VS11+ Importing AVCHD Video

[etech6355]

David,
Right now I would be patient and wait for the next ulead update patch to VS11+. Make sure to keep your M2TS or MTS files backed up on your cams harddisk to your new quad computer (nice specs), burn them to a dvd etc.

Unless I'm mistaken with the update patch you will be able to load these MTS or M2TS files directly.

MovieFactory 6+ also had some problems with the avchd video files. now after installing the latest patch2 I can load the files directly into the timeline. They were working on the MF6+ patch for awhile so I would expect a patch for VS11+ to out next.

[sjj1805]

....... I had been having some trouble with a usb mouse that was plugged into a PS3 mouse adapter. The mouse was giving me trouble so decided to replace it because it was time and maybe related to this problem (didn't really believe it would fix the problem). ..........
Out of all the computers I've ever repaired I've never come across this one. New mouse fixes importing..........Or.......The program is mousey.

Not as crazy as you may think. a faulty item of hardware can have a knock on effect to the rest of the computer. A few months ago my DVD Burner was on its way out, early indications began with problems getting it to eject - even when there wasn't a disc in the tray.

I began to notice a few odd behaviours on the computer. After replacing the DVD Burner those odd behaviours ceased. I am no electrician - I can change a plug - but I get the impression that you can have "dirty electricity" flowing through you motherboard caused by a faulty piece of hardware.

[sdub]

I have a Sony HDR-SR7, a hard drive AVCHD camera, and I'm able to move videos off of the camera, catalog them, and import them later into VS11... here's how I do it:

1. Record video (duh!)

2. Copy MTS and CPI files from camera into subject-organized folders on my PC's hard drive:

Code: Select all

D:\RawVideo\2007.08.12 - Trip to the Zoo
D:\RawVideo\2007.08.19 - Johnny's Birthday
D:\RawVideo\2007.08.25 - Kids Playing
etc...

3. Setup a "fake" BluRay disc on my PC's hard drive like follows:

Code: Select all

D:\DVD Staging Area\AVCHD\BDMV\CLIPINF (folder)
D:\DVD Staging Area\AVCHD\BDMV\STREAM (folder)
D:\DVD Staging Area\AVCHD\BDMV\INDEX.BDM
D:\DVD Staging Area\AVCHD\BDMV\MOVIEOBJ.BDM

You can get the BDM files from your camera's hard drive... VS11 wants them to be present, but it doesn't use them, so don't worry about updating them.

4. When you're ready to mix a movie, copy the desired *.CPI files into the CLIPINF folder and the *.MTS files into the STREAM folder.

5. In VS11, Go to Capture->Import from DVD/DVD-VR->Import DVD Folder. Browse to the AVCHD folder described above.

6. Select the clips you'd like to import and choose "Import".

7. Do your thing in VS11, and export video as 1080i HDV for PC playback, or as NTSC DVD (16:9, Dolby Digital 5.1) for DVD authoring.

I still haven't figured out how to export to an HD file with Dolby Digital support. It seems that the NTSC DVD profile is the only one that supports DD5.1 audio. Come on now!

[etech6355]

Hey, thanks for posting this information. Very helpful.

I still haven't figured out how to export to an HD file with Dolby Digital support. It seems that the NTSC DVD profile is the only one that supports DD5.1 audio. Come on now!

You can easily do this in MF6+ using it's Export Feature. Also VS11+ but it's some work.

[David K]

Thank you etech6355 - I will wait for the patch with baited breath. At least there's hope. How do you find MovieFactory 6+? If I end up doing much more of this I would definately consider it.

Interesting idea from sdub - The file types are different with the HDR-SR1 but as I see it the concept is to recreate the file structure from the camera HDD on the computer HDD and if what you are saying works, VS will import these. I will try it... for now I have lots of room.

Thanks,

[etech6355]

David,
Do you have a Sony/Pioneer Blu-Ray Disc player or Nero latest edition 7 ultra enhanced with Nero Showtime & a fast computer? I guess PowerDVD7 also works.
I'm wondering how most persons are playing back your HD AVC files to a HDTV.

