AVCHD from SD card to windows and linux ????

[xtal_01]

OK, after 11 years I am finally replacing my old digital camera with a new on. The Panasonic FZ1000 takes 4k video. It shots saves in MP4 and AVCHD.

Reading the manual ( camera won't be here for a week yet ), it says I need to use their packaged software ( PhotoFunStudio ) in order to transfer the video files. It clearly says I can not just pick the file and copy it to the computer.

So ... first of why? I hate cables. For years I have simply taken out the SD card and put it into my card reader. Can I still not do this?

Will this problem be only with the AVCHD files ( I don't even know what these are ) or also with MP4 files ( the 4K is saved only as MP4 )?

The software they give you is only for Windows. I run Linux most of the time ( and may never buy Windows again ... on 7 right now ... since Linux seems to be working great for me ). Is there a program for Linux that will read the AVCHD files from the SD card?

Thanks ......
Mike

[smrpix]

It clearly says I can not just pick the file and copy it to the computer.

So ... first of why? I hate cables. For years I have simply taken out the SD card and put it into my card reader. Can I still not do this?

You can, but you want to preserve the entire folder structure, not simply the individual clips. This is especially important for longer clips. (The Panasonic software will create individual clips with all the relevant metadata which is why they encourage home users to do it that way.)

Is there a program for Linux that will read the AVCHD files from the SD card?

Possibly Lightworks. But again you want to maintain the file structure.

[Keyser]

I don't know your camera, but mine also saves in AVCHD and MP4 formats. What they say in my camera's manual, is that you should NEVER modify the contents of the SD card outside the camera (like, for example, delete files) because that may corrupt the data. I believe if you only read data from the card, it will be OK.

There is however another matter. Each time you press the record button, the camera will create an MP4 file. If you shoot a lot of small sequences you'll end up with a bunch of files instaed of one big file. I never tried this, but I think that, by using the camera's software, it will be possible to choose a group of scenes and import that one big file. This is not a problem for me. I just copy those small files to my HDD and then join them.