[Melanie S]

I have recently purchased a Panasonic Camcorder (HDC SD5). I have recorded in AVCHD Format and I now wish to burn to a DVD.

However, the manual Warns that I must not play this in a DVD Player that does not support AVCHD format, as it may get stuck in the DVd Player

Please can anyone tell me how cheaply I can purchase a DVD Player that supports AVCHD format?

Or do I need to purchase a Blu-Ray Player ?

In fact will it even work on a Blu-Ray Player?

Thank you.

[KelvinS1965]

I don't think it will work in a DVD player, but I can confirm that it works in my Sony BDS-300 BluRay player in full high definition. I believe it works in a Playstation 3 but I don't know about any of the other BluRay players such as Samsung and newer Sony models. I was impressed with this feature as it saves me buying a BluRay burner and blank discs just yet as these AVCHD format discs burnt onto a DVD blank give me an hour or so of playing time.

I have a Panny SD9 and used the supplied HD creater software to make the disc with.

[rogs]

If you want to burn your footage to a DVD, and play it back in High Definition (HD), then even though you can record this onto a standard DVD, you'll need a Bluray player (or Sony PS3) to be able to play it back. You just cannot use a standard DVD player for HD playback.

What you can do is let HD Writer convert your AVCHD footage to Standard Definition (MPEG2), and burn that to a DVD. This will play back in any standard DVD player.

Although it's not full HD, it still looks pretty good.

If you decide to use the 'convert to MPEG2' option in HD writer instead, so that you add further files without having to actually burn a DVD each time, it is important to remember a couple of things.

1)There is a bug in HD Writer 2.0 software which makes the MPEG2 files appear to have no audio. There is a fix, which you will have to download from Panasonic. You should be able to find the correct version here:http://panasonic.jp/support/global/c...hd_writer.html

2) You have the option to convert to SD at either 6000mb or 9000mb. Although the 9000mb is a little bit better quality, it may be too high for some stand alone DVD Players. 6000mb should be be fine with all DVD players.

[BangkokPaul]

I looked last weekend and while none of those I looked at said AVCHD a couple of the newest DVD players said "Full 1080P" support. I will try playing some next weekend at the store to check. These new players are the newest models and are under $100. I have been burning DVD with my Sony stand alone $200 VRD-MC5 burner that burns HD DVD's from my Sony HRD-TG1. I play them on my Sony PS3 game machine on my Samsung 40" 1920x1080P LCD TV. I also make 1920x1080i Quicktime movies on my MacBook Pro laptop. The native AVCHD DVD's look much better than the Quicktime movies.

I hate Sony laptops having seen too many fail, but I love my little TG1 camcorder. It fits in a shirt pocket and lets me take over 100 minutes on a 16GB Memory Stick Pro Duo.

The MC5 is a great way to make HD DVD's and play and archive your videos. I can make a 30 minutes HD 1920x1080i DVD in about 30 minutes. Just turn it on, open the DVD drawer, put in a DVD, close the draw, insert the Memory Stick Pro Duo, push record all and wait. If it needs more than one DVD it will prompt you to insert the next one. It also takes Firewire, USB and other types of cards.

I'll make sure the DVD I have made this way will play in the new DVD player this weekend and post the result. But, I expect them to play.

BTW, the MC5 will BURN but NOT PLAY the HD DVD's.

[senu]

Esentially though no DVD player understands and will play AVCHD as it is
As it happens neither will they play HDV
In fact DVD players dont even play SD mpeg2 unless they have been arthored into a DVD video

DVD players do not play Hi def formats.

[MarkE19]

Originally Posted by BangkokPaul

a couple of the newest DVD players said "Full 1080P" support.

I would expect that these DVD players were upscaling a SD DVD to 1080p rather than being able to play an HD file from a DVD disc.

Mark.

[BangkokPaul]

Like I said I will test these new DVD players this weekend. Several of the DVD players I looked at last weekend DID say MPEG2. I think I also remember them at least 1 saying it will play MPEG 2 and MPEG 4. I'll check and write down model numbers when I try my AVCHD DVD's that I've made.
I'm an engineer and the advertising copy on the web pages of manufacturers and on the boxes of these products drive me crazy. They NEVER tell me what I want to know. Sometimes, it's hard to get the real story even from the spec sheet. So, when I decide what I want, I tend to go on reconnaissance trips gathering and trying things to see what really works.

Both my HRD-TG1 Sony camcorder manual and my Sony VRD-MC5 High Def DVD burner manual tells me to play the high def DVD I make only on a PS3 game machine, most Blu-ray players or ONLY on DVD players that play AVCHD DVD's. So if the AVCHD DVD players are not here yet, I THINK they will be soon. In the mean time, I very excited to be able to make archive AVCHD DVD with my MC that will play on my PS3 at original quality. And putting 30 minutes of AVCHD video on a 25 cent DVD, sure beats having to spend $25 on a Blu-ray disk. I've tried playing the AVCHD DVD on my almost new MacBook Pro that has a 1920x 1200 display with a plug in to Quicktime and with a stand alone program that claims to allow you to play AVCHD but thus far without success.

