avc extension AVCHD - what is this format? Advanced Video Codec High Definition - improved high-definition video codec

High Definition (HD) video has been actively penetrating from the professional to the household sector in recent years. On store shelves, more and more televisions and plasma panels have the coveted “Full HD” and “HD Ready” inscriptions, and in the video camera departments, a significant part of the shelves are occupied by cameras capable of shooting HD video. Even digital point-and-shoot cameras with a video recording function are increasingly capable of shooting video with a resolution of not 640x480 pixels, but 1280x720, or even full-fledged FullHD video with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels (you can read more about modern video cameras in digital video).

All this contributes to the fact that video enthusiasts increasingly prefer HD video cameras, even though their price is noticeably higher than that of SD (Standard Definition) video cameras. And in order to fully experience the delights of HD video, you also need an HD TV, which often costs no less than the video camera itself (or even more, depending on the diagonal). For many, it is enough to see the difference once in a store between what shooting with an HD video camera and an SD video camera looks like on an HD TV, and doubts about which camera to choose disappear on their own – the choice falls on HD. At the same time, buyers are usually not embarrassed by the novelty of the video format, and the thoughts that there may be problems when working with it fade into the background, or do not even arise. After all, there were no problems with the old video camera, where can they come from with the new one - it’s only better, and even more expensive?

In principle, if you only need to watch video from a video camera connected to an HD TV, then problems usually do not arise after correctly connecting the cables according to the instructions, the video is played back in all its beauty and high-definition detail and is pleasing to the eye. But many users gradually have more and more questions, and when searching for answers to them, it turns out that everything is not as simple and clear as it seemed when purchasing. Starting with how and where to save the captured video when the storage media in the camera is completely full, and why the video shot with an HD camera does not play on a household DVD player (and it is not clear how to “stuff” this video into it). And finally, what to do if you want to edit the video, and even just watch it on a computer? a hitch can arise even at the stage of unsuccessful attempts to copy the video into it.

In this series of articles we will try to answer some questions that arise when working with HD video and tell you how to solve the most common problems.

2. What is AVCHD?

AVCHD is a video compression format used in most modern high-definition consumer camcorders. This acronym is short for Advanced Video Coding High Definition. The last two letters are all clear (HD high definition), but what is AVC?

AVC (Advanced Video Coding, literally translated as “Advanced Video Coding”) is a video compression format also commonly known as H.264 and MPEG4 part 10. It is a variation of the MPEG4 format, developed as a significant improvement on the MPEG2 format (long used, for example, in discs DVD Video). With a high-quality implementation of the encoder, the Advanced Video Coding format allows you to save an image of higher quality (with less loss relative to the uncompressed original) than MPEG2, even with a lower compressed data stream (bitrate). This is achieved through more than two dozen format improvements (however, their detailed explanation contains quite complex technical details, which is beyond the scope of this article). However, this also requires significantly more complex calculations when encoding and decoding data.

Also, you should not think that video compression in the formatAVC automatically means that the camera is better than all others that do not record video in this format. The quality of the image primarily depends on the quality of the optics, the correct operation of the automatic exposure meter, the low noise of the matrix (see below), the real resolution of the matrix (or matrices, if there are 3), image processing algorithms by the camera processor, the amount of compressed data stream (bitrate ), encoder implementation and other parameters.

AVCHD is an abbreviation proposed by Sony and Panasonic, which means more than just a set of letters. The AVCHD format imposes some additional restrictions on data formats, namely:

1. Video and audio are stored in an MPEG Transport Stream container.
2. Sound in consumer AVCHD cameras is stored in AC3 (Dolby Digital) format.

There are many video cameras that can shoot high-definition video in the AVC format, but do not comply with the AVCHD standard, for example, photo video cameras that save video in MP4 and MOV (QuickTime) containers. The technical features of different HD video formats in AVC format will be discussed in the following parts of the article.

3. Why AVCHD?

The first HD video cameras that appeared in the household sector (the very first one was) shot video in HDV format. In fact, this is a long-existing and well-proven MPEG2 video compression format, saved on an also long-known and widespread medium - the miniDV cassette. They even preserved the data flow rate - about 25 megabits per second for video and sound, which made it possible not to change the tape speed, recording density and the mechanics of the camera tape drive mechanisms. This made it possible to reduce costs and not further increase the cost of cameras due to the cost of developing new mechanics.

The MPEG2 format, due to inter-frame compression, is more efficient in terms of compression ratio than DV, but due to the fact that the area of ​​a full HD frame is 5-6 times larger than SD (for PAL and NTSC, respectively), it requires a large data stream to obtain high quality results. Therefore, to reduce the visibility of compression artifacts, we had to resort to a trick. The image is stored on the tape, compressed horizontally to a resolution of 1440x1080 pixels, and during playback it is stretched to the full resolution of 1920x1080. This approach is called anamorphizing the image, and the pixel in the video is not square. This made it possible to achieve a certain compromise between video quality and data flow.
However, in dynamic scenes with a lot of small details (foliage swaying in the wind, small splashes of water near a fountain, rafting on a mountain river), the MPEG2 data stream of 25 megabits per second is not enough, and the HDV image sometimes crumbles into small squares (although this is usually not noticeable). The situation is aggravated by the fact that, due to the high resolution, the pixels of the matrices of HD video cameras are usually smaller (have a smaller area) than those of good standard-definition DV video cameras, as a result, the noise level is higher, and the image is compressed less efficiently.

As is known, noise is a high-frequency component of an image, and when there is a large amount of it, a significant part of the compressed data stream is spent on storing noise instead of the “useful” main part of the image. Therefore, the efficiency of video compression is higher, the less noise it initially contains. Preliminary noise suppression in the image gives some gain in quality, but too aggressive noise reduction introduces distortion and deterioration of image detail.

The storage medium is not without its drawbacks. A DV cassette, while relatively cheap and quite highly reliable, nevertheless sometimes allows for isolated failures and frame drops. In MPEG2 format with inter-frame dependency, this can lead to the loss of an entire group of frames (GOP). Another drawback that annoys many users is low speed: only in real time, i.e. the data is copied into the computer for the same amount of time as its duration (a one-hour tape is inserted into the computer exactly one hour).

