AVCHD file conversion

Hi
I've recently moved to the workd of Mac (awesome) but having trouble viewing my old M2TS file format video from a Sony AVCHD camcorder. I've spoken to Apple support and I've read quite a bit on it, but it's one of those topics that just doesn't seam to have a straight forward answer - so here I am...
Should I be looking at converting these files to a more suitable format for the Mac, if so what is the best way to do it?
Thanks
Howie

Try > Free MTS M2TS Converter or another at the App Store, by entering "M2TS Converters" in an App Store search.
For others outside the App Store, see > M2TS Converters for OS X - Google Search

Similar Messages

Canon HF10 avchd file will not transfer in Log and Transfer window

Hello-
I just installed Final Cut Express 4 on my MacBook (intel core due with 4gigs ram... running snow leopard/ 10.6.1) and I cannot get any video to load in from my Canon Vixia HF10. When using the Log & Transfer window my camera is recognized and I see and can preview all the clips that are on the camera (attached via. USB). All video is shot at the highest quality FX rate. When I add a clip to the "Que" the wheel spins for about 10 seconds then it says '1 clip queued' and an orange "!" appears. If I hover over the icon it says 'failed- no data'.
I am using the apple intermediate HD codec 1060i and stereo audio. I have re-installed FCE, removed preferences files, rebooted the computer, restarted and reconnected the camera etc... and no luck.
Any ideas would be much appreciated. I have seen a smattering of others with a similar issue but no resolution that works.
Thanks for your help!

I cannot get FCE to recognize my m2ts (AVCHD) files either. It seems FCE, like iMovie, will import directly from the camera but it will NOT import m2ts files already off-loaded from the camera onto a drive on your computer or network. Some have said it will work ONLY if the entire file set, including the support files the camera creates in addition to the video file itself, is present at the time you attempt the transfer. Worse, Canon's software that most people use to transfer the video files from the camera do not also transfer these support files. It may be doable if you connect the camera and transfer the entire file and folder structure as-is but that's only a guess.
If you are like me who offloaded these files long before I purchased my MAC (and did not also offoad the support files), you may be out of luck. This caveat to working with AVCHD files is a subtle distinction that Apple should clear up, especially since it is prominently highlighting this new capability. I was in the Apple store and viewed the product with a sales associate BEFORE the purchase. The sales associated looked at the Log and Transfer utility and also thought this would work-- so I bought FCE on the spot.
If anyone knows how to import previously off-loaded m2ts files directly into either iMovie or FCE, I would like to hear how it is done. Please note that I have been down the file conversion route too. Toast 10 de-synced the audio and other file converters left horrible jagged edges to moving pictures. De-interlace programs made it worse. Most conversions will introduce some corruption or undesireable artifact.
Others have said, boo hoo, AVCHD is a garbage codec that the pros will not touch and Apple shouldn't either. OK but Apple is attempting to sell its computers to the average Joe and people who like SIMPLICITY. Would be nice if Apple better supported AVCHD "for the rest of us."

How do I play my MTS (AVCHD) files on my TV?

I have read alot bout media players like Roku and WDTVbut it appears that almost every piece of hardware out there does not support .MTS (AVCHD) files. Which is insane to think Canon sells HD camcorders that saves in a format that isn't supported anywhere...Maybe they should make their own Smart TV or media player...of course that's beside the point.
Anyway, from my cursory research, it seems there are only a few options:
1---Convert my .MTS files to some file that's readable on a media player or Smart TV
2---Connect my laptop to my TV with VGA cable or WiDi
3---Use the PLEX channel on Roku
So far PLEX seems like the easiest solution, but I wanted to get the forum's opinion. My main concern is that converting/transcoding video into new formats will lose HD quality. Similarly, I'm concerned that streaming my videos on TV through WiDi does not provide the same HD experience. With that being said, would PLEX be any better that those other options?
More concise: How do I play my home movies on my TV retaining the highest HD quality?

