Ok, let me start off by saying I in no way represent Ahead Nero... I just love (most) of their software.

I had several AVCHD files with .mov wrappers that were giving me import errors in Adobe Premiere CS4 and Final Cut, on both the PC and the Mac platforms... In desperation I even tried iMovie and Windows Movie Maker, still to no avail. I could watch the video files in either QuickTime or Windows Media Player, but none of my editing software could import them for editing. I tried several "freeware" mov to avi or mpeg conversion tools, but none of them worked--they would all either leave the audio or leave the video, or they would bring both, but make everything really pixelated and choppy.

In desperation I checked to see if Nero could burn a DVD with them, figuring if I could, then I could burn a DVD and then turn around and rip that DVD. Though Nero's media player couldn't open and play the files, Vision could open them and encode them for DVD. So I set it to encode for DVD and told it to send the files to my hard disk, rather than my DVD burner, and I got the Video_TS folder with all the DVD video files. Those imported perfectly into Adobe Premiere and I'm off and running!

Thank you Nero!

Just to clarify the terms used: if both QT and WinMedia Player can play the file, IT IS NOT CORRUPTED.

It's just that your editing software can't handle it.

So you converted 17-24 Mbps AVCHD to 8Mbps SD Mpeg2, and you're calling that a success? Did you use G-Spot to see what the internal codecs were in that .mov? Or perhaps using one of the tools that got the audio, and doing a lossless convert and placing that with the program you had that would get the video?

I don't even know what to say...

@Perrone: I think what he's saying is that being able to edit the footage is a success even if he had to sacrifice a little quality (falls under the "Bird in the Hand..." addage).

I agree that it's a much less desirable solution quality wise, but sometimes, we work with what we have.

Except, he noted that he tried several converters that either got him the audio or the video, but not both. So use one to get the audio to PCM, and use the other to get video to uncompressed or whatever, then load both in the NLE. Done, and no massive loss of quality. In fact, no loss whatsoever.

He had nearly an ideal solution in hand, and tossed it aside for an SD downcovert to a lossy codec.

@Perrone: I think what he's saying is that being able to edit the footage is a success even if he had to sacrifice a little quality (falls under the "Bird in the Hand..." addage). I agree that it's a much less desirable solution quality wise, but sometimes, we work with what we have.
Our bird is a high quality video file, all we need is the right tool to handle it the right way. Butchering it with Nero will only result in a bloody mess...

Wish that video with one, audio with another solution would've worked, but the video I got from those other converters was even worse than the SD.

And explain to me, please, how a file that BOTH Adobe Premiere CS4 AND Final Cut say is corrupted on import, is not corrupted just because both QT and Media Player can play it, is corrupted? Even the file's name was corrupted...

Granted, the solution wasn't the best--I did end up with SD quality. BUT, the footage was from a high altitude (talking 92,500 feet here) scientific research balloon, and losing that footage was unacceptable. I far preferred having less quality and keeping the footage.

Do any of you have any other ideas for "the right tools" to convert that video file? 'Cause I'd love to take another shot at it and keep it in HD if I could...

David,

Would it be possible for me to try my hand at getting an HD version out of it? It seems odd that two different players were able to view this thing, and you still couldn't get it into your editor.

What's your timeframe?

-P

I am also willing to help.