different devices such as iPads and Android phones.

MPC-HC

OS
Windows

If you're looking for a very simple and lightweight media player and TS file player, in particular, MPC-HC is a good option to choose.

This program will not take up much space on your hard drive, nor will it use up many of your system's resources while running. It's a very simple but effective tool for playing TS files, as well as offering support for dozens of other video and audio file formats too.

Exclusively available on the Windows platform, MPC-HC comes without any ads, spyware, or toolbars, so users can install and use it without any worries or unwanted add-ons or inconvenient experiences.

Plus, it's one of the most beginner-friendly TS file players, perfect for people who don't have too much experience or don't like the confusing menus and complex features of other players around.

It can be used as a DVB player, as well as being fully customizable, with a wide selection of options that will appeal to intermediate and advanced users, such as custom toolbars.

The entire program is open source and regularly updated with bug fixes and simple improvements to make it more enjoyable for its users.

5KPlayer

OS
Windows, Mac

Available on both the Windows and Mac operating systems, 5KPlayer is a highly rated and widely used media player and online video downloader, with a tab-based interface letting you switch from one function to the next with ease.

A highly versatile and multifunctional tool with a lot of features and functionalities, 5KPlayer essentially acts as both a free UHD video player, as well as an audio player, media streamer with AirPlay and DLNA support, and a downloader for online videos from your favorite sites like YouTube and DailyMotion.

In short, users can rely on 5KPlayer for all of their media needs, including playing TS files, without any inconvenience or conversion required. It supports countless other file types, too, both video and audio, and it lets you wireless stream audio as desired with no quality loss whatsoever.

5KPlayer is available as a free download on the platform of your choice and is available in various languages to suit users from around the world.

It features hardware acceleration with support for Intel, AMD, and Nvidia devices, as well as working with all kinds of video files, from 4K to VR. It even features a range of built-in editing options like subtitles and rotations.

PotPlayer

OS
Windows

PotPlayer is another TS file player you can download and start using today on Windows systems, working with various versions of Windows from Windows 7 all the way back to Windows XP.

Featuring enhanced hardware acceleration, this media player is able to offer exceptional levels of performance, maintaining high standards of audio and video quality in all file types while taking up minimal amounts of system resources.

In short, it allows users to get the best results out of their devices, no matter what sort of set-up they're using, and it can work well even on low-end Windows systems.

Supporting a huge range of formats, including TS files, PotPlayer is a media player that users can rely on to work with all of their different audio and video files.

It even works with 3D and has some of the best 3D performance of any media player, working with various forms of 3D glasses and allowing users to enjoy the full 3D experience on their 3D TVs or PC screens.

It works with many subtitle formats and codecs too, with no need to install new codec packs or download extra packs all the time.

In addition, PotPlayer also offers a range of advanced features to appeal to the more technically adept users out there, such as sound card selection, chapter and scene bookmarking, Direct3D9 Ex Flip Mode support, snapshot previews, and DVD support too.

GOM Player

OS
Windows, Mac

GOM Player is one of the most downloaded and used media players in the world, with a lot of happy users and a lot of good reviews. Supporting a huge range of file formats, from AVI and MP4 to MKV, FLV, and TS too, this video player is one that users can rely on for all of their video playing needs.

It's even usually able to configure damaged files to play properly with simple dialog box prompts, as well as allowing users to watch parts of video files they're in the process of downloading at the time, so you don't have to wait around for downloads to finish before you can start enjoying them with GOM Player.

Another great feature of this TS player is its subtitle library. The library is regularly updated with new data and releases, with tens of thousands of subtitle tracks in various languages ready to load up automatically and match with the films and files you play.

GOM Player supports 360 VR playback too, and users who want to take their experience to the next level can consider paying a premium price and upgrading to GOM Player Plus for 4K UHD movies with no buffering, no ads during playback, and priority customer support.

VLC

OS
Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS

VLC is one of the most popular open-source media players available. It's totally free to download and use, with millions of downloads and users across the globe, and it works across all major platforms and devices, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS too.

Regularly updated and improved, this media player is able to support many different file extensions and formats, including TS files, and it can even be used for conversions too.

It plays DVDs, audio CDs, VCDs, streaming protocols, and many forms of media, offering support for the vast majority of codecs like MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 without the need for any extra codec pack downloads or complicated installations.

Users won't have to worry about any ads, user tracking, or spyware in the VLC download, and the player itself can be customized with an array of user-created skins, as well as a library of useful extensions too.

What's more, VLC has speedy hardware decoding and a huge range of advanced features that will appeal to users who like to have full control over their viewing experiences, from subtitle synchronization to video filters.

How to convert TS files

In some cases, it may not be easy or even possible to play a TS file as you would like. If you're interested in how to convert TS files to MP4 and want to find the best TS-to-MP4 converter, you can make use of Movavi Video Converter. Movavi Video Converter is an easy-to-use conversion tool for both Windows and Mac devices, supporting file conversion and processing in more than 180 different media formats, including TS. It allows you to compress videos into different files and sizes without losing quality. It also offers simple editing features like trimming clips to make them shorter or merging multiple video files together into one larger file. You can even add subtitles with this tool, and it lets you control the quality, bit rate, and file size of your converted files as desired.

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Download and install. The first step to using Movavi Video Converter to convert TS files into other formats is to download and install the program. Download the software and follow the on-screen instructions to install it on your system (the software is compatible with both Windows and Mac platforms).
Open the program and add your files. The next step, once the software is installed, is to open it up and start adding your TS files. To do this, click on the Add Media button in the top left part of the app window, then press Add Video in the dropdown menu and search your device for the TS file(s) you want to add.
Configure the settings. Once your TS files have loaded into the app, you can use Movavi Video Converter's options and features to configure the quality and format of your output files or just continue with the default settings. You can choose between a range of different outputs, like MP4 and AVI, and select from various profile presets to suit the type of file you want to create. You may also use the converter to extract the audio from your TS video files and save it in MP3, FLAC, OGG, and other formats. Here, you can also use advanced settings, such as adding subtitles to the converted files.
Convert the TS files. The final step of the process is to press the Save to button to decide on a destination where your new files will be saved, and then press the blue Convert button in the bottom right to convert the files. You will then need to wait for the software to process the conversions.

Summary

TS files can seem confusing or difficult to work with at first, but there are many different ways in which you can play and use these files on your devices. As this guide shows, it's also very easy to convert TS files into other formats to make them more compatible for playback with your favorite media players and platforms.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a TS file?

A TS file is a type of video file that is used on DVDs and Blu-ray discs. They can be played on different media players or directly with the use of a DVD or Blu-ray player. They may also be converted to different formats with the aid of a converter program or tool.

How do you play TS files on Windows 10?

There are several ways in which you can play a TS file on a Windows 10 device like a laptop or PC. You can make use of various media players that support TS files, such as 5KPlayer and VLC. You can also choose to convert the files to other formats that can be used with a wider range of media players.

How do you convert a TS file to MP4?

To convert your TS file, you can use Movavi Video Converter. Just follow the steps below.

Download Movavi Video Converter to your device and install the software, following the on-screen instructions.
Open the program and click on Add Media, then Add Video, and then click on the TS file or files you want to convert.
Choose your output format and adjust the settings as desired.
Press the Convert button in the bottom right of the app window to convert.

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