How to play HD Video from Hard Drive to Bluray

[jbitakis]

I have 105gb of HD video that I took from my HD Panasonic camcorder that I want to play on my HD LCD TV. I have the video on an external Hard Drive. I plugged it into the bluray's USB port and the bluray recognizes the video BUT won't play it. I don't know what I am doing wrong.
James

[Baldrick]

Post the details from the hd panasonic files. Use mediainfo.

[jbitakis]

What details? I have hooked up the video files NOT directly from the Panasonic Camcorder, but from the External Hard drive that I placed the video files into. From that Hard drive, using a USB port I hooked it up to the Bluray. Not sure what to do with the "Use Mediainfo" statement.

[aedipuss]

mediainfo is a program that would give us the detail on the videos. sounds like your bluray player doesn't support whatever format they are.

[Baldrick]

The video files details. Like is it standard avchd or blu-ray? Some blu-ray players doesn't support avchd or blu-ray from usb/harddrive, only from dvdr or blu-ray media or not at all.
And what is your blu-ray player?

[jbitakis]

The video files are AVCHD (.m2ts). I have a Samsung BD-D6500 Blu Ray player. I called them and they suggested that I change the file format to Mp4 or MKV or MPG or WMV, which according to the manual for the blu ray player are all supported file extensions. I am trying to play this from the USB port (i.e. not from a disc) But my question is this; will converting this video to one of those supported file extensions DECREASE the resolution of the video from the current 1920x1080?
James

[jagabo]

If you just remux the data there will be no loss of resolution or quality. If you reencode there will be a loss of quality, at least.

[jbitakis]

Remux the Data?? How do I do this? I need the file extension to be one of those named above, NOT the m2ts. file name that it is now; in order for my blu ray player to read the video file via the usb port.

[jbitakis]

OK, using Freemake Video Converter, I converted 1 of my HD home video clips from AVCHD (m2ts.) to an AVI file. They look about the same in quality. I checked the details of the video and here is what I found

AVCHD (m2ts.): 1920-frame width, 1080-frame height, 4,752 bit rate, 25 frames/second.

AVI file: 1920-frame width, 1080-frame height, 26,077 bit rate, 59 frames/second.

So someone please explain to me what this means. Is there a loss of quality?

They both have the same frame width and height of 1920x1080. But the bit rate is 6 times as much and the frames/second is more than double.

James

[edDV]

Missing details just make us guess what you are trying to do. I suggest a process of elimination.

First put one of your files on a USB stick and see if the Blu-Ray drive sees it and plays it.

Then try the same from a hard disk. Usually the hard disk needs a FAT32 format.

So someone please explain to me what this means. Is there a loss of quality?

Container changes don't affect quality. Re-encoding does.

First try to get the original files to play.

[jagabo]

OK, using Freemake Video Converter, I converted 1 of my HD home video clips from AVCHD (m2ts.) to an AVI file. They look about the same in quality. I checked the details of the video and here is what I found

AVCHD (m2ts.): 1920-frame width, 1080-frame height, 4,752 bit rate, 25 frames/second.

AVI file: 1920-frame width, 1080-frame height, 26,077 bit rate, 59 frames/second.

So someone please explain to me what this means. Is there a loss of quality?

They both have the same frame width and height of 1920x1080. But the bit rate is 6 times as much and the frames/second is more than double.

The video has been reencoded, probably with a lossy codec. So you have some quality loss. Depending on the codec you used it may or may not be visible.

The first thing you want to try is remultiplexing, repackaging the compressed audio and video into a different container. Containers are different ways of organizing video and audio (and other) data streams within a file. Each container type has a different file extension. Not all containers support all audio and video codecs (types of compression). Not all players support all container types or all codecs. Remuxing is very fast because the data in the source file is simply copied (take out of one container and put in another) without decompressing and recompressing it.

We still don't know what codecs are used in your M2TS files. Given the frame size, bitrate, and frame rate it's probably h.264 (aka AVC or MPEG 4 Part 10). The audio is probably AC3 or AAC.

You can try using AviDemux to remux into an MP4, MKV, or AVI container. Just open the file, leave video and audio set to "copy", select the output container, and save. Be sure to add the filename extension yourself, ie filename.MP4. In my experience AviDemux doesn't work very well (but it's easy to use) so I don't really expect it to work.