Actually I'd like to see the directory structure that's created on these cams.
I'm curious if the top level directory starts with BDMV and then all the sub-directories below the BDMV directory, the actual videos should be in the STREAMS folder if I'm correct. But the other directories that are created are there for a few reasons I think. But I need more information on these avchd cams. They all have something different about them.

It would help me for posting & helping out with these new cams if people could post their cams make & model along with the directory structure is? I don't need to know the files within these sub-directories except for the size of the smallest file that's in the STREAMS folder (this small file should only be in kilobytes). Also whether the videos in the STREAMS folder are MTS or M2TS file extension.

[David K]

Thank you etech6355 - to date to see the HD videos (I don't even have a HD TV) I take my camera over to a friends place, plug it in using the HDMI cable, and watch them on his 63" HDTV. The shots I took last weekend in top quality HD came out amazing! Hard to believe the quality of a $1700 camera.

I tried copying the dir structure from the camera HDD to my quad PC and importing them from there. ...same as before, as soon as I click "import" the program vanishes and windows reports it had a hernia. Thanks "sdub" anyway.

The dir structure on the HDR-SR1 is as follows: ( "-"=dir level )
AVCHD
-BDMV
--CLIPINF
---00000.CPI to 00296.CPI (1 TO 2 KB)
--PLAYLIST
---00000.MPL (48 KB)
--STREAM
---00000.MTS to 00296.MTS (2,688 KB TO 251,808 KB)(HI DEF RAW VIDEO FILES)
--INDEX.BDM (4KB)
--MOVIEOBJ.BDM (1K)

AVF_INFO
-AVIN0001.BNP (40,960 KB)
-AVIN0001.INP (40,960 KB)
-AVIN0001.INT (296,960 KB)

DCIM
-101MSDCF
-- DSC00###.JPG (ALL STILLS TAKEN)(### = consecutive numbering)

MP_ROOT
-101PNV01
--M2U00###.MPG (ALL NORMAL DEF VIDEO FILES)

When the files are imported using the Sony software, the target dir contains all the HD files and corresponding modd files for each:
20070902#####.m2ts (2,6881 KB to 251,808 KB)
20070902#####.modd (1 KB)

hope this helps
thanks

[etech6355]

When the files are imported using the Sony software, the target dir contains all the HD files and corresponding modd files for each:
20070902#####.m2ts (2,6881 KB to 251,808 KB)
20070902#####.modd (1 KB)

One last question.
When you use the Sony software to transfer the video files to you harddisk the videos now have an extension of "m2ts"
The thing I'm curious about is does the Sony software also create the corresponding directory structure similar to below and puts these files in the STREAM folder. In other words does the Sony Software duplicate the camcorders directory also on the computers harddisk? It would be nice if it did.

It's doing something, reason I say this is the very small file in the STREAM folder on the cam should be a menu file. If you take a close look and load this small file you should see icons for each recording that was done.

Sorry for all the questions, I don't understand why the 2 different container formats are being used. MTS versus M2TS. The M2TS is the new format for AVCHD disks, this format will most likely be the equivalent of the dvd format, the only difference being the avchd disk will be in high defintion format with menus, chapters, sub-titles etc.

So does the Sony software also create this directory structure on the harddisk after importing these files.

\BDMV -
______ \BACKUP
______ \CLIPINF
______ \PLAYLIST
______ \STREAM ( with all the .m2ts video files )

Sorry for all the questions, Finally making headway and have been able to work with these videos and properly convert them.

You should be able to simulate a AVCHD disk using your cams harddisk directory structure, only problem is it's in the wrong container format for optical avchd disks..
If you mirror the 4 directories above with all their respective files (you may have to include all the directories, not sure). To you harddisk. Then using the latest version of Nero Showtime that comes with Nero7 Ultra Edition Enhanced along with the latest updates (the trial version is the latest update). First in Nero Showtime enabe "Hardware Accelleration" under the Video tab. Then open up Nero Showtime and use the "Play From hardisk Folder" feature. Naviagate to and select the BDMV folder on the harddisk and select "OK". If it works you should be able to play the videos simiar to playing a dvd. You do need a fast computer to playback the avchd video files.
You may be able to do this directly form the cams drive letter assigned by windows to your cam but I don't know how fast the harddisk is on the cams and then considering the USB interface connection so I would suggest copying to the harddisk and playing back from the harddisk.
If this works Nero should load the BDMV directory and then load the menu file, same as playing a dvd from the harddisk.

