How to convert my AVCHD files to....anything playable

August 19, 2010 5:38 PM

I have a Canon HFS100 camcorder that creates very clear, very sharp, very, very processor-intensive AVCHD video files (.mts extensions). Is there a simple way to convert these to a different codec, ideally upon import, so that my HTPC can play the files?

I have an atom/ion HTPC that can handle HD video from various online sources, but it absolutely chokes on my videos of the kids. I have a 1TB drive attached to it via USB, and that's where I store the video files - SD card goes into the builtin reader, and files get copied to the USB drive.

I'm looking for something that I can run automatically, or at least easily, whenever I copy new files to the drive that will convert them to....something. I'm willing to deal with a little bit of a quality loss if it means I can actually watch the videos. The computer is running windows 7, and a free solution is pretty important for our cash flow situation... Note that I am not interested in editing the videos - just playing them

posted by um_maverick to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

I think you're going to want to try a program called "Handbrake".

But, are you sure it's the Atom/Ion processor combo that's choking on the files? I have an Acer AspireRevo 3600 with the Atom/Ion combo and it plays AVCHD files in 1080p without a hitch. I wonder if the bottleneck isn't the file transferring over USB (which is much slower than, say, a SATA connection).

I would try copying the video file over to the computer's built-in hard drive and see how it runs from there before assuming you need to convert to a different format.
posted by BobbyVan at 5:48 PM on August 19, 2010

I use an HSF-20 and 21 at work. This model seems at least comparable. You can convert from HD 1920-1080 to SD DVD format in-camera. I know the HSF-200 does this too. I think it outputs to standard 9kbs 720x480 widescreen DVD format. Your's should be able to do this too, though I don't know that for certain. Look in your manual.
posted by sanka at 6:12 PM on August 19, 2010

What codec are you using to play the files? Not all h.264/AVC codecs are created equal. CoreAVC Pro is resoundingly superior to everything else out there in terms of CPU usage, and easily chews through clips that others choke on when the CPU usage is too high. This is a DirectShow filter, not a media player, which means that once installed it will work with any media player software that uses the system codecs.

If that's not an option then transcode the files with ffmpeg, which can output h.264 of any resolution, profile, and bitrate that you desire using the x264 library which is the best h.264 encoder on the planet.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:37 PM on August 19, 2010