If AviDemux doesn't work try using TsMuxer (via TsMuxerGUI) to remux into a TS container, or Blu-ray or AVCHD folder structures. You might also try M2TS just in case there is something slightly different between the way your camcorder muxes the data vs TsMuxer. See if any of those play on your TV.

If none of those work try exporting from TsMuxer as elementary streams (ie, select the Demux option). That will give you a .h264 and .AC3 or .AAC file. Then try using Yamb to remux those streams into an MP4 file. Or MMG from MkvToolNix to remux into an MKV container.

If none of those work then you have to start thinking about recompressing the video. That will reduce quality but may be the only way to get your files to play on the TV. But you'll need to know exactly what containers and codecs your TV supports.

[jbitakis]

OK, after converting the files from m2ts to AVI, I am able to view it on the TV from the Hard Drive via the USB port on my Blu ray player.
It looks the same as it did on my PC. The frame rate is still the same 1920x1080.
I will also try and stick the AVCHD (m2ts) video on a usb stick and see if the blu ray will read it from that.

Ok, I downloaded mediainfo for the video codecs to one of my AVCHD (m2ts) files. Here it is:

First Video stream: 25.7 Mbps,1920*1080 (16:9), at 59.940fps, AVC (High@L4.2) (CABAC / 4 Ref Frames)
First Audio stream: 256 Kbps, 48.0 KHZ, 16 bits, 2 channels, AC-3
Container and General Information: BDAV: 91.8 MiB, 28s 508ms.
1 Video stream: AVC
1 Audio stream: AC-3
1 text stream: PGS
Maximum overall Bit rate: 28.0Mbps

Hope that helps. I am new to this so please be patient. Sorry.

James

[jbitakis]

Ok Jagabo, I used TsMuxer and muxed 1 of my AVCHD (m2ts) files into a MPEG-2 TS file and tried to play it from the hard drive to the TV via the blu ray player and it said "File not supported". So I will try your other ways.
I did notice that the AVI files that I converted using Freemake video converter are a moderate loss of quality (enough to surely notice). Oh well, that sucks. I will keep trying other ways suggested by Jagabo and others. I may end up and just buy an external Blu Ray burner. I am anal about my video quality now.

[jagabo]

Very few devices can handle 1080p60 AVC. You may have to reencode to 1080p30 or 1080i30, or 720p60. Many can't handle AC3 audio in an MP4 container.

[jbitakis]

NEW NOTICE! There was an update to my Blu Ray player which I just downloaded and NOW it played the .TS (MPEG-2 TS) file!!! However, comparing this to the AVI, it only looks slightly better. I need to see more .TS video to really compare.
So the .TS, is is very similar to the AVCHD file? I mean the .TS file is only about 1% smaller than the AVCHD file. The frames/second are the same (59). The .TS file has a total bit rate of 26,394 as compared to a bit rate of 27,000 with the AVCHD file. So they should look the same correct?
My question is this: If I had a blu ray burner and burned this AVCHD file onto it and played it in my blu ray player, would it look the same as it does now with the .TS file, playing off a hard drive via a USB port?

James

[jagabo]

The TS file you made with TsMuxer is the exact same video and audio re-wrapped in a TS container rather than an M2TS container. Like taking a cake out of a cardboard box and putting it in a plastic box -- it's the same cake.

Blu-ray doesn't support 1080p60. Switch Media Info to View -> Text. You'll get a lot more information. Specfically, look for Scan Type. Is it Progressive or Interlaced? Companies have started calling 1080i30 (30 frames per second, intended to be viewed as 60 fields per second) 1080i60 because they think bigger numbers sound better. So when a program reports a video is "60 fps" you can't be sure if it's really 60 progressive frames per second or 30 interlaced frames per second.

[jbitakis]

It is Progressive. I checked the mediainfo using the text view.

What does that mean though?

I have a panasonic HD camcorder that records to 1080p60.
When I eventually burn this video to a blu ray disc are you saying that it won't playback as 1080P60? If not, how will it playback?

[edDV]

Which Panasonic camera generated these files?

[jagabo]

Blu-ray doesn't officially support 1920x1080p60. Some players may be able to handle it though. The newer the player the more likely it is to support it.