I'll let you know what my test results are in a few days.

[senu]

"AVCHD discs" are simply DVD discs which have the BD structure arthored on them. as opposed to DVD data discs with AVCHD files. The now dead HD DVD had simlar called "mini HD DVD"

Many BD players and the PS3 (in its BD player mode)will play AVCHD disc as will software players on the PC( Win DVD 9 plus and Power DVD 7 Ultra)
There are no DVD players that will play AVCHD ( files or disc) ( unless Sony is planning to develop some...)
DVD players play divx files but wont play even Standard def mpeg2 natively unless you arthor those to a DVD video
They also dont play mpeg1 files unless you make a VCD
And they dont understand the Hi def mpeg2 files used by HDV camcorders (m2t) and wont play them
As such It is misleading by marketeering to say DVD players do "full HD": This is only upscaling SD DVDs
So all current DVD players will AFAIK not recognise the disc type if you place an AVCHD disc in them
Any future one that do will be specifically able and given that BD players can ( and play DVD discs) I wouldnt imagine any one wanting to make a DVD player just for that

[maty71]

Originally Posted by Melanie S

I have recently purchased a Panasonic Camcorder (HDC SD5). I have recorded in AVCHD Format and I now wish to burn to a DVD.

However, the manual Warns that I must not play this in a DVD Player that does not support AVCHD format, as it may get stuck in the DVd Player

Please can anyone tell me how cheaply I can purchase a DVD Player that supports AVCHD format?

Or do I need to purchase a Blu-Ray Player ?

In fact will it even work on a Blu-Ray Player?

Thank you.

Hi i have a Sony camcorder the same and when i burn on DVD this will not play on normal dvd players , i am told they will play on Blue Ray and that is the only one that it will play on, Aldi are doing a Cheap Blue Ray and they are very good if you need to return them if not work, i am yet to get one and try it i was not happy as i was not told this would not work on normal dvd players john

[senu]

Originally Posted by maty71

Hi i have a Sony camcorder the same and when i burn on DVD this will not play on normal dvd players ,

This is correct, As i eplained in an warlier post,"Normal" DVD players cannot decode hi def formats even if the data is on a DVD disc. A bit like burning audio to a DVD disc an expectiong you Audio CD player to play it or expect playbak just burning mp3 fils to a cd

You can however create a normal DVD video from your camcorders output which will play on them. Of course the data would then hve been converted from high to standard definition

i am told they will play on Blue Ray and that is the only one that it will play on,

Some, not all

Aldi are doing a Cheap Blue Ray and they are very good if you need to return them if not work,

How cheap?ordinarily a ot of ALDI stuff is VFM but be aware that Blu ray players have, in general , dropped in price anyway
£140 gets you say THIS

i was not happy as i was not told this would not work on normal dvd players john

What do you mean?

[maty71]

Aldi dvd were £139,
thanks for the link , i have been told today in one of the shops i am better getting a sony Blue Ray he said it will work,
what i meant was i was not happy that i was not told that you need a Blue Ray dvd to see any movies i made using my HDR-TG3 Camcorder and putting it on a dvd disc,
, as i thought that once i had made a disc then i could have used it on any dvd,
thanks for your reply john

[lurcher]

Just be aware when I was burning AVCHD files from Sony cam by way of the Sony MC5 burner , the discs would only playback on a Sony Blu ray player , Panasonic/Samsung refused to recognise them.

Julian

[senu]

Originally Posted by lurcher

Just be aware when I was burning AVCHD files from Sony cam by way of the Sony MC5 burner , the discs would only playback on a Sony Blu ray player , Panasonic/Samsung refused to recognise them.

Julian

Perhaps this was due to the MC5 burner though
Having said that AVCHD disc playback compatibility was a bit hit or miss in the first generation BD players. Only the PS3 was guaranteed to play them. Both my Panasonic and Sony BD play them all back though

[tbrown10]

Originally Posted by Melanie S

I have recently purchased a Panasonic Camcorder (HDC SD5). I have recorded in AVCHD Format and I now wish to burn to a DVD.

However, the manual Warns that I must not play this in a DVD Player that does not support AVCHD format, as it may get stuck in the DVd Player

Please can anyone tell me how cheaply I can purchase a DVD Player that supports AVCHD format?

Or do I need to purchase a Blu-Ray Player ?

In fact will it even work on a Blu-Ray Player?

Thank you.

I have recently bought the Panasonic SD20 HD camcorder, I too was wondering what would be the best (and cheapest) way to watch my recordings in HD. I think I have find a way, I have purchased the Techinka Blu ray player from Tesco's for £69.97. The player is AVCHD compatible so I should be able to write my AVCHD recordings onto cheap -R DVD discs and play them back on the Technika.

[maty71]

Hi many thanks for that this i did not know, i use both my computer and the sony burner , so i need a sony Blue Ray thanks for your reply john

[lotos]

Media players that plays AVCHD:
http://www.rightinfonow.com/avchd