Well ,first you should know , if you compress your video, no matter what format you convert to , it will defenitely has the quality loss, even you will not notice by your eyes. But you can improve it manually. During your conversion , (whatever converter app you use), it may have the option to let you imporve the Bitrate and Frame rate. That two will help you improve the quality. But try to keep the balance between those two or you will get some blurred video.

Can somebody confirm avchd file sizes for me

According to a FAQ I found at http://shedworx.com/?q=volmac-faq
"How big are the output files?
AVCHD files are about 120Mb per minute of footage.
The converted output file will be about four times the size of the input. This is because AVCHD is a highly compressed HD format and we are uncompressing it into a Quicktime-friendly high definition format. Our example 1 minute AVCHD clip becomes about 500Mb in size, after conversion.
The final size of a converted clip has a lot to do with the amount of movement in the clip. A lot of movement will mean a larger file. Action clips can be as high as 7 times the size of the raw clips.
The output files are uncompressed HD footage, making them easy to edit even on a MacBookPro with 1Gb of RAM."
Is is true that 1 minute of avchd will translate to 500mb thats huge. I was going to purchase the sony sr11 but I do not see any benefits of avchd other than not having tapes. It seemed great at first but pro duo memory cards are not cheap and small. also in order to record 10 hours of footage I will need 300gb of space. what if i am on vacation? It doesn't seem logical. Am I missing something? or is this basically true

When you capture HDV or AVCHD video with Final Cut Express, the video is transcoded into Apple Intermediate Codec (AIC). AIC video takes up anywhere from 25GB-50GB per hour of video depending on whether you shot 720p or 1080i. That works out to 425MB-850MB per minute. It's still compressed video, just not as compressed as HDV or AVCHD.
This article provides more details - Final Cut Pro 5: About HDV and the Apple Intermediate Codec
Have you considered the Canon HV20 or HV30? They record HDV video to miniDV tapes. Cheap & easy to use, especially when you're on vacation.

Trouble with flickering after converting AVCHD files to Apple Pro Res 22

Hi guys.
I have figured out that Apple Pro res 22 is the best format for my AVCHD files.
But I am having trouble with the files after converting them to this format.
Every 60 frames I have a blurred frame.
This results in a flickering effect when watching the clip.
The original MP4 clip (AVCHD) plays fine on the Mac but when I convert is it flickers.
I have captured a still shot of the frame here
http://www.willpower.net.au/DOWNLOADS/FrameError.jpeg
Here are the settings I am using for the conversion
http://www.willpower.net.au/DOWNLOADS/Error.JPG
Here is the converted file in Apple Pro Res 22 format with the flickering
http://www.willpower.net.au/DOWNLOADS/SANY0007.mov
I'd appreciate any help that you can offer.

Actually I think I might have found the answer.
After diggin deaper into the camera manual I have discovered that the setting I had it on "Full HD" actually is interlaced not progressive. Even though tha badging on the camera says Progressive"
So I think something got lost when converting the files to apple pro res.
I just shot a 10 sec clip on "Full HR" which is the progressive function and it converted nicely.
I'll come back to this post after shooting and making a little test movie today.
Thanks for your help.
PS. I wonder what codec it actually shoots in. Apparently it is not AVCHD but MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression (I thought that was AVCHD)

Why is so hard for FCE or iMovie to read AVCHD files?

I have some AVCHD files (.MTS) on a hard disk. No camera. And no, the directory format has not been preserved. The files were just copied, and renamed for backup purposes. "Log and Transfer..." in FCE gives me an error about the directory structure. And I can't import with iMovie (just won't let me select the files.)
Now, I think I would have a better chance of finding a solution, if I knew why Final Cut Express 4 or iMovie 7.1.1 can only read the AVCHD file format from the camera directly, or when the directories are setup in a particular way.
Why can't it just read the file? Like how any program can read a JPEG without having to plug-in a camera or create a folder called "PRIVATE" or whatever?
I've wasted several hours on this problem today, and the the only conclusion i can come up with is that Apple has some seriously incompetent or just plain lazy engineers.
There must be a proper technical reason... right?

