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Here's the good news, finally after 1X DVD burners, trying every free trial, programs. I finally made a DVD that is a exact copy of my camcorder video. Unlike Ken, you'll be able to fit 46 minutes, and 26 seconds, on a single layer 4.7 GB DVD with 5.1 audio. Rendering time is minutes, not hours. No more pixels, facial color splotches, etc.

Originally, I thought the problem was the final stage of making the AVCHD DVD's. I tried CBR's, VBR's; same results. At higher bitrates, it semed to me the same pixelation was there; but seemed to look sharper, not diminishing. After taking a closer look at the source, I realised that resultant video, regardless of what type of avi, mp4, mp2, method, or program I used, to render the video, it looked like crap compared to the original. But now, I produced 2 AVCHD DVD's using Ulead X2 Pro, that are exactly the same as the original camcorder video.

Now, the bad news. You're going to need another program. I found a free trial non-recoding AVCHD file trimmer. The program I use is real buggy; it crashes alot; and is a Beta stage program. I had to buy it, because when you put a lot of files together, and do a lot of trimming, it can crash on you; and the demo version cannot save your work. After you trim, and add your files, you make a HD-MPG file. One, for each chapter if desired.

Bad points, you can't adjust brightness, white color balance etc. But, I'll take a bad color balanced video with true HD, than one with colors corrected, and lost in quality.

How I first made a great AVCHDVD? I took a AVCHD DVD I made, copied it to a folder in my Hardrive. I substituted, the stream file, with the one from my camcorder, and changed the extension, id. Then I burned the whole folder, to a DVD-RW. Presto..!!! Lights, colors, exact copy of my camcorder AVCHD video.

How to make, a true, exact copy AVCHD Disc, with Menus, using Ulead X2.. First, you have to find a non-recoding AVCHD trimming program.

2- If you're gonna make chapters. You have to make a seperate mpg file, for each chapter, that you trimmed and added together. Say you made 3. After you made your three mpg files. Hopfully under 46 minutes. Use Corels' Video Studio X2; Movie Wizard. Open the wizard. Click, "Insert video" find where you put the videos, and insert only one, of the videos you made; even If more than one.

Next, click next. Forget about the theme template; this only seemed, to hang-up my computer. Click next again. Now click; "Make Disc", make a AVCHD disc. Now, on the next page; you will see your video, on the timeline. Delete that video, you donot want the theme template. After you deleted it, go to the top of the page, and add your video again, and any other, you made. If you want menus, make sure, the menu box; is checked. Next, fix up your menus, as you like. Then burn your; AVCHD Hybird disc. Wow, just what I always wanted, what I filmed; I finally get.

Data rate; CBR, VBR, settings doesn't matter. Only the size, of your file does. The HD-MPG files, are not re-coded.

Note, I used the Ulead Editor (AVCHD file output) to make titles. But putting them into the buggy, AVCHD trimmer, caused problems on my Panasonic BD30 Blu-Ray, AVCHD player; but not on my computer's Blu-Ray burner. So to be safe, I took out the titles, in the trimmed videos; and remade the videos, without the titles; with the trimmer; and then placed these title videos, between the front and/or back of the new videos, in the X2's Movie Wizard timeline. I then, hid those titles, and moved them out of sight, on the menu pages.

You can also take your AVCHD files, without the trimming; and do the same with the Movie Wizard. You might have to put them in a folder, and change the extention type ids'. You'll get the same video, you see when you hook up you Camcorder to your HD-TV. Which is what I wanted. Also, you cannot trim these files once you place them in Movie Wizard, or anything. Took me more than a month, experimenting to get a true copy AVCHD disc Iike I know you want.

Rich -- I just wanted to let you know that it was me who reformatted your post above. After wading through the enormous single block of text of your original post, I realised it was in fact quite useful for others. But to make it a bit more easily readable, I thought it should be broken up into separate paragraphs.

I noted also that you could fit 46 minutes of AVCHD on the disc. In fact, in my original experiments with hybrid discs, I fit 52 minutes with pretty good quality. You said:

Data rate; CBR, VBR, settings doesn't matter. Only the size, of your file does.