[jbitakis]

It is a Panasonic HDC-TM90

[edDV]

It is a Panasonic HDC-TM90

Were you recording in 60p mode? If so that is the answer. Blu-Ray does not support 1920x1080 60p. Your TV probably does. Most media players will.

For Blu-Ray 1280x720 60p is supported.

[jbitakis]

Yes. I ALWAYS record in 1080/60P.

[edDV]

Yes. I ALWAYS record in 1080/60P.

More details unspoken.
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-TM90-Camcorder-Review/Compression-and-Media.htm

[jagabo]

Blu-Ray does not support 1920x1080 60p. Your TV probably does. Most media players will.

Only players sold in the last year or so have the processing power to play 1080p60 sources.

[jbitakis]

Here is the mediainfo stats exactly as I copied it here below. I don't know what edDV means by "more details unspoken". Sorry. What is confusing to me is that http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...-and-Media.htm shows that recording in 1080/60P says it has an MPEG-4 codec?? I thought my codec was AVCHD? Someone help me here.
By the way, my Blu Ray player is a Samsung BD-D6500 model which I bought 1 month ago.

General
ID : 1 (0x1)
Complete name : C:\Users\Daddys Sony\Videos\10-22-2011\10-22-2011_101950(1).m2ts
Format : BDAV
Format/Info : Blu-ray Video
File size : 91.8 MiB
Duration : 28s 508ms
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 27.0 Mbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 28.0 Mbps

Video
ID : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.2
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=30
Codec ID : 27
Duration : 28s 495ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 25.7 Mbps
Maximum bit rate : 26.0 Mbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 59.940 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.206
Stream size : 87.2 MiB (95%)

Audio
ID : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Mode extension : CM (complete main)
Codec ID : 129
Duration : 28s 544ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 256 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Compression mode : Lossy
Delay relative to video : -34ms
Stream size : 892 KiB (1%)

Text
ID : 4608 (0x1200)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : PGS
Codec ID : 144
Duration : 27s 964ms
Delay relative to video : -34ms

[edDV]

By "more details unspoken" we could have figured this out early if you would have posted model numbers for the camcorder and Blu-Ray player.

There is now an AVCHD v2.0 spec that includes 1920x1080 60p but Panasonic built the TM-700/900/90 before that with a proprietary codec for 1080 60p. The Blu-Ray spec tops at 1080 60i/50i or 25p/24p/23.976p.

It is unlikely any Blu-Ray player will play your file without re-encode to 720 60p or 1080 60i. Maybe Panasonic has a model.

[jbitakis]

Well my blu ray is playing the .TS AVCHD files that I remuxed using TsMuxer off my External Hard Drive via the USB port right now. If I was to get an external blu ray burner, would it have options as to how to re-encode my AVCHD file? I can live with 1080 60i for now.

edDV made the statement, "There is now an AVCHD v2.0 spec that includes 1920x1080 60p but Panasonic built the TM-700/900/90 before that with a proprietary codec for 1080 60p". Isn't that the same thing? (AVCHD 2.0 1920x1080 60p vs. 1080 60p?) Kinda confused

I bought the Samsung blu ray thinking that it would be good to match my Samsung LCD HDTV, but maybe I should have tried more to match the blu ray Manufacturer with the Camcorder manufacturer. (i.e. my panasonic camcorder with a panasonic blu ray) We will see.

[edDV]

edDV made the statement, "There is now an AVCHD v2.0 spec that includes 1920x1080 60p but Panasonic built the TM-700/900/90 before that with a proprietary codec for 1080 60p". Isn't that the same thing? (AVCHD 2.0 1920x1080 60p vs. 1080 60p?) Kinda confused

I bought the Samsung blu ray thinking that it would be good to match my Samsung LCD HDTV, but maybe I should have tried more to match the blu ray Manufacturer with the Camcorder manufacturer. (i.e. my panasonic camcorder with a panasonic blu ray) We will see.

You bought a 1080 60p before 1080 60p was standards cool.

[jbitakis]

So, should I just record my video to 1080i instead? Will it take less space?

[edDV]

So, should I just record my video to 1080i instead? Will it take less space?

If you want it to work with Blu-Ray. 1280x720 60p will work

I suggest you get a media player instead.