Bd-rb avchd?

[rendez2k]

Hi there, I thought I'd test the DVD9 output option in BD-RB but to my surprise its encoding in MPEG2. Is the DVD9 option not AVCHD? I thought you could still encode with X264 to AVCHDs?

[RobertM]

The DVD9 option gives you a DVD format output, so MPEG2. Maybe what you wanted to try was the BD-9 output, which DOES use AVCHD.

[rendez2k]

I've got 'Target Size BD-9 (DVD-9)' selected. I don't see any other option or anyway to select true DVD or AVCHD?

[jdobbs]

If only way you can get MPEG-2 output is if you have selected ALTERNATE and then DVD-5/9 as your output format from the MODE menu. If you want a BD-9, then don't select that... just pick BD-9 from from the output menu and go. BD-9 isn't an "Alternate" format.

[rendez2k]

Arh, your right. I did have alternative selected, probably from a previous test! So, do either AVCHD or 'actual' SD DVD support menus etc (like the movie + menu option)?

[jdobbs]

Yes... but...

You can count on support for movie-only backups on pretty much all players that support AVCHD. Doing full backups isn't as well supported. A large percentage of (most) standalone players will support full backup to BD-5/9 of discs that use HDMV for it's menus etc. A much smaller percentage support full backup to BD-5/9 of discs that use BD-J (Java). There are a couple of threads here where people have reported on players that support BD-J on DVD+-R media -- you may want to search/browse through those.

Things to remember:

1. The AVCHD standard does not support JAVA.
2. The AVCHD standard supports only AVC (not VC-1 or MPEG-2)
3. The AVCHD standard does not support DTS audio
4. AVCHD has a much lower bitrate requirement

The further you drift from those rules, the less likely it is that a given player will play the disc. Some of the players seem to use the same code-path for AVCHD that it does for Blu-ray -- and will play almost anything even when it is entirely out-of-standard. Others can get very picky.

Menuing on DVD is completely different from Blu-ray -- so there's no compatibility there at all. All BD to SD-DVD conversions (ALTERNATE output) are movie-only in BD-RB.