I've been using Pinnacle Studio Plus version 12 to author Blu Ray discs. I edit with VMS9 Platinum, then render as Sony AVC using the AVCHD 1920 x 1080 NTSC 5.1 Surround template. I drop the ren dered m2ts files on the Pinnacle timeline, add chapter markers and a front-end menu, then render out a Blu Ray disc image. This is probably not the most elegant solution, but it works for me. Hopefully the next version of VMS will include Blu Ray authoring with menus.

The only issue with that solution, is that while the competing product accepts AC3 (in V12), it will not give you discrete 5.1 when you export/burn. In fact, it downmixes to stereo so that the back and front play the same sound. This is the main reason that I moved to SVMS.

There are other consumer products where you may have better luck (such as Nero).

Thanks. I had been using pinnacle but had problems with the files from my SR12 so went with VMS9 not realizing that their stated BLu Ray support did not mean authoring support. I will try your process and also hope they make the blu ray authoring available on next version.

You were actually able to render a AVCHD video in VMS9 Platinum? I have tried everything and based upon other posts in the forums, it's pretty much impossibe. What is the length of the video you were able to render? I bought a new, high performance PC just to do this and am still having problems? Any tricks?

See if this helps. Cin
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2008/02/23/create-blu-ray-video-in-plain-dvds-for-free/

I have been able to render out AVCHD m2ts files up to 20 minutes in length on my Windows 7 64-bit system after using CFF Explorer to change program memory settings, as described elsewhere in these forums (fora?).

Sony still hasn't got it quite right with their AVCHD renders...when played using Windows Media Player and other media players, after about 2 minutes the m2ts video starts to become very choppy and the audio becomes increasingly out of sync with the video. However, I can use these files on the Pinnacle timeline to author Blu-ray discs with menus, and the discs play just fine on my PS3 and other Blu-ray players.

I'm wondering if the new version of Pinnacle (ver. 14) supports output of 5.1 surround sound.

I have a pet peeve here... nearly everyone calls them DVD Architect v4.5 vs. DVD Architect v5, but it is really DVD Architect Studio 4.5 vs. DVD Architect Pro 5. They are two different programs, not two versions of the same program. That's not a marketing ploy, that's a difference between the consumer-grade package and the more expensive professional-grade package. But it would still be nice to have some sort of Blu-ray and AVCHD authoring capabilities in Platinum.

Regarding AVCHD renders, here's a method I wrote up that's a little more streamlined than Eugenia's that OhMyGosh referenced, above:
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=12&MessageID=694144