Convert AVCHD to AVI?

[i_c_e]

Just wondered if any one could tell me if there is a software out there that will convert AVCHD to AVI....

Thanxs mucho,

Josh

[guns1inger]

Xvid4PSP can convert most formats.

However AVI is a container, not a format. What is important is how the video is compressed in the container, which is down to the codec chosen. So you need to be specific about exactly what type of AVI you need to create, starting by describiung what you need to do with it.

Is it for watching ? If so, on what ?

Is it for editing ?

Is it for the web ?

[i_c_e]

Well here is my situation,
I shoot with a Sony AVCHD-CX12 which is an awesome camera but when I go to edit in Sony Vegas and then put to DVD they are a realy pain to deal with so I thought if I could shoot convert then edit then burn I would be better off.

I don't want to lose more quality than going from Hd to SD (like MPEG 2)

Thanks for helpin,

Josh

[guns1inger]

If you want to keep the highest quality you can, then shoot, edit, convert and author, so you only convert once. However AVCHD needs a lot of power to edit smoothly, and a mid-range laptop isn't going to make it a fun job.

The best alternative would be to use cineform as an intermediate codec, but the converter isn't free. This would allow you to continue to work at full HD resolution through the edit process, but without the overheads of AVCHD. (Can't remember the name of the tool you need)

Another alternative would be to convert to SD lossless - lagarith or huffyuv - but this would take time to convert, and require around 60GB per hour or more for storage.

Either of these would be visually or truly lossless solutions.

One other possibility - does the camera support DV out ? Many HD cameras will output SD DV output as well, which Vegas and your laptop will have no problems with.