WMV to AVCHD Converter

How to Convert WMV to AVCHD Online

1. Upload Your WMV Files: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to select one or more WMV (Windows Media Video) files. Batch is supported — queue multiple clips and convert them in one pass.
2. Pick a Quality Preset (or set bitrate / file size): "Very High (Recommended)" matches the AVCHD 2.0 sweet spot of roughly 24 Mbit/s for 1080i/p footage. Pick "Highest" for archival masters at up to 28 Mbit/s, "Medium" or "Low" for proxy files. Or switch the Compression mode to Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate, Constant Quality (CRF), or Specific file size to hit a target.
3. Set Resolution and Trim (Optional): Keep original, choose a Preset Resolution (1080p and 720p are the canonical AVCHD modes), enter a custom Width × Height, or scale by Resolution Percentage. Use Trim → Time Range with start time and duration in HH:MM:SS.sss to extract only the segment you need.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert". Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared. Output is delivered as .mts files individually or as a ZIP archive.

The video codec defaults to H.264 (AVC) and audio defaults to AC-3 (Dolby Digital), the standard AVCHD codec pair. Both can be overridden under Advanced Options if your downstream tool expects something different.

Why Convert WMV to AVCHD?

WMV is Microsoft's video family (WMV1/2 from 1999-2001, WMV9 from 2003, later standardised as SMPTE VC-1 in April 2006). Outside Windows it is awkwardly supported — macOS dropped Flip4Mac in 2020, iOS and Android have no native decoder, and most consumer set-top boxes refuse to mount .wmv files. AVCHD was launched by Sony and Panasonic in 2006 as a Blu-ray-derived consumer HD format using H.264 video in an MPEG-2 transport stream (.mts on camcorder cards, .m2ts after import). Re-wrapping WMV as AVCHD gives you a file the broader hardware and editing ecosystem actually understands.

• Sony Vegas, Movie Studio, and Catalyst — Vegas Pro 15 through 23 list AVCHD as a natively supported import format. Editors who shoot on Sony AX-series, FDR-AX, or NX-series camcorders already have an AVCHD-first ingest path, so converting old WMV B-roll into AVCHD lets it sit on the same timeline without a separate transcode pass.
• Blu-ray disc authoring — AVCHD is derived from the Blu-ray Disc spec; the .mts/.m2ts H.264 + AC-3 pair drops straight into BDMV/STREAM authoring tools (DVDfab, multiAVCHD, Nero). WMV cannot be burned to a standard Blu-ray.
• Camcorder ingest folders — Tools like Sony Catalyst Browse, PlayMemories, and Panasonic HD Writer expect AVCHD's BDMV folder structure. Converting a WMV recording to AVCHD lets you drop it into the camera ingest pipeline alongside live footage.
• Home theatre and smart-TV playback — Many older Sony Bravia TVs, PlayStation 3/4, and Panasonic Viera players have AVCHD listed in the supported-format table but skip WMV entirely. AVCHD output plays from a USB stick where WMV throws "unsupported format".
• Long-term archival — H.264 in an MPEG-TS container is a far more durable format than VC-1/WMV in ASF, which Microsoft has not meaningfully updated since 2003. AVCHD masters at 24-28 Mbit/s are a safer long-term bet than legacy WMV.

WMV vs AVCHD — Format Comparison

AVCHD Quality Preset Quick Guide

Bitrate ranges are typical defaults — use the Constant Bitrate or Specific File Size modes if you need an exact target.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert WMV to AVCHD instead of MP4?

If your destination is a Sony or Panasonic camcorder workflow, a Blu-ray authoring tool, or an older AVCHD-only set-top box, MP4 will not be recognised — those devices read the AVCHD folder spec, not generic ISO/MP4. If you just want a portable file that plays everywhere, WMV to MP4 is the better target. AVCHD is the right answer specifically for hardware that expects .mts/.m2ts and BDMV.

Will the converted file import cleanly into Sony Vegas Pro?

Vegas Pro 15-23 support AVCHD natively, so the H.264 + AC-3 .mts output drops onto a Vegas timeline without a second transcode. Two notes from the community: (1) MTS clips imported as a loose file outside the BDMV folder structure can occasionally throw "unrecognised format" errors — in that case, place the .mts inside a BDMV/STREAM/ folder and re-import. (2) For very long clips, some editors prefer a proxy workflow with DNxHD or ProRes; AVCHD is the delivery format, not always the smoothest scrub format on slow drives.

What is the difference between .mts and .m2ts?

They are the same MPEG-2 transport stream container with the same H.264 + AC-3 payload. .mts is what camcorders write to the SD card; many ingest tools (PlayMemories, Catalyst Browse, Vegas) rename them to .m2ts on import to match the Blu-ray-style BDAV stream extension. xconvert outputs .mts — rename to .m2ts if your tool requires it; the bytes inside are identical.

Will my WMV's audio survive the conversion?

Yes. WMA audio is decoded and re-encoded to AC-3 at 192-384 kbit/s, the standard AVCHD audio bitrate range. Stereo is preserved. If your source has 5.1 surround audio, AC-3 also supports 5.1 and that channel layout is kept where the source provides discrete channels.

Can I burn the AVCHD output to a Blu-ray disc?

Yes — that is one of the main reasons to convert. AVCHD .m2ts files drop directly into BDMV authoring tools (multiAVCHD, DVDfab Blu-ray Creator, Nero). For a strict Blu-ray spec disc, keep bitrate at or below 24 Mbit/s for AVCHD 1.0-style discs, or use AVCHD 2.0 Progressive (28 Mbit/s) for newer players. WMV cannot be burned to a Blu-ray without first transcoding to H.264 anyway.

What resolution should I pick for AVCHD output?

The two canonical AVCHD resolutions are 1920×1080 (Full HD, the most common for cards from 2008 onward) and 1280×720 (HD, used by older AVCHD Lite camcorders). 4K is outside the AVCHD spec — for 4K H.264 you want a generic MP4 or XAVC-S container, not AVCHD. If your source WMV is 720p or 1080p, keep "Original" to avoid an unnecessary upscale; if it is 480p/SD, scale to 720p for cleaner playback on HD hardware.

Will the file size go up or down compared to my WMV?

Roughly comparable, sometimes slightly larger. WMV9/VC-1 and H.264 have similar compression efficiency, but AVCHD's standard bitrate floor (around 16-24 Mbit/s for 1080p) is higher than what many WMV files were encoded at — older WMV web clips at 2-4 Mbit/s will balloon when re-encoded to AVCHD at the default preset. Lower the Quality Preset or set a Specific File Size if you need to keep the size flat.

Can I trim the video while converting?

Yes. Use Trim → Time Range and enter a Start time and Duration in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss. Only the selected segment is encoded, which both saves processing time and lets you cut a 30-minute WMV down to a single 90-second AVCHD clip without a separate edit step.

How do I convert AVCHD back to WMV after editing?

For the reverse trip — taking finished AVCHD masters back into Windows-only workflows — use AVCHD to WMV. For a more universally playable output, AVCHD to MP4 is the more common modern choice, and you can also feed an AVCHD master into compress AVCHD if the file is too large for upload.