What is Transport Stream (TS)?

Transport Stream (TS)

Understand Transport Stream (TS) — the foundation of digital broadcasting. Learn how Nevion’s Virtuoso platform manages TS for professional contribution, distribution, and monitoring across IP and traditional broadcast networks.

Transport Stream (TS) is a standard digital container format for transmitting video, audio, and data over broadcast networks in real time.

 

A Transport Stream (TS) is a standard format defined by MPEG-2 Systems (ISO/IEC 13818-1) for transmitting or storing audio, video, and metadata in a synchronized, error-resilient way. TS is widely used in digital broadcasting systems such as DVB, ATSC, and ISDB, as well as for professional contribution and distribution workflows.

The design of Transport Stream supports real-time broadcasting across unreliable or noisy channels (like terrestrial, satellite, or cable). Features such as fixed-size packets (188 bytes), error correction, and time-stamping ensure that media can be delivered continuously without interruption. TS can multiplex multiple video and audio streams (programs) into one stream—making it ideal for broadcasting multiple channels over the same frequency.

 

What Nevion Does

Nevion provides advanced solutions for managing Transport Streams in professional broadcast and contribution networks:

  • Nevion Virtuoso: Supports multiplexing, de-multiplexing, and processing of MPEG-2 Transport Streams, enabling broadcasters to adapt content for contribution, distribution, or monitoring.

  • TS over IP: Virtuoso enables the reliable transport of MPEG-2 TS over IP using protocols such as SMPTE ST 2022-1/2 and ST 2022-7 hitless switching, ensuring error-free delivery even across wide-area networks.

  • VideoIPath: Orchestrates and manages TS flows across hybrid infrastructures, integrating them into larger workflows that may also involve ST 2110, SRT, or cloud-based services.

Benefits & Advantages of Transport Stream

  • Error Resilience: Designed for unreliable channels with error correction and synchronization.

  • Multiplexing: Multiple programs (audio, video, metadata) can be combined into one stream.

  • Standardization: Global adoption across DVB, ATSC, ISDB, and IPTV ensures compatibility.

  • Flexibility: Suitable for both broadcast transmission and IP-based contribution.

  • Scalability: Supports large-scale distribution of multi-program transport streams (MPTS).

 

Comparison with Other Formats

Format / ProtocolDescriptionUse Case Example
Transport Stream (TS)Packetized container for real-time broadcastDVB/ATSC broadcast, contribution networks
ST 2110IP-based, essence-separated media transportStudio and live production workflows

Common Questions

Q: What’s the difference between Transport Stream and Program Stream?
A: TS is optimized for real-time broadcasting over noisy channels, while PS is optimized for reliable environments like storage or editing.

Q: Can Transport Stream be carried over IP?
A: Yes—TS can be encapsulated and carried over IP networks using standards like SMPTE ST 2022-1/2 or SRT for contribution/distribution.

Q: Is TS still relevant with ST 2110?
A: Yes. While ST 2110 is used in production, TS remains essential for contribution, distribution, and traditional broadcast transmissions.

Further reading