Sony-HDR-SR5E, Help needed with avchd format.

[Andy-24]

Hi all, i'm new to the forum, but have been viewng it for quite some time now and i must say the wealth of knowledge you guys have is incredible.

I need some help i purchased a sony hdr-sr5e but i don't know the answers to some of the questions i have. Basically when i have finished recording in hd quality and i want to transfer it to dvd, do i have to transfer it to a blue ray disc to get hd quality. I mean if i use a standard dvd to copy the avchd files will it still be in hi def quality? Would i have to use a blue ray player to play the disc on?

I was mainly worried that if i wanted to get the same quality as when i view the files staright from my camcorder to my hd tv, that i would have to purchase a blue ray recorder or something, or is this not the case? Can i view hd quality video with the supplied software straight onto a dvd and then this dvd would have to be played on a blue ray player?

i really need your help guys, as this is really starting to bug me.

Thanks

Andy

[glesgaguyav]

To view HD video outwith your cam you'll need a player capable of playing and outputing HD material.

The only options at the present time are Media Players with HDMI output, these are small boxes that can hold a HDD which you transfer your files to and they will playback in pure HD
Popular ones at the moment are the Popcorn Hour or DVico series.
Or you can use a Sony PS3

With regards to burning DVD, you can burn to the HDV format on normal DVD (1/2 hour long)but you will still need a HD DVD player or you can burn AVCHD Blue Ray disks which the PS3 will play

If you use the standard DVD it will be suitable for viewing on almost all present DVD players although it will not be HD quality

[Andy-24]

Thank you for your reply. i still have some questions. With regards to burning the avchd data onto a blue ray disk, will i need to buy a blue ray disk drive to burn the data onto?

Am i right in thinking you cannot view avchd format video that is burned on a regular dvd in a normal dvd player. If i can burn avchd video on to a reguar dvd, will it still be high definition dvd, that i can only view on a blue ray player?

Can i do the above, with the supplied software or would i need to purchase addtional software?

Thanks

[senu]

Originally Posted by Andy-24

Thank you for your reply. i still have some questions. With regards to burning the avchd data onto a blue ray disk, will i need to buy a blue ray disk drive to burn the data onto?

Yes , or a Multi format burner with bluray burning capability

Am i right in thinking you cannot view avchd format video that is burned on a regular dvd in a normal dvd player.

Yes
SD DVD players do not understand Hi def formats
As it happens you would not ordinarily even be able to view SD mpeg2 burnt to DVD disc if not properly arthored as DVD video.
Interestingly Divx files and jpeg images can be viewed in thier native form

If i can burn avchd video on to a reguar dvd, will it still be high definition dvd, that i can only view on a blue ray player?

If you burn a data disc with AVCHD files, they will remain as such
You can view them on a PC
and the PS3
Whether you can view them on a BD player or not depends on that specific player but it is often not the case
There is a method by which you burn to DVD disc, HD video complete with menu. This disc is called an AVCHD disc.
Although a DVD disc with AVCHD files, it is not to be confused with an ordinary DVD data disc to which AVCHD data has been burnt
It is in effect a Blu ray structure burnt to a DVD media ( 20 min) readable by the PS3 and some BD players but not an ordinary DVD player.
AVCHD discs can be arthored by several software , Im not sure how well PMB does it though

[Smurkenstein]

Andy, maybe something you didnt think of, or maybe prohibitively expensive - but you can playback from a PC. In some ways, this will spank the pants off the other options...for example no lengthy file transfers or burning of disks, transcoding not an issue, large library capacity.

Its a little awkward to set up tho.