MTS Files to MOV

[newfielander]

Hi I'm trying to change a few MTS file(AVCHD) to .MOV files,is this possible using ProX4? I have tryed this but the sounds is all messed up or the video is always sticky when trying to watch the outcome.

[Ken Berry]

Which version of VS are you using, and which version of Quicktime is active on your computer?

[newfielander]

Hi Ken, I'm using Corel VideoStudo ProX4 Ultimate,as for what version of quicktime is active on my computer? I'm not sure, but why should that make a difference, I guess I'll get what version I would need, as long as I can convert the files.

[Ken Berry]

It's important because it is the Quicktime codecs which are used by VS to process and produce .mov video. Moreover, some users have had problems when they updated Quicktime from the version which is installed with VS. Either the video is produced without sound, or is not produced at all. Other users, like me, have no trouble updating QT and still have it function with successive versions of VS, but we have never been able to work out why some of us are lucky and others are not.

But usually if there is a problem with .mov, we suggest rolling back QT to the version which came with VS. A related problem then, though, is that for users of iPods, the loading program iTunes will only work with the most up to date version of QT.

[aljimenez]

You did not ask, but I am curious why you want .mov files? To my knowledge there is really no need for .mov files for most anything one does with video any more. Not needed for Youtube, not needed fo Vimeo, not needed to play on any pc or Mac, not needed to burn DVD's, etc... Al

[newfielander]

Thanks there Ken for the responds, so your saying it can be done,I didn't see a choice of where I could save as a .MOV file.There is no preset option in {create video file) called save as .MOV ,other than in the custom. Than the options I have to are many in saving a MOV which is great but sometimes I wish there was just a set standard option, (Save as MOV )and thats it,because it sometimes causes confusion with too many options, unless I was a Professional Editor.
Why I'm asking all this to begin with is I have a HD cam thats saves video files as MTS(AVCHD) and I have a friend that wants a few clips that I got, but he wants it save as MOV files,he is using the footage on his TV program. I don't know a whole lot about HD footage but isn't MTS,(AVCHD)format better quality than MOV format? I was sending him the footage on a dvd,simply as a data file, not compressed to dvd format.I thought once he got the files the editor should be able to work with the data files which was on the dvd, copy them to a computer and not have any quality or resolution lost.But he seems to disagree.He's what he said,''When you burn a DVD for consumer playback, the audio and video
components are separated into two "threads" on the DVD file
listing; "Video_TS" and "Audio_TS." Within these folders are all
the video and audio contained for a particular DVD, in .vob and
.bus formats. These are the ONLY formats on a DVD, and when made
through a DVD application, none of the files are ever in .mov
format - no matter who burns it, what type of file they were
when taken off the camera, or for what purpose the DVD is made.

In order for us to use the video properly, and to remove it from
a cd/dvd without losing resolution, it MUST be in .mov format,
which you can place onto a blank DVD and burn it that way, just
as if you were burning a CD of music or documents. Additionally,
you should have no concerns about quality loss, as QuickTime
.mov format is the standard for full HD output in all realms of
production.

Is what he saying correct in your opinion? Thanks so much for your help.

[Ken Berry]

I was going to say in response to Al Jimenez's question above that many TV stations or production units associated with them, seem to prefer the .mov format. But in a sense, .mov is another wrapper format, and a wide variety of types of video can be encompassed within it, including HD formats.

Your friend is obviously confusing a standard definition video DVD with the data DVD you say you prepared, with the AVCHD originals simply burned as data on the DVD. Yes, a *video* DVD has the Video_TS folder filled with .vob files (which are in effect standard def mpeg-2 files with the .vob extension) plus .ifo and .bup files. But that is not what you have done. But here I am assuming that you have used some other program, and NOT Video Studio, to burn the data disk since VS cannot burn such disks. If, however, you *did* use VS and chose 'AVCHD' as the output disk format, then you will not have burned either a data disk nor a standard def DVD, but what is called a hybrid or AVCHD disc. It has a Blu-Ray type BDMV folder on it, and the video will be in a sub-folder called 'STREAM'.

That being said, if your original AVCHD had a bitrate of no more than 18 Mbps, then the video in the STREAM folder should be of the same quality as the original video. But if your camcorder can film at a higher bitrate e.g. 26 Mbps, then the video on the hybrid disc will be of lesser quality than the original.

So we need to know exactly how you prepared the data disc i.e. which program you used. But if it is indeed a proper data disc, then your reasoning IMHO is correct and giving the video to your friend in its original format will obviously be better than converting (i.e. reprocessing) it to .mov and then burning it to a data disc.

[newfielander]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH KEN!! I LOVE IT WHEN I'M RIGHT LOL. I will double check and see if in fact I did send him a data file. I believe I used a program called Nero.
But here was the tricky part for me, when I was cutting out 8 seconds of footage,(thats what he want) from a MTS file which was, lets say 2 minutes long,using VideoStudio ProX4, I saved the file as AVCHD file and put it on a dvd,as a data file. Was there a better choice than that, to which I could have saved the 8 second file as? I could name out all the choices that I had ,but I'm sure you know what they are.Thanks again

[Ken Berry]

Well, to an extent it depends on the properties of the original file. Using the normal Create Video File templates, VS can only produce an AVCHD file with a max bitrate of 18 Mbps. But if you have a camcorder which shoots at the new AVCHD limit of 26 Mbps (or is it 28?) then saving the edited clip in AVCHD format in VS would mean it will be taking a quality hit. So if you right click on the original clip in the VS timeline, copy all its Properties here please. Then we will have a clearer idea of exactly what we are dealing with.

[newfielander]

Hi Ken , here I have attached a photo of both properties, MTS been the orginal which is to the right and the footage I send to my friends properties on the left. Now ofcourse the duration and total frames of the 2 are different,but thats to be expected.I see a little different,but do you think the resolution and quality of the sent footage suffered much?
So VS will not allow me to simple cut lets say 8 sec of my orginal file and save it and end up having the same properties?

Both properties, click on pic to see a better view.

[newfielander]

Hi Ken I forgot to answer your question about how I burned the files i needed to a dvd, well using VS I cut out of the MTS files the clips that my friend wanted, and saved them first to my computer as AVCHD,and than used a program calld Power Director,not Nero as I mentioned, to make a data dvd.Thought I should let you know.
Deon

[darthjack]

you can try transcode your mts files to mov with Handbrake and burn them onto dvd with Imgburn. all are freebie.