AVCHD EDITING IN Adobe Premiere CS4

[Don Man]

Hello everyone,
I have been trying to edit AVCHD (.MTS) video files on my computer.
Every time I make an adjustment to the video in the time line, the video stutters, skips, or freezes my program.
I cannot:

• preview videos in the display window
  
• scroll through the time-line

(without the stutters )

Normally I can edit short length AVCHD (.MTS) files, (1 - 3 minutes long), but I have filmed long length (greater than 5 minutes) clips in HD 1080p and Adobe CS4 seems to be unable to handle it.

Is there any ways to edit AVCHD (.MTS) in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 without the stuttering, skipping, and freezing?

[edDV]

Using the AVCHD project setting?

Make sure the scratch disk is not the OS drive.

If all else fails, get Cineform Neoscene.

[filmboss80]

Yeah, and make sure you read the computer hardware requirements on the Premiere box.

[Don Man]

I believe I am using the AVCHD project settings set to 1080pi or something. Im not totally sure because I cannot find that information in the project.

The scratch disks all have the same path of...
C:\Users\allen1\Documents\Adobe\Premiere Pro\4.0

Is that the OS Drive?

Also I think my computer meets the requirements to edit in Premiere but I will check again.

I will look into getting Cineform Neoscene as soon as possible.
Thank you edDV and filmboss80!
You two rock!

[edDV]

Select new project and find the AVCHD templates.

Your OS drive is C:

Scratch disc (see preferences) and video should be on a separate hard drive for best performance. An internal SATA or external eSATA drive work best.

[Don Man]

I have decided I will convert my footage into a more compatible format.
I will convert my .MTS to a format like .MOV or .AVI or .MP4.

Can anyone name other good converter programs that I can take a look at?

I already know of :
Hand brake
Neoscene

[edDV]

I have decided I will convert my footage into a more compatible format.
I will convert my .MTS to a format like .MOV or .AVI or .MP4.

Can anyone name other good converter programs that I can take a look at?

I already know of :
Hand brake
Neoscene

Elaborate on (.MOV or .AVI or .MP4). Do you want SD or HD? What specific formats?

You may need a new expensive computer to do that in HD. CS4 doesn't support MP4 as a project format.

If by .MOV or ,AVI you mean uncompressed, your stated hardware is not up to the task.

[sterankin]

Have you tried proxy editing? Basically, convert your AVCHD to DV AVIs so you have an original copy of the AVCHD file and a downgraded copy in the same folder (use media encoder for example to do this).

The start a project in AP CS4 - that matches your AVCHD footage, e.g. 1080i. But *import and edit with the *downgraded AVIS* - add transitions etc. When you are finished close down the project and then open the project file in notepad.

Then change the file extensions of the files in notepad from e.g. .AVI to .MTS.
When you open the project again it should swap back in the AVCHD files but retain all the edits etc Then just export to whatever..

See more here in case I explained it wrong:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/388453

[Don Man]

For more specifics, I am looking for a conversion program that can convert HD content to any other editable format.

I'll look more into proxy editing but it sounds like a lot more steps than simply converting files.

For this reason, does any know of some conversion programs?

[Don Man]

Actually, can Adobe's Media Encoder convert file formats to other file formats?

Like an HD 1080 p .mts to a HD 1080p .mov?

[greymalkin]

why don't you try the demo of edius neo 2.5 (aka neo booster). I can natively edit with a less powerful machine than yours 2 AVCHD tracks layered on top of each other from my vixia hf10 camcorder with edits/color correction/fades/etc and export to uncompressed or variants of canopus HQ. It edits like I'm working with DV! Now granted this is on a clean win7 64 bit install with no internet connectivity of any kind and only neo 2.5 and the necessary drivers loaded for my machine.

Then I can use some of the great free tools like virtualdub or multiAVCHD to resize/compress to DVD or Bluray/AVCHD Disc.

neo 2.5 is much less bloated than premiere but I found it had all the features I needed and was easier/quicker to use..I used premiere for many years but I think I'm a convert to edius for now.