Therefore, in modern household video cameras, manufacturers are switching to both other storage media (recordable DVD, Flash, hard drive) and to the more modern video compression format AVCHD. In addition to the advantages (improved recording quality with less data), this format is not without its disadvantages (they are mainly related to the complexity of its decoding). We will talk about some of them and ways to combat them below.

4. Copy AVCHD video from camera to computer

Depending on the storage medium, the process of copying data from AVCHD cameras to a computer is somewhat different from simply copying from an HDD or flash drive. If the camera saves video to a recordable DVD, be sure to read the instructions for the camera, namely the section relating to copying data from the camera or a DVD recorded with it to a computer. There are different ways of copying, both from a camera connected to a computer, and simply from a disc inserted into the computer's DVD drive. This can be done either using the software that came with the camera or using some video editors. You can also simply copy files from the disk using Windows Explorer. If you cannot copy video from the disk (the computer reports that the disk is supposedly empty or faulty), then you need to finalize the disk (close it, see the instructions for the video camera) before transferring data from it to the computer. Some cameras require power from the mains rather than a battery.

But even after finalization, the disk may still not be recognized by the computer. The reason for this is usually that AVCHD discs use the UDF 2.5 file system, and Windows XP does not support this file system by default. For it to appear, you need to install the appropriate driver. In particular, to do this, it is enough to install the Nero InCD program (you can read more about this in digital video). After installing the driver, the files on the DVD will be accessible through your computer's DVD drive.

AVCHD video cameras with other storage media (Flash, hard drive) are usually connected to a computer via a USB 2.0 interface using the included cable, and after connection are available in the computer as a removable disk. Flash media can be placed in a Flash Drive and data can be copied from it to a computer without the participation of a video camera at all, which has certain conveniences (for example, you can have several Flash cards, one of which is located in the camera and is used for shooting video, and data from the other at this time are copied to the computer).

Regardless of the storage medium of the AVCHD camcorder, the video on the medium is stored in files with the mts or m2ts extension. This is short for MPEG2 Transport Stream, the name of the container in which AVCHD video is stored. A container is a “shell” for storing data that “does not know” what data formats (video, sound) are stored inside. In particular, the MPEG2 TS container can store video in MPEG2 or MPEG4 formats, and audio in a variety of formats (MPEG Audio, uncompressed Linear PCM, AC3/Dolby Digital, and others).

After a DVD with AVCHD video is successfully opened in the computer, or the camcorder is detected by the computer as a removable disk, it is enough to find all files with the mts or m2ts extension on the connected disk (they may not be located in the root folder of the disk, but at an address like AVCHDBDMVSTREAM), and transfer them to the computer this is the captured video. The file extension may be different (for example, tod in the case of MPEG-2 camcorders manufactured by JVC), but you can find video files according to a simple principle they have the largest volume compared to all other files (usually service files) on the storage medium . Then the video files can be viewed using a software player, opened in an editing program, etc.

Some editing programs and players may not understand non-standard file extensions, so you may need to change the video file extension to.mpg.

If copying video files manually presents a certain difficulty or inconvenience, it would be useful to turn to the CD, which is usually included with the AVCHD camcorder. It usually has a program that allows you to transfer video from a video camera to a computer, and even carry out simple editing. Moreover, it may also be of interest to “advanced” users who know how to copy video from a camera manually.

For example, some camcorders come with a Picture Motion Browser program.

It allows you to conveniently select videos and photos on the camera’s media, copy them from the camera to your computer, view them, catalog them, simple edit them, and some other operations. Therefore, immediately after purchasing a video camera, it would be a good idea to try installing the programs included in the kit - they may well be sufficient for many operations.

5. Watch AVCHD video

Once the video is copied to the computer, there is an obvious desire to watch it. By default, Windows probably doesn't have the necessary decoders, so you won't be able to watch videos using Windows Media Player.
As mentioned above, video cameras usually come with some software that allows you to copy video from the camera to a computer. Often it can also perform the functions of a player. Therefore, the first thing you can do is install the software from the included disk, copy the video from the camera using it, and try to watch the video in it.

Of course, the software that comes with the camera does not satisfy everyone. For various reasons: the user interface is unusual or inconvenient, the number of necessary functions is insufficient, or the work is too slow, which is why the video does not have time to be shown in real time, frames are skipped, the video looks “like a slide show,” etc. AVCHD is a fairly “heavy” format even for decoding, so this situation is quite likely (see more about this below).

Therefore, many will probably want to install some alternative decoder or player for the AVCHD format.

We would like to warn you against the desire to immediately install different sets of codecs, or codec packs (Codecpacks) likeK-Lite. The reasons for this have already been discussed in " ": many codecs and other modules in codec packs can conflict with each other, and this can have a detrimental effect on even the simple playback of some video files, let alone editing.

In particular, according to feedback from some members of the Digital Video forum, problems arise when using the Picture Motion Browser, which may not work if codec packs are installed on the system. And if you need to edit video, the problems can be even more serious: although video can open successfully in players, editing programs can fail and even fail when you try to open the same video files in them, or during the process of editing them. Other oddities may occur: for example, for unknown reasons, the editing program may not detect sound in an open file.

What’s even worse, problems can arise at the very end, at the stage of outputting the editing result to the resulting file. Localizing the causes of these problems, much less solving them, is usually extremely difficult, if not impossible. Even after removing codec packs, “garbage” may remain in the system, and in this case, only a complete reinstallation of the system “from scratch” helps.

CoreAVC decoder

To play AVCHD video, you can install a separate decoder that is not included in the codec packs. One of the best such decoders is .

After installing it, the video can be played by almost any player, for example, the system Windows Media Player.

CoreAVC is one of the fastest (productive) decoders, which is a very good quality. At the time of writing, not all computers have sufficient performance even for simple AVCHD playback.

To comfortably watch videos in this format, you need a fairly powerful processor; a 2-core processor with a fast memory bus and a large cache size is highly recommended. So don't be surprised if your laptop with a single-core processor likeIntelCeleron video in the player “slows down” or even resembles a “slide show”, and the sound “stutters”.

