iPhone's hardware video pipeline is optimized for H.264 (all models) and H.265 (iPhone 7+) in MP4/MOV containers. MTS/AVCHD files from camcorders use an MPEG-2 Transport Stream container with interlaced 1080i video and AC3 audio — a combination that iPhone cannot play natively. iPhone Video conversion deinterlaces, transcodes, and repackages camcorder footage for iPhone's specific hardware and display characteristics.

The iPhone cannot open .mts files in its native Files, Photos, or TV app. Even VLC on iPhone handles MTS via software decoding, which causes battery drain and thermal throttling. AVCHD's 1080i interlaced video also produces visible combing artifacts on iPhone's progressive OLED or LCD display.

Converting to iPhone Video creates a file that iPhone's dedicated video decode chip processes with minimal power consumption. The MP4 container integrates with AirDrop, iMessage video sharing, the Photos library, and iCloud sync. The conversion also optimizes bitrate for iPhone's screen size — the phone's 6.1-6.7 inch display does not benefit from AVCHD's 24 Mbps bitrate.

FFmpeg deinterlaces and encodes: `-vf yadif -c:v libx264 -profile:v main -level 4.0 -crf 23 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 48000 -ac 2 -movflags +faststart`. For iPhone 7+ with H.265 hardware: `-c:v libx265 -tag:v hvc1 -crf 25`. The `hvc1` tag is required for Apple QuickTime/CoreMedia compatibility with HEVC.

Resolution: 1920x1080

Bitrate: 8-12 Mbps

H.264 recommended for fast processing

Resolution: 1080x1080

Bitrate: 3.5 Mbps

Square or 9:16 for Reels

Resolution: 1080x1920

Bitrate: 4 Mbps

9:16 vertical, under 60s ideal

Resolution: 1280x720

Bitrate: 5 Mbps

Under 140s, 512MB max

Resolution: 960x540

Bitrate: 2 Mbps

16MB limit for standard, 64MB for document

Resolution: 1280x720

Bitrate: 4 Mbps

8MB free, 50MB Nitro

VLC for iOS can decode MTS via software, but this uses significant CPU, drains battery quickly, and may stutter on long or complex videos. Native MP4 playback via hardware is always preferred.

720p at CRF 23 is sufficient for most iPhones — the quality difference from 1080p is negligible on a 6-inch screen. Use 1080p only if the video will also be AirPlayed to a TV.

H.265/HEVC requires iPhone 7 or later (A10 chip). For compatibility with iPhone 6s and SE (1st gen), use H.264. The `hvc1` tag is required for all Apple H.265 playback.

Yes. iMessage handles MP4/H.264 natively. Videos under 100 MB send at full quality; larger files may be compressed by iMessage.

Date and time metadata can be preserved during conversion. Camera model and shooting parameters are not typically carried over from MTS to MP4.

AVCHD cameras split long recordings into multiple MTS files at the FAT32 4GB boundary. Convert each separately — they maintain timestamps for chronological sorting in the Photos app.

Device	MTS	iPhone Video
Windows PC	Partial	Partial
macOS	Partial	Partial
iPhone/iPad	Partial	Partial
Android	Partial	Partial
Linux	Partial	Partial
Web Browser	No	No

Feature	MTS	iPhone Video
Full Name	AVCHD Video	iPhone Compatible Video
Extension	.mts	.mp4
Best For	HD camcorders	iPhone optimized

Convert MTS to iPhone Video — Free Online Converter

About MTS to iPhone Video Conversion

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