Hi -
Jason Moore3 wrote:
It's just so weird that all FCE and iMovie can read the files - they just require you to "connect the camera". Why is the camera so important to reading the file?
It's not. It's just an easy way to insure that when FCE or iMovie are looking at the file storage directory, FCE or iMovie will see all the files, the metadata, the media, etc.. It also makes for an easier work flow- just plug in the camera, no need to off-load files and remember where the are stored, etc.. And, it helps develop a workflow where people are not just copying the media files to another disk without the metadata, as in your case, or make a mistake and copy the metadata without the media.
Imagine this: three big tractor trailers pull up outside your house loaded with stuff. As you go out to meet them a driver hands you a small package. You open it up, and inside is a complete description of what is packed, how each item is packed, where each item is in the container, and how best to unpack the containers for the easiest installation in your house. That is what the metadata does. Could you unpack the containers without it? Yes. Is it the optimal way? No.
Many threads discuss how it's possible to backup the whole directory and making a disk image and then "tricking" iMovie/FCE into reading the files, which leads me to think that this stupidity is intentional.
This is not a trick. iMovie has the "Archive All" button on the import window. To later access those files you would use the menu File > Import > Camera Archive. In FCE, where one would expect a slightly more computer savvy user, you can use Disk Utility to create a disk image of the contents of the camcorder files, then later, use Log and Transfer from within FCE to import the footage from that disk image.
Someone doesn't want people to actually have a HD video format that is easy to work with (OMG pirates!!) and so it's been crippled to make it a PITA to work with.
Hmmm, well, all you have to do is follow the recommended workflow - connect the camera, import the footage, and edit. FCE and iMovie take care of the footage conversion from AVCHD which is a format incredibly difficult to edit in to a format that allows easy editing, all without user intervention.
The end result is, I can't view my own content.
The system Apple developed of converting AVCHD to either AIC or Pro Res is probably the best way to make the editing process as painless as possible for the end user.
Having said that, Sony Vegas, a windows application, will natively edit AVCHD files, without any conversion. I don't have any experience with it so can't say what the experience is like, but it might be an alternative for you if the iMovie/FCE workflow is not working for you.
Hope this helps.
Message was edited by: Meg The Dog to fix typo

Does FCP7 directly imports AVCHD files from sony cam?

Does the new FCP 7.0 directly imports AVCHD files from sony cam?
Does it need any conversion? If yes, how is the conversion time, and does the conversion degrades image quality?
Thanks in advance.
Desmond

Which sony camera? there are a lot.
Yes, it needs to convert. AVCHD isn't a format that most editing systems deal with natively. You will be converting it to ProRes. The conversion time is dependent on too many factors to give a precise number. Based on computer used, processors, RAM, how much footage, where it will be stored...all of that. The conversion doesn't degrade the image.
Here...I have a workflow tutorial for this: Tapeless Workflow for FCP 7 Tutorial
Shane

AVCHD file to create a DVD

Hi,
I need to create a DVD with menus from several AVCHD files.
After a bit of fluffing around I ended up importing the files direct from my camcorder into iMovie.
I then did my editing (pretty much just trimming both ends of the various clips). Have then gone to Share-MediaBrowser-Create 720p movie. Am very happy with the way these clips look after this process and its my intention to transfer them into iDVD as individual chapters once they are all created HD clips. I may need a couple of discs but that's no problem and plan to burn the discs at the professional setting.
Am I on the right track here or am I missing some vital step(s) ??
Cheers.

