Can't Import AVCHD .MTS files into Final Cut Pro - Solution

Summary: To get Final Cut Pro working with AVCHD .mts files perfectly, the easiest workaroud is to convert MTS to ProRes encoded MOV, something ensuring best results when using .MTS files in FCP 6/7/X.



The incompatibility of AVCHD .mts files exists among different camcorder manufacturers. Mostly, the MTS footage captured by Sony Handycam is encoded with H.264/AVC codec which does not work well with video editing software except for few ones. Despite of this, H.264 codec is acknowledged as a universal codec for camcorder videos, especially for HD contents. The advanced compression method of H.264 results in much less storage and the same picture quality comparing with MPEG-4. However, the highly-compressed content is not so friendly for editing software.