I'm confused:
When you transfer a standard definition file from a camcorder (ie Canon FS100) you get 1 file (video.MOD) that you can play in windows media player or edit.

What do you get with the AVCHD file? I understand that there are several files/ video clip.
Do all these get transferred for editing or playing?

I'm obviously a noob trying to understand.

Thanks in advance

Art

AVCHD uses a folder structure (example is from Panasonic HDC-SD9) that has a folder called BDMV. When a blu-ray player sees this folder it recognizes it as AVCHD and reads the content within. Under BDMV are more folders such as PLAYLIST and STREAM. I believe the PLAYLIST tells the blu-ray player in which order to play the files contained in folder STREAM.

The files in the folder STREAM are the actual audio-video stream as either .MTS or .M2TS. Those are MPEG2 HD video streams. You can play these on your PC with WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER if it is set up to play these.

The .MTS and .M2TS files are the once you bring into an editing program such as NERO 8.

Once edited, have NERO 8 "convert" to blu-ray format creating this BDMV folder etc. This file structure can then be burned onto a common DVD +/-R....If you need more than 4.7GB room but less than 8.2GB, use a dual layer DVD. A 1hr 20min 1920x1080 home video can fit on a DVD +R DL disk.

Those burned disks are playable in a blu-ray player. The burned files are usually burned in UDF 2.50 format and thus cannot be read by a Windows PC...unless you use ISO BUSTER to read them.

Hope this helps,

TJH3

The files in the folder STREAM are the actual audio-video stream as either .MTS or .M2TS. Those are MPEG2 HD video streams.
Actually, these are AVC files.

The burned files are usually burned in UDF 2.50 format and thus cannot be read by a Windows PC...unless you use ISO BUSTER to read them.
Vista reads UDF.