It's easy to check whether the processor is to blame - just launch the system task manager (Task Manager) while playing a video and see what the processor load is. If at least one processor core is 100% occupied, this is a sure sign that it is the bottleneck. In this case, you will almost certainly need to upgrade the processor to a more powerful one (which often also requires replacing the motherboard and RAM). Sometimes using a powerful video card can help; some software players can use a graphics accelerator to speed up video decoding (such players will be discussed below).

A fair question arises: why such a powerful computer processor, such asA Pentium 4 with a frequency of 3 GHz may not cope with smooth video playback, but the processor built into a small camcorder can cope not only with decoding, but even with encoding video in real time? Is there really an even more powerful processor installed there?

The answer to this question is both yes and no.

The processor built into the video camera is specialized, specially “sharpened” and optimized for two specific tasks: encoding and decoding video in a specific compression format. From the point of view of these tasks, this processor is certainly more powerful than the computer's central processor. But the latter is a universal processor that can perform many times more tasks, and is not specifically optimized for video compression or decoding. These processors have completely different purposes, so it is incorrect to directly compare them in terms of performance (just as it is incorrect to compare the capabilities of a racing car and a heavy truck: with the same engine power, they have completely different load capacity and speed).

However, let's return to the topic of AVCHD video playback. To avoid problems with codecs, it is best to try to play videos using players that contain all the necessary decoders “on board”. One such player is Media Player Classic and its new variant Media Player Classic Home Cinema.

Media Player Classic

This player does not have skins or other “beauties” (the design of its user interface is similar to Windows Media Player version 6), but it is completely undeservedly ignored by many. The main advantages of the player, in addition to being free, are small volume, low demands on computer resources and fast operation. In addition, which is important for the reasons described above, for most video formats (including DivX/XviD and MPEG2/DVD) it has built-in decoders, without requiring any codecs in the system. However, for those who want to use external decoders, it is possible in their settings to disable the built-in decoders for each format.

Those interested can read a more detailed description and download the player at or use the search function.

Development of this player has already been discontinued, but the project was developed by enthusiasts, and new versions of the player are called Media Player Classic Home Cinema.

Media Player Classic Home Cinema

This version of the player contains all the advantages of the old version, but also adds many new ones, among which are the ones we need: a built-in AVC format decoder and acceleration of video decoding by the video card’s graphics processor (DXVA function).

The current version of the player is available at (participants also recommend a player where the assembly of new versions is carried out more quickly). The player does not have an installer; just unpack the archive and run the mplayerc.exe file. The main player window has a very modest appearance:

First of all, those who wish can enable the Russian language through the View->Language menu. The main thing now is to enable the settings necessary for AVCHD decoding. To do this, call up the settings window by pressing the “O” key or calling the “View -> Settings” menu. In the list (tree) of parameters on the left, click on the "Built-in filters" category. A list of modules built into the player that are involved in data decoding will appear on the right side of the window:

Among them are the formats we need: H.264/AVC (DXVA) and H.264/AVC (ffmpeg). These modules differ only in that the first uses video card decoding acceleration (DirecX Video Acceleration), and the second uses the ffmpeg module for decoding. The program’s website says that the player can use acceleration only on a limited set of video cards (mostly new ones), but in the future they promise to expand their list. By default, both decoders are enabled, and if there are no problems with playback, there is no need to disable them.

In addition, the player has one of the fastest AVC format decoders, and can also use video card decoding acceleration. Moreover, the range of supported video cards is apparently very wide. Many users note that in all other players AVCHD video plays smoothly, while in PowerDVD Ultra playback is of the highest quality.

Designed for owners of HD video cameras. As you can see in the figure below, the player contains built-in decoders of Elecard’s own design.

Despite the relative “youth” of this software, the player’s operation is stable, there are practically no vagaries (crashes, freezes, twitches) observed. Among other things, the player is equipped with a quickly called, convenient and functional Playlist module, which allows you to organize the viewing of a large number of video files (any owner of an AVCHD video camera is familiar with the problem of sorting a huge number of files imported from his camera).

We will look at Elecard products in more detail in the near future as part of a separate review of the package.

The most common problem that prevents users from opening this file is an incorrectly assigned program. To fix this in Windows OS, you need to right-click on the file, in the context menu, hover the mouse over the “Open with” item, and select “Select a program...” from the drop-down menu. As a result, you will see a list of installed programs on your computer, and you can select the appropriate one. We also recommend checking the box next to "Use this application for all AVC files."

Another problem that our users also encounter quite often is that the AVC file is corrupted. This situation can arise in many cases. For example: the file was downloaded incompletely as a result of a server error, the file was damaged initially, etc. To resolve this problem, use one of the recommendations:

• Try finding the file you need in another source on the Internet. You may have luck finding a more suitable version. Example Google search: "File filetype:AVC" . Just replace the word "file" with the name you want;
• Ask them to send you the original file again, it may have been damaged during transmission;

The H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 Part 10 standard contains a number of new features that significantly improve video compression efficiency compared to previous standards (such as ASP), while also providing greater flexibility for use in a variety of network environments. The main ones:

• Multi-frame frame prediction:
  • The use of previously compressed frames as reference frames (that is, borrowing some of the material from them) is much more flexible than in previous standards. Up to 32 references to other frames are allowed, whereas in ASP and earlier the number of references is limited to one or, in the case of B-frames, two frames. This improves encoding efficiency because it allows the encoder to select between a large number of images to compensate for motion. This feature provides a slight improvement in quality and bitrate savings in most scenes. However, for some scenes, for example with frequent repeating sections, back-and-forth motion, etc., this approach, while maintaining quality, can greatly reduce bitrate costs.
  • Independence of the order of image reproduction and the order of reference images. Previous standards established a strict relationship between the order of images to be used for motion compensation and the order of images for playback. The new standard largely eliminates these limitations, allowing the encoder to select the order of images for motion compensation and playback with a high degree of flexibility, limited only by the amount of memory that can be decoded. Removing the limitation also allows, in some cases, to eliminate the additional delay previously associated with bidirectional prediction.
  • Independence of image processing methods and the possibility of using them for motion prediction. In previous standards, images encoded using certain methods (eg, bidirectional prediction) could not be used as references for motion prediction of other images in a video sequence. By eliminating this limitation, the new standard provides the encoder with greater flexibility and, in many cases, the ability to use an image that is closer in content to the one being encoded for motion prediction.
  • Motion compensation with variable block sizes (from 16x16 to 4x4 pixels) allows you to highlight areas of motion extremely accurately.
  • Motion vectors that extend beyond the boundaries of the image. In H.263, included in the new standard.
  • Six-point luminance component filtering for half-pixel prediction to reduce jagged edges and ultimately provide sharper images.
  • Quarter pixel precision (Qpel) motion compensation provides very high accuracy in describing moving areas (especially important for slow motion). Chroma is typically stored at a resolution halved vertically and horizontally (color decimation), so motion compensation for the chroma component uses a precision of one-eighth of a chroma pixel.
  • Weighted prediction allowing for scaling and shifting after motion compensation by amounts specified by the encoder. This technique can greatly increase encoding efficiency for scenes with changes in illumination, for example, with darkening effects and fade-in.
• Spatial prediction from the edges of adjacent blocks for I-frames (as opposed to prediction only of the transformation ratio in , in which the video data is represented directly, allowing precise description of certain areas and allowing a strict limitation on the amount of encoded data for each macroblock.
• An improved lossless macroblock representation method that can accurately describe specific areas while typically using significantly fewer bits than PCM (not supported in all profiles).

Thanks to ASO, since each part of an image can be decoded independently of the others (subject to certain encoding constraints), the new standard allows them to be sent and received in a random order relative to each other. This can reduce latency in real-time applications, especially when used on networks that have a out-of-turn delivery These functions can also be used for many other purposes besides error recovery.

• • Data splitting is a function that provides separation of data of different importance (for example, motion vectors and other prediction information is of great importance for the presentation of video content) into different data packets with different levels of error protection (not supported in all profiles).
  • Excess parts. The ability for the encoder to send a redundant representation of image areas, allowing image areas (usually with some loss of quality) to be reproduced whose data was lost during transmission (not supported in all profiles).
  • Frame numbering, which allows for the creation of “subsequences” (including temporal scaling by including additional frames between others), as well as detection (and hiding) of the loss of entire frames due to link failures or missing packets.

Flaws

Codecs for MPEG-4 AVC are more resource-intensive than codecs based on MPEG-4 ASP (such as DivX and XviD), but this is compensated by other advantages.

Notes

see also

What is AVCHD?
What resolution can AVCHD video have?
Is any high definition (HD) video encoded using the AVC format an AVCHD video?
Are there differences in image quality between AVCHD video and other types of AVC HD video?
How is AVCHD different from other video formats? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
Which consumer video cameras allow AVCHD recording? What other video recording formats are available in household HD cameras?
How to choose the right AVCHD video camera for your needs? Which storage medium is better?
How to watch AVCHD without a computer?
Can I watch AVCHD on a regular DVD player?
Is it possible to “teach” a regular DVD player to display AVCHD by changing the firmware?
How to copy video from AVCHD camera to computer?
When watching an AVCHD video, the video is shown as a “slideshow”, what should I do?
What kind of computer do you need to watch AVCHD?
What software players can display AVCHD?
AVCHD is displayed with a “comb”, the image doubles, “blurs”, what should I do?
What kind of computer do you need for comfortable AVCHD editing?
What programs allow you to edit AVCHD?
What programs allow you to edit AVCHD without completely recompressing the data? Why is this even necessary?
How do I convert AVCHD to a "lighter" format so it's easier to edit and process?
The computer is rather weak - how and into what format can you recompress AVCHD in order to watch smoothly, without “brakes”?
I want to get the result from the AVCHD material I shot as quickly as possible, literally “with the press of one button” - just glue everything into one video and get a file as an output. How and with what can this be done?
How to get a BluRay disc from AVCHD?
What programs exist for “simple” and “advanced” BluRay creation?
What programs allow you to make DVD Video from AVCHD?
How to get DVD Video from AVCHD with the highest quality?
How to publish AVCHD on YouTube and other similar services?
How to play video from Canon 5D mk II and other DSLR cameras with video recording function?
What and how to edit or at least recompress video from a Canon 5D mk II and other digital SLR cameras with a video recording function?
I save the video in AVCHD format from Sony Vegas 9. The resulting file plays jerkily, the sound disappears in places, is not synchronized with the image, etc. Is it possible to somehow improve the situation?

Q: What is AVCHD?
A: AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) is a high-definition video recording format used in camcorders, based on the AVC video codec (other names: MPEG-4 part 10, H.264).
For a more detailed introduction to the AVCHD format, it is recommended to read the article.

Q: What resolution can AVCHD video have?
A: Consumer AVCHD camcorders use High Definition (HD) video resolutions from 1280×720 (AVCHD Lite) to 1920×1080. It should be noted that, in addition to the “full” FullHD resolution of 1920x1080, there are cameras that record video with a resolution of 1440x1080 and a non-square pixel - when played back, such video is stretched to a resolution of 1920x1080, but has slightly less detail than “real” FullHD. However, the drop in detail is not always noticeable to the eye, not to every person and not on any display device (TV, monitor, etc.).

Q: Is any high definition (HD) video encoded using the AVC format an AVCHD video?
A: No, not any. The AVCHD standard for home video cameras, in addition to the AVC video compression format itself, regulates the mandatory use of the AC3 (Dolby Digital) audio codec and the Transport Stream container (file extension M2TS/MTS). Failure to meet at least one parameter does not allow such a video to be called AVCHD. So, in addition to AVCHD, some home video cameras use high-definition (HD) AVC video recording in an MP4 container (using the AAC audio codec) or a MOV (QuickTime) container. There is no special term for such video; it can be conventionally called AVC HD (separated by a space) - in other words, high-definition video with compression in the AVC format.

