Creating a Blue Ray Disc from AVCHD

vincej wrote on 1/1/2013, 10:46 PM
HI - I have done alot of editing in standard def but am a complete newb when it comes to HD. I just bought for Xmas a new Lumix FZ200 compact SLR. It will record both AVCHD and MP4.

I have searched these forums and have found a variety of posts specific indivdule questions but have so far not found an idiots guide to creating HD discs. So, questions:

- Is there anywhere a tuttorial on HD.
- Is it correct that Blue Ray ( AVCHD) looks better than MP4 ?
- How many GB do I need in a Blue ray disc for 1 hour of video ?
- Can I burn an MP4 file onto a standard def DW-R ?
- Is a there a prefered BD disc brand - Verbatim 25GB seem to have mixed reviews.
- Reading the various posts I get the impression that the work flow for BD is much the same as the standard def - is that correct ?

Some of these questions might be naive - but like i said I am a newb with H

Many Thanks !

Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 1/2/2013, 8:02 AM
AVCHD video is Mp4 video-- although not all MP4s are AVC. Both MP4s and AVC video use the same H264 compressor, but AVC is a specific form of H264 video. And, if you plan to edit in Movie Studio, I'd recommend you shoot in AVC. The program works better with that format than it does MP4.

Working with high-def video isn't that different than working with standard def. Though you'll be ahead of the game if you base your project properties on your source video. I have a series of free 8-part Basic Training tutorial series working with Movie Studio, including information on how to set up a project for specific video formats. You can find it on the left side of this page: http://muvipix.com/vms11.php

A standard 25 gig BluRay disc can hold about 2 hours of high-def video at full quality. I'm a big fan of Verbatim. It and Tayo Yuden produce the most consistently high quality discs on the market. Memorex are generally pretty bad. But whatever disc brand I use, I always use ImgBurn to actually burn the disc files or the ISO to a disc because it has a built-in verifier that will check to see if the disc burn was successful.

Finally, yes, you can burn an MP4 to a DVD. In fact, you can burn any file you want to a DVD -- but that doesn't mean it will play on a DVD player. You will only be able to play an MP4 on your computer.

You can also burn AVCHD files to a DVD (or a DVD-RW), effectively using a DVD to deliver a high-def video. But a) a DVD can only hold about 20 minutes of AVCHD, b) You won't be able to play it on a DVD player, and c) Most but not all BluRay players can play AVCHD video. So check your disc player's specs before making any assumptions.
vincej wrote on 1/2/2013, 10:00 PM
HI Steve ! Thanks so much for the very useful information ! Another question:

I have a 5 year old Sony Blue Ray Disc Player which plays commercial discs. Is AVC not the format used in commercial discs ? Is AVC not synonymous with "Blue Ray" ?

I use VMS Platinum 12 .

cheers !
TOG62 wrote on 1/3/2013, 2:04 AM
The video on Blu-ray discs can be either AVCHD or MPEG2. Either should play on your player. AVCHD is more highly compressed and is normally encoded at a lower bitrate, but still gives good quality. I have put 4 - 5 hours of AVCHD video onto a 25GB Blu-ray disc with very good results.
Steve Grisetti wrote on 1/3/2013, 7:59 AM
Though I would recommend you try a test AVCHD disc to confirm that your disc player can play it before you invest hours into your project.
vincej wrote on 1/3/2013, 7:02 PM
Thanks for your help guys - What format AVCHD or Mpeg 2 should I use to get the very best picture quality when I have recorded in AVCHD in my camera - don't care of about how much I get on a disc, so long as I can get min. 1 hour HD on 1 BD.

Many thanks !
Steve Grisetti wrote on 1/3/2013, 7:27 PM
Will you be creating your AVCHD disc file in DVD Architect?
vincej wrote on 1/3/2013, 8:11 PM
yes
Steve Grisetti wrote on 1/4/2013, 8:18 AM
Use the Render As preset for Sony AVC/MVC -- AVCHD 1920x1080.

Then make sure your Project Properties in DVD Architect is set up for AVCHD BluRay.
Bob H wrote on 1/5/2013, 2:57 PM
Hi Vince and Steve, can I jump in here please. I record AVCHD 50P from my Panasonic camera, then edit in MS12 (64bit) and finally create BluRay discs. When I render in MS12 I believe I have several options. I can use the MainConcept MPEG-2 template, and usually use the BluRay 1920x1080-50i 25 Mbps video stream, but could I use the HD 1920x1080-50p 30 Mbps video stream? Secondly I can use the SonyAVC/MVC template and use the BluRay 1920x1080-50i 16 Mbps video stream. Could I however, use either the AVCHD 1920x1080-50i or the HD 1920x1080-50p which matches my source video? I am a little confused as to which options I can use to create a BluRay disc and which option is the best/most efficient.
Thanks BobH
Bob H wrote on 1/7/2013, 11:58 AM
No takers for my post!!

BobH
Steve Grisetti wrote on 1/7/2013, 12:22 PM
Might be best to start your own thread with this one, Bob, since it's not really related to the discussion in progress here. Thanks.