Well, yes, that is so. A single layer DVD cannot hold more than 4.3 GB so your file of course has to be below that. But equally, to make sure your file is 4.3 GB or less, you have no alternative but to alter the data rate. That is what determines size, but of course it also determines final quality. The figure I have given elsewhere of fitting no more than 20 minutes of AVCHD on a single layer DVD was based on a VBR of 17 Mbps, which is the maximum quality setting of many AVCHD cameras (though not the latest Canon range which uses a max. of 24 Mbps).

So if you have fit around 46 minutes of video on a single layer DVD, that means you would have had to use a data bitrate of something around a max. of 12 Mbps. That will still give you good quality and will certainly look like HDV. Moreover, there are quite a few of the older AVCHD cameras which tend to use that sort of data rate in any case.

But the only way of guaranteeing an almost identical high def equal to the original for a perfectionist like me, is to use the exact same video properties of the original in your rendered version. So if your original uses 16.8 Mbps or 17 or 18 Mbps, then in your final render, you should use the same to get (near) identical quality. But as I say, using such a bitrate will also increase the size of your final file such that only around 20 minutes of video using those settings will fit on a DVD...

I would also be interested to know the name of the unnamed other program you referred to.

Ken, you are 100% correct. These files were from my first AVCHD cam. Panasonic HDC-SC1. 11-12mps. No matter what settings I set, ulead to. The files are mpg compliant, and my file size; remain the same. The program; I used to trim the video files from, Elecard. Called the Elecard, AVC HD editor; beta. It does not recode the files at all, it just trims it. if you want to trim, the video. The program that came with my Canon HF100. I tried today. But it alters the file, and ulead; renders it terrible. Also, it kills my 5.1 audio, if I use special effects, like; transistions.

Ken,
If you try this program. You'll see what I'm talking about. Your flie size will not change, not matter what settings; you set Ulead to. The video, except, for what you trim, does not change. You get exactly what you recorded. http://www.elecard.com/ It's amazing. Haven't tried my Canon yet with it. I filmed the Carnival in Rio; and talking about rendering problems. There is no, recoding at all, with this program. I get my exact video. Even if I lower the bitrate; Ulead, will not shrink the DVD data, it is fixed. I have to shorten the time of the video. Ken, wait 'til you try this. If you're a perfectionist, this is for you. Unfortunately, if your file is 1.1 GB, it willl stay 1.1 GB. But that's what I want. Any special effects, titles, I make with the Ulead editor, and I stick; between each original clip. Remember, when you make the AVCHD disc. Delete the; "theme video clip"; and add your clips there, minus the theme.

To see hybird disc, you still need a Blu-Ray player, or PS3. Using the method above, you get a 1:1 GB video transfer, of your files, no degration. Ken living in Australia, I hope you can get some. I went to www.shop4tech.com; I was finally able to get a ink-jet pritable, Blu-Ray disc; for under $8, and not have to buy a minimum of 50, or more. You can get 10 for $5.40 each; 20 for $4.50 each; I think. Used X12, to make my Blu-Ray disc; with my edited menus.. Perfect 4 hours of AVCHD to Blu-ray; with this disc; with plenty of space to spare. I can only get 3 hours, with 4 AVCHD discs; with my older AVCHD Camcorder @12mps. To burn 4 disc @ 8 min. each; compared to; 1, 15 minute; 4 hr Blu-Ray disc. It's the way for me to go. I just needed an affordable, injet printable Blu-Ray disc. These work. Blaze 4x White printable Single layer.
Don't forget to use a BR-RE disc, to make sure your project is right first. Save , Blu-Rayfolders. Then, I have to use Cyberlinks, Blu-Ray Data copy progam; make sure, you go to options, and use the UDF 2.5 file system. The Joilet file system, does not work on Blu-Rays; or UDF 2.4 or under.

Update to the above subject. Using X2; not X12. I burned 18 GB on these disc. Copied the Blu-Ray folders, X2 made; using the UDF 2.5 file format. If your burning software, (copy a Blu-Ray data disc) doesn't provide UDF 2.5 selection; the Disc will not play, in your Blu-Ray players. All 8 disc, I copied from the folders worked perfect. I did +3 hours, not 4. 4 hrs will fill almost a whole disk. Burn takes 16.5 minute, for each copy disc. So I assume 4 hours, will be about 22 minutes. Note I burned these disc, using a LG GGW burner at 4X. And 20 cost $4.99 each. Not bad for ink-jet printable. So far, seen no errors, or inkjet smearing.