Hi
Feeding iDVD HD-material will not improve - but set off various problems.
DVD is as standard (what ever DVD Author Program used) - interlaced SD-Video in PAL or NTSC - nothing else.
So to get maximum quality
• use a video editing program that can deliver - iMovie'08 or 09 or 11 - can not do that to 100% but discard every second line in the picture.
• iMovie HD6 and FinalCut can deliver 100%
If iMovie'08 to 11 is a MUST then do
• "Share to Media Browser" - AND AS LARGE - Not HD or other resolution as this too degrades the final quality
Then in iDVD - Import from Media button (down to the right) / Movies
on Quality I made these notes.
DVD quality
1. iDVD 08, 09 & 11 has three levels of qualities. (version 7.0.1, 7,0.4 & 7.1.1) and iDVD 6 has the two last ones
• Professional Quality
(movies + menus up to 120 min.) - BEST (but not always for short movies e.g. up to 45 minutes in total)
• Best Performances
(movies + menus less than 60 min.) - High quality on final DVD (Can be best for short movies)
• High Quality (in iDVD08 or 09) / Best Quality (in iDVD6)
(movies + menus up to 120 min.) - slightly lower quality than above
Menu can take 15 minutes or even more - I use a very simple one with no audio or animation like ”Brushed Metal” in old Themes.
About double on DL DVDs.
2. Video from
• FCE/P - Export out as full quality QuickTime.mov (not self-containing, no conversion)
• iMovie x-6 - Don't use ”Share/Export to iDVD” = destructive even to movie project and especially so
when the movie includes photos and the Ken Burns effect NOT is used. Instead just drop or import the iMovie movie project icon (with a Star on it) into iDVD theme window.
• iMovie’08 or 09 or 11 are not meant to go to iDVD. Go via Media Browser or rather use iMovie HD 6 from start.
3. I use Roxio Toast™ to make an as slow burn as possibly e.g. x4 or x1 (in iDVD’08 or 09 this can also be set)
This can also be done with Apple’s Disk Utilities application when burning from a DiskImage.
4. There has to be about or more than 25Gb free space on internal (start-up) hard disk. iDVD can't
use an external one as scratch disk (if it is not start-up disc). For SD-Video - if HD-material is used I guess that 4 to 5 times more would do.
5. I use Verbatim ( also recommended by many - Taiyo Yuden DVDs - I can’t get hold of it to test )
6. I use DVD-R (no +R or +/-RW) - DVD-R play’s on more and older DVD-Players
7. Keep NTSC to NTSC - or - PAL to PAL when going from iMovie to iDVD
(I use JES_Deinterlacer to keep frame per sec. same from editing to the Video-DVD result.)
8. Don’t burn more than three DVDs at a time - but let the laser cool off for a while before next batch.
iDVD quality also depends on.
• DVD is a standard in it self. It is Standard Definition Quality = Same as on old CRT-TV sets and can not
deliver anything better that this.
HD-DVD was a short-lived standard and it was only a few Toshiba DVD-players that could playback.
These DVDs could be made in DVD-Studio Pro. But they don’t playback on any other standard DVD-Player.
Blu-Ray / BD can be coded onto DVDs but limited in time to - about 20-30 minutes and then need
_ Roxio Toast™ 10 Pro incl. BD-component
_ BD disks and burner if full length movies are to be stored
_ BD-Player or PlayStation3 - to be able to playback
The BD-encoded DVDs can be play-backed IF Mac also have Roxio DVD-player tool. Not on any standard Mac or DVD-player
Full BD-disks needs a BD-player (in Mac) as they need blue-laser to be read. No red-laser can do this.
• HOW much free space is there on Your internal (start-up) hard disk. Go for approx. 25Gb.
less than 5Gb and Your result will most probably not play.
• How it was recorded - Tripod vs Handheld Camera. A stable picture will give a much higher quality
• Audio is most often more critical than picture. Bad audio and with dropouts usually results in a non-viewed movie.
• Use of Video-editor. iMovie’08 or 09 or 11 are not the tools for DVD-production. They discard every second line resulting in a close to VHS-tape quality.
iMovie 1 to HD6 and FinalCut any version delivers same quality as Camera record in = 100% to iDVD
• What kind of movie project You drop into it. MPEG4 seems to be a bad choice.
other strange formats are .avi, .wmv, .flash etc. Convert to streamingDV first
Also audio formats matters. I use only .aiff or from miniDV tape Camera 16-bit
strange formats often problematic are .avi, .wmv, audio from iTunes, .mp3 etc
Convert to .aiff first and use this in movie project