BTW - I've tested this on my setup and it works, but not sure about your camcorder.

[sdub]

You can easily do this in MF6+ using it's Export Feature. Also VS11+ but it's some work.

Can you elaborate? I've tried every way I can think of, and it I can't get DD audio as an option, unless I choose the MPEG DVD profile.

[sdub]

Interesting idea from sdub - The file types are different with the HDR-SR1 but as I see it the concept is to recreate the file structure from the camera HDD on the computer HDD and if what you are saying works, VS will import these. I will try it... for now I have lots of room.

Actually, I don't think they're different at all... the directory structure you describe below is identical to what's on my HDR-SR7. I think it's a standard directory structure for Sony cameras. I thought it was a standard Blu-Ray disc layout, but etch's comments above make me think that it's not.

when you import using the Sony tool, you just get a flat directory of M2TS files... nothing more. Since VS11 can see the AVCHD directory as though it's a DVD, I would think that Nero could, as well.... I'll try it tonight, too.

[etech6355]

when you import using the Sony tool, you just get a flat directory of M2TS files...

That stinks, unless the software has other options to it to also carryover and rebuild the directories to reflect the new m2ts files. They are the same files, just in a slightly different container format..
A real BDMV Blu-Ray disk has the 4 directories I posted above and more directoires to it. A Blu-Ray disk also has it's files in the m2ts containter format. Usually it's hd-mpeg2 format but can also be H264/AVC format. The m2ts is a Mpeg2TS (transport stream) container, similiar to a dvd's VOB container.
The container is used to transport the video & audio around.

Not much documentation on this stuff. Learn as you go, causes headaches.

[David K]

1. sorry to sdub, you are correct. The file structure is the same, I was looking at something else.

2. as sdub replied, when you transfer the files from the camcorder to the PC you choose(or create) the directory to put them into and the Sony software copies the .mpg and the .modd files (for SD video) or .mts copies to .m2ts and .modd files(HD video).

If you want the original dir structure, you can just copy and paste the whole thing into the PC as is. The camcorder shows up as another drive on the PC as soon as you turn it on and select PC to camcorder connect mode. The nice thing is that is grabs all the HD, SD and jpg images at the same time. The import also changes the .mts files to .m2ts which the sony sw will play(albeit with dropouts and jerkyness). We just have to get VS11 to understand .m2ts files.

The only files in the STREAM folder on the cam is the .mts files that sony translates into the .m2ts and .modd files. The index.bdm in the BDMV dir is code, the movieobj.bdm in the BDMV dir is code as well but it looks like it may have to do with the sequential file numbering.

The sony software is supposedly able to create a dvd directly from the cam, but I have been hesitant to do this as it can only be done once(readme) and I am fearful that if I do I won't be able to import them into VS. I am much more interested in working with the video files than viewing them in thier raw state.

thanks for all the digging.

[Vesuvian]

I have read through the entire board on how to import AVCHD files from my Sony HDR-SR1. I have tried both Importing the DVD folder directly from the camera and moved the entire AVCHD directory to my hard drive and tried the import from there.

VS11 just crashes and dissappears. No error message at all. I have tried it on my XP machine and my Vista Laptop machine with the same result.

Are there any error logs to review that could tell me what is causing the problem?

Help!

[sjj1805]

I do not have High Definition but from reading the various threads on this subject it appears that currently there is a problem with the importation of AVCHD and VideoStudio. It appears that if you have MovieFactory 6+ this issue has been addressed in service pack #2 and so hopefully a similar fix will be released in the near future for VideoStudio.

Officially the correct way to import AVCHD is to treat it as you do importing from a DVD Video Disc and use the import from DVD function.

[etech6355]

I have read through the entire board on how to import AVCHD files from my Sony HDR-SR1

There are a few posts on the VS format on how to fix this error. It's in an index file.
I do know that the users of those cams copied all the files from the cams harddisk to their local disk. Then fomatted the cam harddisk. With the harddisk empty they copied an index file over to the harddisk replacing the index file from the original.

Make sure to keep the original MTS files because eventually you will be able to load them directly into the program.