Q: Are there differences in image quality between AVCHD video and other types of AVC HD video?
A: No (other things being equal). In terms of image encoding, AVCHD and other types of AVC HD video are the same. Differences can be determined by resolution (from 1280×720 to 1920×1080), bitrate (the higher the bitrate, the less likely the occurrence of image artifacts), AVC codec profile (higher profiles allow you to “spend” bitrate more economically), etc. In addition, the quality of the final image very much depends on the quality and aperture ratio of the video camera's optical system, the size, type and number of its matrices, the effectiveness of the noise reduction system, the quality of video processing by the camera processor and other factors.

Q: How is AVCHD different from other video formats? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
A: The main difference between the AVC video compression format and others is its high compression efficiency with high image quality. For example, compared to the long-existing and well-proven MPEG2 format, the AVC format has more than two dozen improvements designed to improve image quality at the same or even lower bitrate (compressed data stream).
This advantage also entails a main disadvantage - the format is quite “heavy” for both encoding and playback. For example, even to simply play such a video, it is desirable to have at least a dual-core processor, a video card with a not-so-weak 3D accelerator, and a software player with a decoder that can effectively use the capabilities of the processor and video card to speed up AVCHD video decoding. At the time of writing this document, almost any new “desktop” computer copes with the task of playing AVCHD video, but the same cannot be said about computers with mobile processors, rather the opposite. Therefore, you should not be surprised if even a fairly new laptop cannot play AVCHD video smoothly, without dropping frames.
You can read more about the AVCHD format in the article.

Q: What consumer camcorders allow AVCHD recording? What other video recording formats are available in household HD cameras?
A: At the time of writing this document, such cameras on the market, if not the overwhelming majority, are close to it. Usually these cameras have the AVCHD logo, but the best thing to do is find the specifications for a specific camera on the manufacturer's website to make sure what format it saves video and audio in.
If we talk about household high-definition cameras in general, then, in addition to AVCHD, they can shoot video in the AVC format, but in other containers (MP4, MOV), as well as in the MPEG4 ASP and HDV (MPEG2) formats. As for the latter, there are fewer and fewer such cameras on the market, because... they use an outdated storage medium - DV cassette. There are also even rarer exceptions where HD video in MPEG2 format is saved to the camera's built-in hard drive (HDD).

Q: How to choose the right AVCHD video camera for your needs? Which storage medium is better?
A: It is best to select a camera not by the media format, but by the required functionality and the quality of the resulting image (at a reasonable price, of course). To obtain maximum quality results, the following are most important:
the actual resolution of the resulting video (in addition to 1920×1080, there is also 1440×1080 with a non-square pixel, when such a video is stretched to 1920×1080 during playback, but the detail is slightly lower);
matrix diagonal (usually it is indicated in inches, for example, 1/5″ - the smaller the number in the denominator, the larger the diagonal);
number of matrices (3 matrices are better than one, but more expensive);
the actual resolution of each matrix must be at least 2 megapixels; if it is much smaller, then the camera uses the so-called. Pixel Shift system (you can read more about it in the article), which gives worse detail than “real” 3 matrices;
the maximum bitrate at which the camera allows you to save video - the higher the better.
All of the above can be found in the specifications of a particular video camera on the manufacturer’s website, and you should not hesitate to search and study this information before purchasing a camera. However, reading the specifications alone is not enough - it is advisable to search the web for camera reviews, reviews from real users and download examples of videos, preferably raw (this is why videos on most services like YouTube are not suitable, since they are usually re-encoded into a different format and lower resolution). When choosing a camera, it would be a good idea to go to the store, hold different cameras in your hands and try to take pictures (after all, the camera should fit comfortably in the hand and its owner should like it).
If, when choosing a camera, it is the storage medium that seems most important, then it is important to note two main points that should not be forgotten:
the quality of video compression does not depend in any way on the storage medium, but only on the characteristics of the optics, matrix (matrices) and camera processor listed above;
each medium has both advantages and disadvantages; There is no ideal storage medium (otherwise the others would have ceased to exist long ago).
You can read more about recording formats and storage media in household cameras in the article.

Q: How can I watch AVCHD without a computer?
A: The choice of players that allow you to play AVCHD videos without a computer is quite wide. The main types of such devices:
household BluRay players and Sony PS3; the video must be recorded on an optical disc BD or DVD (in the latter case - in the so-called AVCHD disc format);
TVs that allow you to play AVCHD video from a drive connected via a USB connector (some TVs have the ability to play video directly from a memory card recorded in the camera);
players with a hard drive that allow you to play AVCHD video from a built-in disk or drive connected via a USB connector or an Ethernet network (reviews of some of these devices can be read here).
Naturally, the camcorder itself allows you to view recorded video without a computer - just connect it to your TV (to get the best image quality, this should be done via the HDMI connector). You can read more about this in the camera instructions.

Q: Can I watch AVCHD on a regular DVD player?
A: No, you can't. Conventional DVD players have a limitation - they cannot display video with a horizontal resolution higher than 720 pixels (rarely a little more), and they also cannot decode the AVC format.

Q: Is it possible to “teach” a regular DVD player to display AVCHD by changing the firmware?
A: No, you can't. To decode video, conventional DVD players have a chip installed that can only decode video in MPEG2 and MPEG4 ASP format (the latter is not available in all models), and with a limitation on the maximum image resolution (see the answer to the previous question). Unfortunately, it is impossible to “teach” such a chip to decode other formats. This limitation is not only technical, but also marketing - players capable of playing high-definition video are more expensive, and cheap players from the same manufacturer should not compete with them in the market.

Q: How to copy video from AVCHD camera to computer?
A: This requires a USB connector and cable (must be included with the camera). The instructions for the camera should describe in detail the procedure for copying video from the camera to a computer - be sure to study this section. Also, the camera usually comes with a disc with software that allows not only transferring video to a computer, but often convenient cataloging of video recordings and even simple editing and conversion of the result to DVD format.
If the camera uses a removable flash card or optical disk as a storage medium, then the video can be transferred to a computer without the participation of the camera itself (using a memory card reader or optical drive; in the latter case, some problems are possible).
In any case, it is important to know: no video “capture”, transcoding, processing or other data conversion occurs. Digital compressed data is copied "as is"; the maximum that can happen is a change in the file extension, but this does not affect its content and quality in any way.
You can read more about transferring video from a camera to a computer in the article.

