AVCHD or MP4?

[sonicseamus]

Hey all, first time poster here.

I recently got a new camera (Sony RX100) and I'm wondering what settings I should select for its video feature. I'm going to be using iPhoto and iMovie for handling the video.

So, should I use AVCHD or MP4? Does AVCHD work with iPhoto and iMovie? How much larger are the files than MP4? How much better is the video quality?

Thanks for any advice,

Seamus

 

[ctyhntr]

iMovie can import AVCHD. If you upgraded to Mountain Lion, QuickTime now can play AVCHD videos natively.

 

[sonicseamus]

Thanks. Does iPhoto work with AVCHD as well?

 

[ctyhntr]

I don't use iPhoto.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5251

Thanks. Does iPhoto work with AVCHD as well?

 

[sweetchapsuresh]

AVCHD video is not recognized or cannot be transferred to a Macintosh computer.

Macintosh computers do not support AVCHD video recorded in 60p (1080 and 720). If you want to easily transfer video to a Mac, we recommend changing the recording format on the camera. Depending on the camera, you can change it to MP4 or AVCHD such as 24i, 60i, etc.

Media converter software is available for Mac computers that may allow you to transfer video that was recorded in 60p.
This software is available at http://media-converter.sourceforge.net.


Important!!!
* AVCHD video is only supported with iMovie® '08 software or newer. It is recommended the iMovie software on the Macintosh computer be updated to the newest version to ensure compatibility with the AVCHD format.
* The computer requires an Intel Core Duo processor or better to support AVCHD video.
* If both AVCHD and MPEG2 or MP4 formatted movies are recorded, the AVCHD movies may not be recognized. * If this happens, import all the MP4 or MPEG2 movies to the computer and then delete them from the camera. * Afterwards, disconnect and reconnect the USB cable so the AVCHD movies can be recognized.
* Power Mac® G5 does not support the AVCHD format.

Hope you find this information useful.

Suresh Gopalraj

Sony CE Support Team

 

[takezo808]

Hey all, first time poster here.

I recently got a new camera (Sony RX100) and I'm wondering what settings I should select for its video feature. I'm going to be using iPhoto and iMovie for handling the video.

So, should I use AVCHD or MP4? Does AVCHD work with iPhoto and iMovie? How much larger are the files than MP4? How much better is the video quality?

Thanks for any advice,

Seamus

.AVCHD and .MP4 are nothing more than container files. They usually conntain two files. H.264 (AVC codec), and AAC audio file (the same codec used for itunes. Certain setop boxes can play videos using .MP4 files but not .avchd as it will not reconise the file extension. Even PC's and MACs need a special player to recognise the file exension. Think of it like how .zip files need an unarchiver to open. However .MP4 can contain Mpeg layer 4 (dvix or xvid) and mpeg audio.

.AVCHD is mostlikely used to house high bitrate (higher = better picture quality) H.264 and AAC files. basically if software supports .avchd it supports the high definition video and audio files it contains where as it's posible for .MP4 to contain the exact same HD video or audio files, the hardware or software may not support it and it will not play.