• What kind of standard - NTSC movie and NTSC DVD or PAL to PAL - no mix.
(If You need to change to do a NTSC DVD from PAL material let JES_Deinterlacer_3.2.2 do the conversion)
(Dropping a PAL movie into a NTSC iDVD project
(US) NTSC DVDs most often are playable in EU
(EU) PAL DVDs most often needs to be converted to play in US
UNLESS. They are play-backed by a Mac - then You need not to care
• What kind of DVDs You are using. I use Verbatim DVD-R (this brand AND no +R or +/-RW)
• How You encode and burn it. Two settings prior iDVD’08 or 09
Pro Quality (only in iDVD 08 & 09)
Best / High Quality (not always - most often not)
Best / High Performances (most often my choice before Pro Quality)
1. go to iDVD pref. menu and select tab far right and set burn speed to x1 (less errors = plays better) - only in iDVD 08 & 09
(x4 by some and may be even better)
2. Project info. Select Professional Encoding - only in iDVD 08 & 09.
Region codes.
iDVD - only burn Region = 0 - meaning - DVDs are playable everywhere
DVD Studio pro can set Region codes.
1 = US
2 = EU
unclemano wrote
What it turned out to be was the "quality" settings in iDVD. The total clip time was NOT over 2 hours or 4.7GB, yet iDVD created massive visual artifacts on the "professional quality" setting.
I switched the settings to "high quality" which solved the problem. According iDVD help, "high quality" determines the best bit rate for the clips you have.
I have NEVER seen iDVD do this before, especially when I was under the 2 hour and 4.7GB limits.
For anyone else, there seem to be 2 places in iDVD to set quality settings, the first is under "preferences" and the second under "project info." They do NOT seem to be linked (i.e. if you change one, the other is NOT changed). take care, Mario
to get this to work I
• Secure a minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-Up (Mac OS) hard disk
• Use Verbatim DVD-R (absolutely no +/-RW)
• Set down burn speed to x4 - less burn errors = plays on more devices
• No other process running in background as - ScreenSaver, EnergySaver OR TIMEMACHINE etc
• and I'm very careful on what kind of video-codecs, audio file format and photo file formats I use
• and I concider the iDVD Bug - never go back to video-editor to change/up-date - if so Start a brand new iDVD project
• Chapters set as they should - NO one at very beginning and no one in any transition or within 2 sec from it
• Lay-out - Turn on TV-Safe area and keep everything bittons, titles etc WELL INSIDE not even touching it !
Try to break the process up into two stages
• Save as a DiskImage (calculating part)
• Burn from this .img file (burning stage)
To isolate where the problem starts.
Another thing is - Playing it onto a Blu-Ray Player. My PlayStation3 can play BD-disks but not all of my home made DVDs so to get this to work I
• Secure a minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-Up (Mac OS) hard disk
• Use Verbatim DVD-R (absolutely no +/-RW)
• Set down burn speed to x4 - less burn errors = plays on more devices
• No other process running in background as - ScreenSaver, EnergySaver OR TIMEMACHINE etc
• and I'm very careful on what kind of video-codecs, audio file format and photo file formats I use
• and I consider the iDVD Bug - never go back to video-editor to change/up-date - if so Start a brand new iDVD project
• Chapters set as they should - NO one at very beginning and no one in any transition or within 2 sec from it
• Lay-out - Turn on TV-Safe area and keep everything buttons, titles etc WELL INSIDE not even touching it !
TO GET IT TO WORK SLIGHTLY FASTER
• Minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-Up hard disk
• No other programs running in BackGround e.g. Energy-Saver
• Don’t let HD spin down or be turned off (in Energy-Save)
• Move hard disks that are not to be used to Trash - To be disconnected/turned off
• Goto Spotlight and set the rest of them under Integrity (not to be scanned)
• Set screen-saver to a folder without any photo - then make an active corner (up right for me) and set
pointer to this - turns on screen saver - to show that it has nothing to show
• No File Vault on - Important
• NO - TimeMachine - during iMovie/iDVD work either ! IMPORTANT
• Lot's of icons on DeaskTop/Finder also slows down the Mac noticeably
• Start a new User-Account and log into this and iMovie get's faster too - if a project is in a hurry
• And let Mac run on Mains - not just on battery
Yours Bengt W