Q: When watching AVCHD video, the video is shown as a “slide show”, what should I do?
A: First, read the article and make sure that you do not have the weakest computer (in short: an N-year-old processor with a frequency of 1 GHz or less will not work).
Also, during playback, you can launch the system task manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and see what the load on the processor cores is. If at least one core is 100% occupied, then the processor is the bottleneck. In this case, you need to use a video card with a 3D accelerator and a software player that can use the video card accelerator to decode AVCHD.
In the worst case, you may need to upgrade your computer to a more powerful one.

Q: What kind of computer do I need to view AVCHD?
A: A computer with a processor no weaker than Core2Duo (or a similar 2-core AMD processor) is highly recommended; a discrete (not built into the chipset or motherboard) video card would not hurt. At the time of writing this document, almost any will do. In principle, with some effort in setting up players and luck, you can “force” AVCHD and a rather weak computer to play, but this is worth doing only out of principle or if it is completely impossible to update at least the computer’s processor. It may well turn out that more dynamic video material with complex movement in the frame will still be played back jerkily, or that not only playback, but also processing of AVCHD video will be required. Therefore, it is better not to skimp and build a normal computer for comfortable viewing and, possibly, editing and processing AVCHD.

Q: What software players can display AVCHD?
A: Generally speaking, almost all modern software players. In particular, Media Player Classic Home Cinema, VLC, kmplayer, PowerDVD Ultra. Moreover, many have the opportunity to enable built-in decoders or use external ones (for example, CoreAVC decoder). Very good support for AVCHD playback is built into the standard Windows 7 player. You can read more about AVCHD playback in the article.

Q: AVCHD is displayed with a “comb”, the image doubles, “blurs”, what should I do?
A: This is the so-called interlaced or interlaced video (you can read more about it here). This video is obtained when the camera operates at a frequency of 50 or 60 half-frames (movement phases) per second. Typically these modes are labeled 50i and 60i - for example, 1080 50i. To get rid of the “comb” when viewing, you need to enable deinterlacing in the software player. For example, in the VLC player you need to select the menu item “Video/deinterlacing/double” - this will enable the so-called mode. BOB deinterlacing, when each half-frame is shown separately and sequentially, at double the frame rate. This allows you to maintain the original smoothness of movements, while getting rid of the “comb” during playback. Other players also have such settings (look for the words “Deinterlace”, “BOB”, “deinterlacing”, “deinterlacing” in the menu and settings of the player).

Q: What kind of computer do you need for comfortable AVCHD editing?
A: A computer with a processor no weaker than Core2Duo (or a similar 2-core AMD processor) is highly recommended; a discrete (not built into the chipset or motherboard) video card would not hurt. At the time of writing this document, almost any of those sold in the store will do (i.e. new, modern). However, in recent years, CUDA and Stream technologies have been increasingly used for video processing tasks, and if you plan to actively use them, a not the weakest video card will not hurt. You can read more about this in a series of articles.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of video editing programs at the time of writing this document do not know how to use the video card accelerator for AVCHD decoding during editing, so for the editing process itself, the power of the video card is not decisive; processor performance is much more important. However, some editing programs can use the graphics accelerator to speed up the display of previews of video effects in real time. You can read more about modern editing programs and their capabilities in the Guide.
Of course, the quality of the result does not depend in any way on the speed of the processor - it does not matter at what speed the edited video will be saved. However, as was said, during the editing process, decoding is performed by the processor, and its speed directly determines how quickly the desktop of the editing program is redrawn, the current frame is updated in the preview window during the editing process, etc. Therefore, if you want ease of use when editing AVCHD, and don’t want to wait tens of hours while saving the result, then you should pay close attention to the performance of the processor used.

Q: What programs allow you to edit AVCHD?
A: Almost all common modern editing programs: Adobe Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle Studio, Corel Video Studio, Nero Digital, etc. It is best to use the most recent version of the program, because AVCHD is a fairly “young” format, and its support in editing programs is constantly being developed, errors are corrected, various optimizations are added to speed up work, etc. You can read more about modern editing programs and their capabilities in the Guide. The newest articles about editing programs usually separately cover working with the AVCHD format.
In addition, do not forget that AVCHD video cameras usually come with a disc with software that allows you not only to copy video from the camera to a computer, but also often to carry out simple editing. Perhaps “advanced” users will not be delighted with the capabilities of the included programs, but for simple installation they may be quite sufficient. Some such programs allow you to save the editing result without complete recompression, which not only saves time, but also preserves the original quality of the material.

Q: What programs allow you to edit AVCHD without completely recompressing the data? Why is this even necessary?
A: As mentioned earlier, AVCHD is a “heavy” format even for decoding, so its complete recoding is a rather long process. In addition, on consumer AVCHD video cameras, the data stream (bitrate) is not very high (but the video compression rate is high), so recompressing such video can introduce noticeable artifacts into the edited material. Naturally, if during editing, full video processing is done (for example, text overlay, changing brightness/contrast, processing with filters and effects, etc.), then complete recompression while saving the editing result cannot be avoided. But if only simple cutting and gluing of videos is done, then such an operation can be carried out without completely recompressing all the material. This will both maintain quality and significantly save time while maintaining the installation result.
However, not all editing programs allow this operation. In particular, simple editors that come with video cameras (for example, Sony Picture Motion Browser) can usually do this, so it would be a good idea to try the included program first. Also capable of this are Corel Video Studio X2 (formerly called Ulead Video Studio), Sony Vegas, starting from version 9, CyberLink PowerDirector; AVS Video ReMaker, Elecard AVC HD Editor - the list of such programs, we hope, will only grow in the future.
There are also so-called “non-visual” utilities that allow you to carry out simple gluing without even watching the video. However, due to their free nature, simplicity and speed of operation, they also find their application - these are the SmartLabs tsMuxeR and multiAVCHD programs.
Not long ago, iXBT.com conference participant alex0099 presented another way to combine AVCHD video files with the *.MTS extension. This does not require any special utilities, but rather an ordinary Total Commander, which has probably been installed on your PC for a long time. In order to “stitch” video files, you first need to rename them as follows:
Old name New name
00010.MTS 00010.MTS.001
00011.MTS 00010.MTS.002
00012.MTS 00010.MTS.003
00013.MTS 00010.MTS.004
Now, having selected the first of the files, you need to start the assembly, for which in the Total Commander menu select Files -> Collect files. You can watch a video tutorial on this operation here.
However, one unpleasant point should be noted that you may have to deal with: some video processing programs may incorrectly import such files, incorrectly determining its duration (for example, Sony Vegas does this).

