MPEG-4 .ts files?

I used to export H.264 files and change the suffix to .trs and they'd work in a client's playout server. That server got updated, and they now want the same specs in a .ts file. I'm wondering if there's a way to tell Compressor to do this or if the only alternative is Vantage from Telestream costing several thousand dollars? Or does anyone know another lowe cost encoder that will do H.264 / AC3 / .TS files?

VLC (videolan.org) offers in its manyfold conversion options .ts as format ....

Never tried myself, the few times I tried VLC as a converter, I had a 50/50 chance for fail
ts/transport streams as a delivery format is a bit exotic anyhow, imho....

Pretty sure ffmpeg can handle it.

Ah, forgot about FFmpeg. It is still valid in Mojave? I'll have a look at VLC, which I already have installed, but never have need to use. Until now...

Ffmpeg works as great as ever in Mojave.

Not with some settings. For the specific settings we need, it craps out. But VLC is looking promising. Only issue is 3 out of 4 transcodes come out blocky. Doing the same thing over and over, and not sure why it makes a clean visual one time, and a blocky one another time.

FCPX.guru wrote: … 3 out of 4 transcodes come out blocky. ….

rule of thumb:
'blocks' = too low bitrate

Have you tried a higher one than VLC suggests?

If you use ffmpeg you can still use Compressor to do the encode and then just remux the file with ffmpeg.

Explain that muxing, please.

Yeah, I have to push the bit rate a tad higher than the spec I have to deliver, but we're working on refining things a bit more. Good tip, though.

Assuming that codecs, bitrates, etc are valid for the final TS, simply copy video and audio to the new container using:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy output.ts

I'll try that Monday morning. We need a solution for only two to three weeks to insert commercials. Then we get an updated playout server that will let us submit files we can encode with FCPX/Compressor directly. This is a very old server, about 8 years old, given to us by the over-air network it carries. Very outdated, their system is not great. The new system is pretty modern and handles modern codex. Just got to sweat this out for couple more weeks. But it is great to have the opportunity to explore VLC and revisit FFmpegX. Although in a couple of weeks we won't touch them again.