About to buy Panasonic HDC-SD9: Advice on handling large AVCHD files

I'm getting married soon and want to buy a Hi-Def camcorder to use during the wedding ceremony and honeymoon. I like to Panasonic HDC-SD9 but have some basic questions. Please accept my ignorance!
a) I understand that the HDC-SD9 records in AVCHD, which on conversion to AIC in IMovies 8 greatly increases the file size. The harddrive on my Macbook is only 120GB and a converted one-hour AVCHD video is likely to make a serious dent into this. What is the best way to handle this?
b) Should I use the disk utility to make a copy of the SD card and delete the files from the SD card? How do I ressurect this when I need to use the raw footage? Can I play directly from the Disk Copy?
c) Should I convert the large AIC file into another form to save it on my harddrive? What is the best format to reduce file size? How do I do this?
d) Ideally, we want to give our wedding guests a copy of the wedding footage on a standard def DVD. Can we use IDVD to make a DVD from the AIC file? How much footage can be stored on a normal DVD?
e) What programmes can be used to play the AVCHD file? Can I play it back on Quicktime 7.5.5?
Many thanks

If you go the AVCHD route; My suggestion to most of the questions is to buy an external hard drive (format to Mac OS Extended) and load your footage to that and keep the drive. Then guard it with your life.
IMO: Tape is still an option that has advantages. The tape is a backup and they are inexpensive.
Most NLEs work with the formats and file sizes are smallish. AVCHD can bloat to nearly 50 gig an hour, DV, no more than 13.5 gig.
Al

FCP X only importing portion of AVCHD file?

I recorded a 11 1/2 hour AVCHD file on my Canon M500 in XP+ mode on a 64gb SD card. When I view the video on the camcorder itself I can see the whole 11 1/2 hours, 63.5gb of footage.
When I put the SD card in my MacBook Pro (mid-2010), 8gb ram, 512gb SSD and try to import it into FCP X, it is only picking up the first 6 1/2 hours (~ 32gb) of footage. It just cuts off after that time.
I've tried using PavTube to convert the files but it takes an extremely long time to do the conversion so I canceled it. The program was indicating ~ 55 hours to convert from AVCHD to Apple ProRes 422 format for all the individual files. And each file was about 20gb in size after converting (31 files in all).
Has anyone else had issues importing big movies like this into FCP X?

I am having the same problem here.
Have you found any solution for this mistery?
- I tried to import on imovie, but its creating a huge AIC file and taking too long.
- Mpeg streamclip is not reading my individual MTS files.
- I imported the 4 hours footage that FCPX is not reading into Premiere and I'm trying to export these 4 hours clip MTS from Adobe Premiere into into Quicktime H264 format, but its estimating 23 hours of process.
Should be another way to make FCPX read the whole 10 hours clip or an easy way to export the 4 hours "missing" to quicktime.
Thanks