Q: How do I convert AVCHD to a lighter format so it's easier to edit and process?
A: There are quite a lot of ways. Perhaps the simplest and most convenient (however, not free) was offered by Canopus. She created the AVCHD Converter utility, which literally, with the click of one button, converts files in the AVCHD format (with the mts or m2ts extension) into AVI files in which the video is compressed with the Canopus HQ codec. This codec is the so-called “visually lossless” - video compressed into this format is practically indistinguishable from the original by eye. Also, such video takes up several times more volume than the original AVCHD, but is much easier and faster to process, incl. and video editing programs.
Another method is available in the Corel Video Studio X2 program: it is capable of creating intermediate files in a “lighter” format (the so-called Smart Proxy), with which it works during editing. And only when the finished editing result is output, the temporary files are replaced with the original ones to obtain maximum quality.
There are other ways - for example, use video converter programs to various formats, or open the video in the VirtualDub editor using AVISynth, and then compress it into an AVI file using any video codec available on the system.

Q: The computer is rather weak - how and into what format can you recompress AVCHD in order to watch smoothly, without “brakes”?
A: Basically, almost everything is said in the answer to the previous question. We can only add that to reduce the load on the processor, it makes sense to reduce the resolution to, for example, 1280×720 when recompressing video. In most cases, there will be no significant differences from the original 1920x1080 video. It makes sense to compress the video with a less “heavy” codec - for example, DivX/XviD or even MJPEG (the load on the processor will be even less, however, the video volume will be much larger). If necessary, you can process the video with a deinterlacing filter if you want to get rid of interlacing. This may be required, for example, before publishing videos on services like YouTube.

Q: I want to get the result from the AVCHD material I shot as quickly as possible, literally “with the press of one button” - just glue everything into one video and get a file as an output. How and with what can this be done?
A: Perhaps this can best be done using the SmartLabs tsMuxeR program.

Q: How can I get a BluRay disc from AVCHD?
A: Using appropriate BluRay disc authoring programs. The authoring function, or BluRay assembly, is also present in many video editing programs. If you want to get exactly the recorded optical disc, for this, naturally, you will need a drive capable of recording BluRay discs.

Q: What programs are there for “simple” and “advanced” BluRay creation?
A: Let's try to list some programs capable of creating BluRay discs, from the simplest (and free) to the professional (of course, with the corresponding license cost):
SmartLabs tsMuxeR
multiAVCHD
programs included with AVCHD cameras (Panasonic HD Writer, Sony Picture Motion Browser)
editing programs: Corel Video Studio X2, Pinnacle Studio (starting from version 12), etc.
Nero Vision
Adobe Encore
Sony DVD Architect (starting from version 5), the function of creating simple BluRay discs without menus is also available in the Sony Vegas editing program
Sonic Scenarist HDMV is a professional authoring program (and the most complex)
It is impossible to list all the programs, especially since their list is constantly growing. Reviews of disk authoring programs can always be found in the Guide.

Q: What programs allow you to make DVD Video from AVCHD?
A: Simple editing programs included with AVCHD cameras usually have a DVD creation function: Panasonic HD Writer, Sony Picture Motion Browser, Corel Video Studio X2. It is also possible to create a DVD from the output of almost any modern video editing program and in specialized video transcoding programs (for example, Canopus ProCoder, Rhozet Carbon Coder).
We should not forget that the resolution of the output material will be only 720×576 (PAL) or 720×480 (NTSC) pixels, so you should not expect that the original HD image quality will be preserved, as on a video camera. The DVD Video creation function is only necessary to obtain a disc compatible with conventional household DVD players. If you want to get maximum quality, you need to create a BluRay disc or so-called. AVCHD disc, and view the result on a player capable of playing HD video connected to an HD TV.

Q: How to get DVD Video from AVCHD with the highest quality?
A: When getting a DVD from HD video (it doesn’t matter, AVCHD or other format), the most important point is high-quality video scaling (you need to reduce the resolution), especially if this video is interlaced (with half-frames). Video conversion or video editing programs that can reduce video resolution and even produce a finished DVD as an output, unfortunately, not only do not provide the ability to control the process of image scaling, but it is also unknown which algorithms they use for this. Some may well be satisfied with the quality obtained from the output of even “one-button” conversion programs or simple programs that come with the camera. For example, the Canopus ProCoder (Rhozet Carbon Coder) program produces fairly good DVD quality.
If you want to precisely control the scaling process, you will have to use script writing for AVISynth. Let's assume that we have a finished editing result in AVCHD format (file with m2ts/mts extension). The sequence of actions could be like this:
Index a video file using DGAVCIndex. Save the project in the format of this program (for example, in a file named “video.dga”).
Save the sound (usually in AC3 format) into a separate file, for example, using SmartLabs tsMuxeR. This will make it possible to maintain sound quality without re-encoding.
Install the DGAVCDecode plugins (included in DGAVCIndex) and LeakKernelDeint for AVISynth in the folder with its plugins.
Write a script like the following in a text editor (for example, notepad):
LoadPlugin("DGAVCDecode.dll")
LoadPlugin("LeakKernelDeint.dll")
AVCSource("video.dga")# AVCHD videos must first be indexed using DGAVCIndex
LeakKernelBob(order=1)# first field top (TFF)
LanczosResize(720,576)# for DVD
AssumeTFF().SeparateFields()
SelectEvery(4, 0, 3).Weave()# on TFF output
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)# for CCE or Canopus ProCoder
Save the script to a file with the avs extension and open it in any MPEG2 encoding program.
Transcode only video (without sound) into MPEG2 format with the settings you need, bitrate, etc.
Open the resulting video stream (usually a file with the extension m2v, mpv, etc.) and the previously saved audio (AC3) in a DVD authoring program.
Notes: The DGAVCIndex manual in English can be found here. Other methods of video processing are possible to obtain high-quality results. You can read more about how video is processed in this script on the forum. There you can ask questions about the script.

