Topic: "AVCHD disk" and recording quality question

[lsd2525]

OK, I guess I haven't used my Canon Vixia HFM31 in so long it lost all its settings, date, time, the whole nine yards. So I just finishing going through resetting everything. In the past, I always used the "MXP" mode which is 24 Mbps and the highest setting there is. So, when I change it from the default to MXP, it pops up and tells me I can't "use scenes shot in this mode to make an "AVCHD disk". The next setting down, "FPX", which is 17 Mbps does not give this warning.

So, from googling around the old interwebs, it appears that a "AVCHD disk" is a DVD that may or may not play in blu-ray players......is that the jist of it or am I missing something? I've never played anything I've recorded on anything other than my computer plugged into a TV. I'm wondering if I would be better off shooting in the FXP mode if that would make putting on a physical disk for distribution easier......or if it's a crapshoot as to if it will play in a DVD or blu-ray player or not, should I stick with MXP and forget about it?

Suggestions? Comments? Someone please at least tell me if I am even right about the AVCHD Disk thing. Thanks in advance.

[beatkilla]

Shoot in the highest bitrate and you can always downsample later.If your going to make a disk better to make a bluray anyways.

[lsd2525]

Thanks. Any advice for (free if possible) software to covert this shit to a usable format for burning to disks would be welcomed also

[willndmb]

Yes you are right, avchd is a DVD that can play a "midrange" bit rate in a bluray player.
Today's world I never see them as bluray is common vs back in the day when people were transitioning to hd and The had footage but no bluray player.
Now it's just bluray and digital file for the most part. So I agree go as high as you can as you can always use software to make a avchd if you need.

[if_then_else]

Thanks. Any advice for (free if possible) software to covert this shit to a usable format for burning to disks would be welcomed also

ffmpeg (respectively avconv).
https://www.ffmpeg.org/

I'll look up a couple of scripts when I'm at home again.

EDIT:

Video bit-rate conversion (e.g. from your 24 Mbps) to just 5 Mbps:

ffmpeg -y -i chve\&syndrome-casino-lu-20171116-edit.ts -vcodec h264_nvenc -preset slow -b:v 5M -acodec copy ../transcoded/chve\&syndrome-casino-lu-20171116-nv5.mp4

Conversion from AVCHD to (NTSC) DVD:

ffmpeg -y -i -i chve\&syndrome-casino-lu-20171116-edit.ts -aspect 16:9 -target ntsc-dvd ../transcoded/chve\&syndrome-casino-lu-20171116-nv5.mpg