MTS File Conversion for iMovie

Dear Apple Support Community,
I am struggling with movie file conversions, and getting the optimum results from such a process before starting my editing work in iMovie.
I have a Canon HD camcorder which records movies according to AVCHD standards. Before using iMovie, I need to convert the .MTS files to a format which is compatible with iMovie, and I have tried the following:
Copy the files from the SD card on to my HDD.
Using Toast 11 (Titanum), I have selected different profiles to convert the file to formats such as MOV, M4V, MP4 etc.
The converted files yields a size that does not match the original one i.e. a 300 MB file after being converted, is now either 791 MB, or 96 MB in this case.
When importing the converted file into iMovie, iMovie still wants to optimize the file for some reason (I believe using APPLE INTERMEDIATE CODEC resolves the optimization issue)
Import the files directly from the SD card into iMovie, provided I have not altered the original file structure i.e. when inserting the SD card, iMovie recognizes the SD card the same way it would for connecting the Camera.When I select the videos to be imported, iMovie does so without hassles, but the files again turn out to be bigger than the original file by a factor of between 2 and 3, depending on the original file.
What is the best way to convert files to preserve the quality as close as possible to the original?
Is it normal for coverted files to be larger than the original file after being converted (smaller makes sense, but bigger just baffles me)
Thanks for any feedback!

Thanks for the great feedback.
I do have struggles though in general, part of which originates from my camera itself.
My camera still has a tendency to record an interlaced effect even though my settings are confidently selected to progressive (I have 50i and 25p to choose from - 25p is my selection).
However, when I use Toast Titanium, I have an option to select the source video to be deinterlaced, but Toast does not do a good job at deinterlacing, compared to Handbrake. The benefit of my Toast Preset is that I can covert the video to an Apple Intermediate Codec, which means that when the files are imported into iMovie, the process is rather quick.
When I convert using Handbrake, the software does a pretty **** good job at deinterlaing, but the downside is that I cannot find a preset that makes import into iMovie satisfactory.
So, in light of all this long discussion I gave, my question is really, what is the best file converter for iMovie to convert MTS files that need to be deinterlaced.
Thanks for any help!
Adios

AVCHD Files with a Canon VIXIA

Hi Gang
Trying to understand AVCHD (.mts) with a consumer Canon VIXIA and limited equipment: A Mac Mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.0 (Early 2009)
Using 'Wondershare Converter' for PC, the AVCHD files off the Cannon, are unreadable on a Mac 10.6. After converting, the file was imported into FC6 as a QT file, (1920X1080), but required FULL RENDERING. The subsequent raw HD files, (see the test clips): https://vimeo.com/94284834 were extracted from 2 different older HD cameras and readable as QT directly off those cameras.
Whatever method AVCHD files are converted thru, (for example with ClipWrap), it seems the extra render time is unavoidable. Unless using an intell based Mac Pro Desktop?
With the advent of AVCHD (.mts) progressive piles, the process involves the extra conversion, thus the extra render time.
A 'work-around' with limited equipment, using iMovie 11 does a pretty nice job. Any drawbacks?
Are there 'Other' Pro-sumer Camcorders capable of saving 'QT files' immediately compatible for Mac avoiding the conversions?
BTW - Since there's no option for 'High Profile H.264' in the FC6 drop down, (also as recommended by Vimeo) I tried 'XDCAM' - apologies, the extracted test clip appears stretched.
Thank you!

If you want to work with current cameras, you need to use current tech...more current computers. Now you see the limitations of your workarounds. Wondershare on PC doesn't convert to FCP editing codecs. And not all QT movies are editable. You've been on these forums for quite some time...you should know this. Clipwrap will convert to an editing format...ProRes. Do that. If you use the "re-wrap" option...then you'll need to render in FCP.
iMovie...converts to Apple Intermediate Codec, which is a "lossy" format. Lower quality, and lacks things like timecode. A non-professional format. But, if you want to stick with old OLD tech, then you do what you need to do to band-aid your way to making things work.
The only "prosumer" camera that recorded to QT files that FCP could edit right away were JVC cameras:
http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/category.jsp?productId=PRO4.1
FCP 6 doesn't do "High Profile H.264" as that came out far after FCP 6 was introduced. Again...if you want to work with current formats...deliver current formats...you need current hardware/software. Adobe Media Encoder will do what you want...but it won't work on your old OS, nor your old Mac.
Sorry.
Get a MacMini...they are cheap, and very capable. Oh, but then you won't be able to run FCP 6 on that. But FCP 6 doesn't do what you currently need to do either.

