convert .MTS files to /.mpeg to play in PC or DVD player (solved!)

[silverbirch]

I used my camera (Panasonic FZ35 to record two small videos using the AVCHD Lite format.  I can find them in Dolphin file manager and have saved them and can play using kaffeine or Dragon Player.

I now want to save them to disc to give to other people, and it appears I need to change the format or files.  What's the best app for this in Pclos - thanks.

Thanks in advance

[pags]

If you can get mplayer to play the videos (such as http://slacy.com/blog/2008/03/playing-avchd-files-from-mplayer/), then you can convert them with mencoder.

I take it these are high-definition files?  Is your PC up to the task of playing them back?

(Sorry, I don't know all the relevant command switches that may be required...perhaps another will post more detail).

[Was_Just19]

.MTS are mpeg video as far as I can tell.

h264 video codec
a52 audio codec

Avidemux should do what you need.

[T6]

also devede could handle it(theoretically)

maybe tabencode or winff, mencoder in konsole surely can(easier deved

[silverbirch]

If you can get mplayer to play the videos (such as http://slacy.com/blog/2008/03/playing-avchd-files-from-mplayer/), then you can convert them with mencoder.

I take it these are high-definition files?  Is your PC up to the task of playing them back?

(Sorry, I don't know all the relevant command switches that may be required...perhaps another will post more detail).

I was hoping to convert them to a format to play in a DVD player ...

I think I'll need to do more reading and googling

[silverbirch]

.MTS are mpeg video as far as I can tell.

h264 video codec
a52 audio codec

Avidemux should do what you need.

have installed Avidemux via synaptic but when it plays back the video there's a lot of stuttering.  Also there's two aviemux listed gTKs and QT4, but both stutter.

[silverbirch]

also devede could handle it(theoretically)

maybe tabencode or winff, mencoder in konsole surely can(easier deved

Have been playing with Devede and felt I was getting somewhere, but so far no luck.  However will keep trying!

Thanks all for your suggestions, much appreciated.

[Duvid]

Try renaming the extension to .mpeg. I have done this with propietary formats that are really mpegs and it worked fine. Its worth a try. Sometimes the simplest things work.

[T6]

+1

[silverbirch]

Try renaming the extension to .mpeg. I have done this with propietary formats that are really mpegs and it worked fine. Its worth a try. Sometimes the simplest things work.

Ummm - how do I do that?  Just use digikam or devede and change the file there?  Will take a look!

[silverbirch]

Been googling and reading, and not really getting anywhere ...

I thought I was making prgress with devedee but then writing the iso gave an incompatible disk.  Maybe will check the devedee forums ...

[Was_Just19]

Use Avidenux or WinFF to convert the .MTS video file to a DVD compatible file.

Check the new file plays without problems in the player of your choice .....  VLC, SMPlayer etc

Then use a DVD Authoring application to make a 'consumer' DVD for viewing.

regards.

[silverbirch]

Use Avidenux or WinFF to convert the .MTS video file to a DVD compatible file.

Check the new file plays without problems in the player of your choice .....  VLC, SMPlayer etc

Then use a DVD Authoring application to make a 'consumer' DVD for viewing.

regards.

OK thanks!  I used winFF to do the conversion, and then k3b to burn the file.  it loads in Pclos and I can look at it with Dolphin (or other file Manager), and then open with video player of choice.  Thanks heaps.  It doesn't play in commercial DVD player, and I haven't been able to test in Windows, which all my friends and family use, however usually any disk I create in k3b works in Win.

So ... next step is to find what format I need for the DVD.

Thanks so much.  Will be happy if have to stick with PC reading it, but am sure that eventually I'll get there!

Thanks again

[silverbirch]

Yup - did it!!  Have now produced a DVD which plays in both PC using various players, but also DVD player attached to TV.

Will need to think about sequence and replicate it, and then will post it here.

Thanks so much to everyone for their suggestions.

Basically -  I used WinFF to convert files initially to DVD, and then Deveedee to convert to NTC, which is what my commercial DVDs are.  If I think of any steps in between I'll post.

Thanks again everyone!!  Good on Pclos!  And the community!!

[Was_Just19]

After converting the file to DVD format (you can choose PAL or NTSC in WinFF) you need to author a DVD before burning it to the media.
If you search Synaptic for   authoring  you will see many applications capable of doing this, and some offer to burn the result to media as well.

If you are using a pre-prepared DVD compatible file then the quickest means of creating a DVD ISO is to use DVDStyler.

Of course if the video file you wish to use is not in DVD compatible format then it matters little (time wise) which application you use to generate the DVD.

Using the correct preset in WinFF or the correct option in Avidemux will produce DVD compatible video files (=VOB files). Using DVDStyler with such files will produce a DVD fileset within a couple of minutes.

regards.

EDIT
          In Winff  choose  DVD  in the Convert to ....... location, and then from the drop-down box of Device presets.....  under it select either FullScreen or Widescreen -- DVD HQ -- and the TV format you wish NTSC. So in your case you would choose
NTSC DVD HQ FullScreen  or  NTSC DVD HQ WideScreen
(I have edited my presets so that those files come out with a VOB extension just to remind me)

You can now take that file and use it in DVDStyler to produce a DVD Fileset etc ---- and it will do it in a couple of minutes.

For instance a 3.2GB file from WinFF produced a DVD fileset in 2 minutes and it took 8 minutes to burn it to media, in tests I did..

Hope that explains things a little better.

JB