Another noob question: .m2t > .avi
 

Ok first and foremost you guys are great, this site is great and very informative.

My situation is I have a canon hv20 and want to record in 1080i then capture to a .m2t file with HDVsplit. I want to convert that to an .avi and then also resize it to 720x480. (the reason for shooting in HD then converting to SD in my opinion is because it looks better than shooting in SD and capturing SD)(maybe i'm wrong but when I watch SD tv that was shot on HD cameras to me it looks better than shows that shoot on SD cameras)

What is the best way to convert HD .m2t files to SD .avi files using programs that are free or very cheap? I have avisynth, graphedit and virtualdub but I don't know how to use them, like I said, I'm a noob.

So if anyone has a guide for dummies that has step by step explanations that would be great. I've seen some topics that talk a little bit about it but none that are very clear to me. I need laymans terms.

Thanks a ton in advance.

Assuming you are staying interlaced at 60i, you can convert in any editor that edits in HDV- Premieire, Premiere Elements (?), Vegas, Vegas Movie Studio, to name a few on PC side.

If you are going to shoot in the 24p format, best method is to buy NeoHDV, and you can capture removing the pulldown with the program, and resize to .avi file sized at SD.

When I try to import .m2t files to Premiere Pro 2 it says file not supported. Am I doing something wrong?

Oh, I thought your question was " free or very cheap? "

didn't know you have Premier Pro 2.0.....

thats a different question

So now the answer will be.... Cineform Prospect.. :-)

Prospect HD v3 (Windows/MacOS Download)

10-bit Real-Time Online HD editing for Premiere Pro: Mac OS codec, 10-bit I/O, 1920x 1080 spatial resolution

Price $999.00


i don't have a thousand dollars to spend, i just spent a thousand getting the camera.

No wonder HD is so slow to take off with consumers, there isn't much support for it. First you buy an expensive camera, then you're expected to buy software that's just as expensive in order to edit it!
/off topic ranting

sorry...i'm just frustrated at not being able to get the most out of my investment.

I think I have used HDVsplit files in Premiere Pro, but can't really recall for sure, because I am using Vegas mostly now. However, if HDVSplit file aren't working, why not use the Premiere Pro capture utility. It will create .m2t files too-- unless you are using the trial version. I think trial version does not support the .m2t files.

Perhaps you have not set the presets correctly in creating the project. While I usually use my Cineform presets, Premiere comes with a set of non-Cineform "HDV" presets. I have used the "1080 30i (Sony 60i)" preset to import .m2t files. After import it spends some time "indexing". Only after indexing is complete should you pull the clip down to the timeline.

Not true. You do have to make an investment in softward, but that was true with DV, too. Vegas Movie Studio captures and edits in M2t, somewhere around $75.00. So does Pinnacle's Studio 11, and I think Premiere Elements. Similarly priced. The Cineform products offer optimized editing capabilities, and processing benefits that professionals need, but that consumers don't really care about.