Canon AVCHD files cannot be Drag'N'Dropped to iMovie?

Canon AVCHD files cannot be Drag'N'Dropped to iMovie?

AVCHD from no manufacturer can be drag'n dropped.
AVCHD has to be imported via 'from camera' to trigger iMs internal conversion routines.
if your Canon shoots 60fps, this is not supported by iMovie (advice for iM11)

Adobe Photoshop Elements Organizer Stops Working due to Sony AVCHD files

Hello I installed Adobe Photoshop elements and have been having trouble with it crashing.
To solve this problem I deleted my Catalog and added a Catalog with only one folder.
This folder has photos, in JPEG and Sony .ARW format as well as AVCHD files.
I found that by removiing the AVCHD files from the catalog the SW would no longer crash.
This really is not a practical solution since my PC has many folders with many AVC files.
I am trying to see if there is a SW patch or another way to address this issue.
Thanks,

It might work but this is not a practical solution.
I have many picture folders on my pc and several of these have AVC files.
My intention was to use Photo Shop Essentials to edit my pictures. Unfortunately the "Organizer" app crashes when trying to work with my Catalog.
I have narrowed it down to only happening when there are AVC files in my folders. I have seen others have this issue and I found the issue by what they recommended.
Sadly if I am unable to get this to work with my current folders I will have to dump Essentials for another application.

Premiere Pro CS4 does not handle AVCHD Files well.

Loaded the master collection of CS4 when it first came out. I had purchased CS4 for the AVCHD file format. I had no problems using Premiere Pro until I ugraded to version 4.0.1 in March of this year then all AVCHD file selections dissappeared. Hence, I could not create new AVCHD projects and the existing projects did not fuction properly. I have been through a series of uninstalls (and deactivations) and reinstalls. Reinstalls did not work. Had to delete by renaming the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Installers\7e74552a59eaf9fafd13f90894ac9bd to get the reinstall to work. I have also used Windows Install Clean Up to remove all Adobe CS4 files that the windows "Add or Rmove Programs" did not remove. When I did get the reinstall to work, Premiere Pro would work for awhile then became slow to the point the project became unusable. Tried the all upgrades again and again the selection of AVCHD files dissappeared. I do not need the AVCHD Intra capability. The last uninstall I just uninstalled Premiere. I could not reinstall Premiere until I uninstalled the entire master collection than the reinstall of just Premiere succeeded. Premiere was totally unusuable.
Has anyone had similiar issues with Premiere Pro and AVCHD files and were you able to resolve the problem? I am considering removing all Adobe products, including past versions and trying the reinstall again, or create another profile and install just the Adobe products, or - the last resort - reformating my hard drive and starting over again. I would like to get Premiere Pro working again properly before reformating.
Previous versions of Adobe have worked with no problems.
Computer profile:
Windows XP sp3
5 hard disks each with 300 mb free
Intel Quad Core @2.4GHz each
4 GB of Ram
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS

You might do a "this forum" search at http://forums.adobe.com/community/premiere/premierepro_current to check on the revert to trial problem
I have CS5 so read there, and don't REMEMBER any such complaints
You do know that CS5 is 64bit only... so you will need to get Win7 64bit... and have a 64bit motherboard?
The computer I built is linked to in My CS5/AVCHD 1st Impressions http://forums.adobe.com/thread/652694?tstart=0

AVCHD file conversion

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