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Sony HDR-SR1 camcorder: .m2ts to MPEG-2?

When I convert an AVCHD .m2ts file to an MPEG-2 file via Sony's Picture Motion Browser software, I notice that the converted MPEG-2 file is ridden with subtle horizontal lines. It is very obviously no longer in High Definition. How can I fix this? Am I missing a codec? The horizontal lines don't affect the quality of the picture too much, but they are definitely noticeable on the edges of the objects being filmed. And yes, I do have an HD monitor.

Public Comments

1. What may be happening is that the mpeg-2 file is made to be burned to a DVD. In which case, it WOULD be SD. As for the horizontal lines, it sounds like interlacing. There's nothing you can really do about it except deinterlace, if the program supports that. Also, since most HD monitors/TVs are progressive, interlacing will show up. If you burn the SD video to a DVD and play it on your CRT TV (aka boob tube), it should look fine. As for your camera, I would personally return the camera to the store, no offense. AVCHD is a very efficient codec, but as for now, it has not matured yet, and there are no easy ways of working with it, for now. Yes, you are on the "cutting edge," but by the time the AVCHD codec is very efficient and easy to use, your camera will be outdated, and you will have to get a new one anyways. If I were you, get a fairly decent SD camera for now. Trust me, you don't NEED HD. If you absolutely WANT HD so bad that you just can't wait (there's a difference), then get an HDV camera. At least with that, the files are somewhat workable. Another solution would be to only watch your videos with your camera connected to your TV (HD, I'm assuming). Not a very elegant solution, or will you be able to edit it, but until you buy a blu-ray/hd-dvd player, and probably burner as well, that's the only way you'll be able to watch HD video on your TV. You can watch it on your computer as well, but then there's the whole problem about conversion. In which case you might as well just watch the freakin' thing on the freakin' TV. Hope this helps!