A Guide for all you Movie Junkies

minkster · Post by **minkster** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:18 pm

Hi all, I have found a complete solution to convert AVCHD. For those of you who don't know, AVCHD is new video format created by Panasonic and Sony which uses MPEG-4 compression to make these high definition video files small and compressed. The only problem is that no video editing programs support this new format. For more information on AVCHD, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD

First, you need to download the following programs:

MPEG Pro HD Plugin
HDTVtoMPEG2
Adobe Premiere Pro

After downloading and installing the following programs, follow the instructions below:

1. Open Adobe Premiere Pro and select the preset named NTSC HDV 1080 30p:

2. Next click File, and then Import.

3. Select your mt2s file and click ok.

4. Drag and drop your m2ts file over to the timeline.

5. Go to file and click export. Then select MainConcept MPEG Pro.

6. Under the Default Profile's tab, select HDV 1080i 25/30

7. Then click the Custom Profiles tab and under fields select Top Field First.

8. Next, select and export and the file should output as an M2t file.

9. The file should now render like so:

10. Congrats! You made an M2t file! Now you just need to do a quick convert using HDTVtoMPEG2

11. Open HDTVtoMPEG2 and click Add. Select the newly formed M2t file from where you exported it from Adobe Premiere.

12. Select MPEG2 from the output file name.

13. Then click Process and it should now export to an MPEG2 file.

And there you have it, a High Def MPEG-2 file which should now be useable in editing programs and plays full speed in Windows Media Player

Note: I've only tested it out in Ulead and Adobe, but it should work with other video editors.
Hope it works for you too!-minkster[/url]

rbrjr1963 · Post by **rbrjr1963** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:30 pm

The cost of the software solution to convert AVCHD is more than the Sony HD camera I'm using to film with! While this may convert the files to a more portable format it is not a practical solution.

minkster · Post by **minkster** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:14 am

Well, if you own adobe premiere pro, the rest of the software that you need is for free. Just download the demo version of the HD MPEG pro plugin which leaves a very small watermark in the right hand corner. The HDTVtoMPEG2 program is a freeware program. If you happen to already own Adobe Premiere pro, then you are set

This is as practical as it could get until Sony Vegas, Ulead, and other editing programs start supporting AVCHD natively, which should happen sometime this spring hopefully. I just wanted to put in my 2 cents that it is in fact possible with an alternative method.

Unidentified Assilant · Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:53 pm

Pretty nice, i'm not too familar with AVCHD itself, and don't like to keep tons of HD stuff (it takes up too much hd space imo), but nice anyway, I can't wait until HD-DVD comes out.

sniper_spike · Post by **sniper_spike** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 8:28 am

Meh. I'll stick with my ~DVD res Xvids. After all, that is what most *cough cough* comes in.
Good job on the discovery though!

rbrjr1963 · Post by **rbrjr1963** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:20 am

NERO 7 Ultra Edition has support for AVCHD/M2TS files. I was able to download their demo and open M2TS files from my Sony camera and convert to MPEG-4. Other output formats are supported.

minkster · Post by **minkster** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:08 pm

rbrjr1963 wrote:NERO 7 Ultra Edition has support for AVCHD/M2TS files. I was able to download their demo and open M2TS files from my Sony camera and convert to MPEG-4. Other output formats are supported.

oooh nice find! Does it support batch processing or do you have to do one at a time?