Q: How to publish AVCHD on YouTube and other similar services?
A: In principle, modern video services like YouTube support the AVCHD format, so you can publish such a video in the same way as videos in other formats. However, in the case of interlaced video, it is recommended to deinterlace before publishing; at the same time, you can re-encode the video into another format with a lower resolution to reduce the file size.
To simplify the process of uploading videos to YouTube, some editing programs have a built-in publishing function: for example, Pinnacle Studio 12, Sony Vegas Movie Studio and others. Also, a similar function is present in programs that come with AVCHD cameras - for example, Panasonic HD Writer.

Q: How to play video from Canon 5D mk II and other DSLR cameras with video recording function?
A: Typically, the CD included with video-capable digital cameras includes software for viewing video from the camera. In this case, the video is saved in a MOV (QuickTime) container, so you can install QuickTime from a disk and use QuickTime Player to view it.
It’s no secret that not everyone will be happy with this option, so we can recommend using free players VLC (www.videolan.org) or Media Player Classic (as well as its Home Cinema version). They contain decoders for both the MOV container and the AVC format. It is possible that there will be problems with the sound during playback - in this case, the answer to the following question may help.

Q: What and how to edit or at least recompress video from a Canon 5D mk II and other digital SLR cameras with a video recording function?

A: For example, such video is supported by the latest versions of Adobe Premiere CS4. Additionally, you can repack a video from a MOV container to an AVI container without transcoding the video using the free MP4Cam2AVI program. This also solves the problem with sound if it is not played (for example, some editing programs or hardware players do not support sound in video from such cameras).
In order for the resulting AVI file to open in editing programs that do not have a built-in AVC format decoder (for example, VirtualDub), you need to install it - for example, ffdshow, and in its settings do not forget to enable the AVC format decoder for the Video for Windows interface.

Q: I save a video in AVCHD format from Sony Vegas 9. The resulting file plays jerkily, the sound disappears in places, is not synchronized with the image, etc. Is it possible to somehow improve the situation?
A: Try opening the resulting file in the SmartLabs tsMuxeR program and simply saving it to a new file with the m2ts container type (however, the output container type does not really matter). Often this is enough for the resulting file to be played normally both on a computer (provided its performance is sufficient) and on home HD players (they may require saving as a Blu-ray or AVCHD disk structure).

Currently, most modern household video cameras shoot in HD format(HD - high definition). Even many digital cameras can shoot HD video.

AVCHD- one of the formats used in camcorders for recording high-definition video. This video has a higher resolution - 1280x720 or 1920x1080 - compared to regular video (720x576).

The abbreviation AVCHD can be better understood if written as AVC HD:

AVC stands for Advanced Video Coding, i.e. advanced video encoding, HD- High Definition - high definition.

AVC- this is a type of MPEG4 format (improved MPEG2 format, MPEG4 part 10) better known as H.264.

This format produces higher quality video than MPEG2 (DVD) at a lower bitrate (data stream).

This effect is due to multiple improvements to the format, which comes at the cost of difficulties in encoding and decoding video.

The AVCHD format is characterized by storing video and audio in an MTS container (.mts or .m2ts) - MPEG Transport Stream, the audio is in AC3 (Dolby Digital) format.

There are cameras that shoot video in AVC format, but do not comply with the AVCHD standard. If you have such a camera, don't be surprised that the resulting video has a MOV or MP4 container (i.e. your video has that extension).

In this article we will talk specifically about AVCHD format. Cameras that shoot video in this format may have different storage media on which they record: DVD, hard drive or flash.

If you have an LCD or plasma panel with a large diagonal at home, then by connecting the camera to it you can perfectly watch the captured video in all its glory.

But there inevitably comes a time when the camera's hard drive or flash drive becomes full, or a large number of recorded DVDs accumulate.

Even if you are not going to edit the captured video, the question arises about its storage, for example, basic transferring from camera to computer.

Cameras with a flash or hard drive are connected to a computer via USB 2.0 using the cable that comes with the camera.

With DVD cameras it is more difficult, you must read the instructions for this camera, the options may vary: copying can be done from the camera, or maybe from a disc inserted into the computer drive, and it is likely that the disc needs to be finalized before that.

Some cameras require power from the mains and not from a battery. You may need to install some software that came with this camera.

Therefore, before you panic - “The disk is unreadable!”, you need to study the instructions, and everything will work out.

After connecting the camera to the computer or inserting the DVD into the drive, look for files with the mts or m2ts extension; they may not be in the root of the disk, but in some folder.

A distinctive property of video files is their large size compared to some service files.

These files need to be copied to your computer's hard drive. You can use the special software included with the camera to make copying easier. Such programs allow you to copy, watch videos and even do simple editing.

The next problem you may encounter is watching videos on computer.

Your usual player will not be able to play HD video if it does not have the required codec. Of course, you can use the program that comes with the camera, but you may not like it (it’s inconvenient, has little functionality, etc.)

The second option (so as not to bother with finding and installing a decoder) is to use a player that already has all the necessary codecs, for example, Media Player Classic or Media Player Classic Home Cinema. There are other players, but not all of them are free.

People often ask, is it possible to watch AVCHD on a TV using a regular DVD player? It’s impossible, because the DVD player can display video with a horizontal resolution of no more than 720 pixels (720x576 or 720x480), and in addition, it cannot decode the new AVC format.

The next problem you may encounter is your the video is very slow When viewing, it resembles watching a slide show, the sound stutters.

This means that your computer is not powerful enough to view (let alone edit) HD video. For comfortable viewing, you need a powerful processor, preferably a dual-core one, a video card with a 3D accelerator, a fast memory bus and a large cache.

There is no point in storing captured HD video on a computer, because you are going to watch it on a large TV screen, which means you need to burn it to discs (