What's the Difference Between AVCHD and H.264?

I Just Downloaded Rick & Morty In Mkv AVCHD

It's Playing Fine In MPC
The FileSize Is 2gb etc

When I Try & Convert It To MP4 It Comes Up Failed

When The ** Is Wrong?

I can shoot prores 422 or DNxHD with my new camera. I have to convert it to another format in order to edit on my old software. What would you recommend; AVCHD, MOV, AVI, XAVC, so that I don't lose a lot of quality? The editing format with the least compression? Thank you.

Now it's all clear! Thank you 👍

What is the differecent between AVI and DV?
Does the AVI (Audio Video Interleave) container holds DV (Digital Video) codec?

Let me get high, I might comprehend this easier 😀

Very confusing but still sounds very knowledgeable. Thanks!

People talk about codecs not file containers dude, I hate that people don't talk about the file containers enough because there's a lot of confusion over the darn Xbox 360 which certain codecs are limited to specific file containers such as. I CAN'T USE H264+DOLBY DIGITAL ON NEITHER AVI OR MP4!!! STUPID MICROSOFT! I hear that the Xbox 360 can play H264+Dolby Digital in an MKV if you're using Media Center, which I will have to experiment on.

I found the video helpful and informative I was looking for a different answer. I'm editing in Adobe Premier 2020 and I'm creating a new sequence and I was asked what to use. There were many options such as APRI 1080i, AVCHD 1080i and HDV 1080i. The original video came from a sony handycam with the file extension of .MTS. So how do I know which one to use?

You made it really lucid to learn , thanks

Say wut????

which format is better, for film shooting?

So, that brings us back to the question: What is the difference between AVCHD and h.264.

Thank you this is very helpful!
Cheers, Pete

dnxhd is cool XD

most videos use h264? thats good to know

I learned nothing

My head just exploded.

Best Summary Ever!!!

Just know that when a camera shoots AVCHD it's a higher quality than x264, like the Canon DSLRs. Honestly, Codec-wise, there's nothing worse than the Canon H.264.

My camera can do mp4 and avchd.  I have always used avchd because I believe its higher quality.   I recently tested uploading a clip in mp4 and it also passes as HD.    is the only real difference is uploading speed?  I know mp4 uploads way faster.I wondered about editing mp4 clips in moviemaker and publishing in HD instead of AVCHD after I made the discovery of the HD mp4 upload.there are two mp4 settings I have. 4mbps, and 9mbps.  I cannot see if it is higher than 720p because that's All I can see regardless on internet explorer.  would mp4 9mbps come as 1080p?

I slept till the end, got the simple answer and still good.

Sounds like someone threw a bowl of alphabet soup at the wall and wrote down what stuck.

what is a format?

"You probably recognize them as file extensions" - because they ARE file extensions. Actual container names are Audio Video Interleave, Quicktime, MPEG-2 Transport Stream, etc.
MPEG-2 is not a codec, it is a set of different specifications. You probably meant MPEG-2 Part 2.
Codec is a specific software that encodes/decodes according to the encoding specifications. Whether one wants to call these specifications codec, format or something else is a matter of personal preference I guess.
AVCHD specifies file naming convention, directory structure, container, video-audio codecs, auxiliary files, subtitles, menus, etc.

nice stuff! We shot our last movie "my days as a woflman" on the sony A7s with shogun. pretty nice picture quality :)

Will i be safe to use the AVCHD and H.264 for future choices and investment on gears?

I don't know if this is the place to write this questions?

I have recorded I film in low light, but on my camcorder (Panasonic) the light is fine, which I controlled many times on the set. At my PC its the same, but on my mac it is very black, and some of my footage is unusable.

What can I do and why is my mac so much darker?

Very informative video! Thanks a lot. 
Could you tell me what program did you use to make those smooth animations ? :) 

Good video :)

Hi Team,

Thanks so much for the video. It was very informative; however, I still have one question.

I have seen few test videos from Canon 550D (without the Magic Lantern RAW enabled); and I also found few interesting Sony Nex 5R videos that were shot in AVCHD format and then converted.

Of both the videos I liked Sony Nex 5R's output more as it contained more details with respect to dynamic range. Could you please help me understand if the video format has anything to do with dynamic range or is that factor dependent on the camera sensor (both cameras have APS-C or similar sensor) :)

I was planning to buy a Sony Nex 5R

Cheers from Bangalore, India.

That helps...thanks.

Good video guys, but now post the outtakes. Teleprompter or not, I'm betting Greg tied his tongue in knots with this topic!

He seems to think macs are a lot less compatible than they actually are...

Thanks. That is a BIT clearer!

Good explanation of a very complicated subject...now if I could just get my clients to understand it...

Because if you look at the first couple of minutes of the video, a Format/Container also known to us as Fileextensions (e.g .avchd or .avi) USE H.264 Codec "plus" other info. So to play a video on our PC, we just need a H.264 codec, but to export it to media that understands ONLY AVCHD, we may have to export it to AVCHD compatible format.

thanks for making clearer to us.

Great info. I also read the other two articles in your description and now I understand more about this confusing world of containers and codecs.

Thanks for the info

abf cdhfy tttiop witfdthm wwuytt See I can make stuff up too. {smirk} good explanation though.

a good short explanation for a quite confusing thing thanx for the info

WOW! I heard all the words and understood MOST of them, but I'm still a bit lost. So AVCHD is a FORMAT and H.264 is a codec. So why does my video editing software offer H.264 AVC output that it says is "compatible" with AVCHD. Boy have I got a lot to learn!

Good video