Since TiVo DVR is capable of easily skipping over TV commercial advertising while recording TV shows and movies for later playback, this little gadget has become a popular home setup box. However, the thing is that for its special format, tivo files usually do not get supports from many other multimedia players or devices; therefore, people’s needs of converting these files to other formats has never been stopped, and they always look around solutions to this problem. In the purpose of doing you guys a favor, I write this post to show a practical solution of transcoding tivo file to the format of MPEG, and after this conversion, you will be able to play these files on your local PC, or burn them to DVD, or do whatever else as you wish.

How-To:

1. Transfer tivo to your personal computer

To achieve this goal, you should make use of TiVo Desktop software, you can download it here: TiVo Desktop software. Open TiVo Desktop, click “Pick Recordings to Transfer” to transfer TV shows to your PC. The TiVo Desktop will prompt when the transfer is finished.

2. Convert TiVo to MPEG via Pavtube Video Converter

Step 1: Click “Add” button to load TiVo files into Pavtube Video Converter.

Step 2: Click the pull down menu of “Format” to select MPEG as output format, and click the folder icon at the opposite side of “Output” to specify where to locate the output MPEG files.

Step 3: Click “Settings” button to adjust video and audio parameters like bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, audio channel, etc.

Step 4: Click “Convert” button to start converting tivo files to MPEG.

Additionally, if you want to combine all the imported tivo files to be as a single file, you can check “Merge into one file”. If you want to edit the original tivo files before format conversion, you can click “Edit” button to do it as soon as you loaded them to this application. Pavtube Video Converter provides users with several simple editing functions, such as “Crop”, “Trim”, “Add Text Watermark”, “Add Image/Video Watermark”, “Effect”, and “Audio Replace”.

After conversion is completed, you can click “Open” button to get the generated MPEG files with ease.

Besides converting tivo files to MPEG, this tivo converter can also convert tivo files to lots of other popular media formats, including MP4 (supported by iPod, iPhone, PSP, Apple TV, Gphone, Blackberry etc.), 3GP (supported by 3G mobile phones), FLV (suitable for online transferring), MPEG-4 (support importing to iMovie, Final Cut Pro.), AVI, MPG, MOV, 3G2, VOB, and the operating steps is just as the same as transcoding tivo to MPEG.

Keep high definition quality of TiVo files – This article tells you how to keep HD quality of tivo files (TV shows, Netflix movies or whatever) recorded by your TiVo HD DVR, TiVo HD XL DVR while doing format conversion for your other devices. To retain HD quality of your tivo files, please follow the steps below:

Guide: How to keep HD quality of TiVo files while doing format conversion

1. Transfer TiVo movies to your personal computer

To achieve this goal, you should make use of TiVo Desktop software, you can download it here: TiVo Desktop software. Open TiVo Desktop, click “Pick Recordings to Transfer” to transfer TV shows to your PC. The TiVo Desktop will prompt when the transfer is finished.

2. Convert TiVo files to HD video via Pavtube Video Converter

Step 1: Click “Add” button to import TiVo files to this program

Step 2: Select HD video as output format and specify destination folder

Click the pull down menu of “Format” to select “HD Video” firstly, and then choose a format according to your end use of the output files. There are more than 10 selections in “HD Video” profile, including HD MP4, HD MOV, HD MKV, HD AVI, HD TS, HD MPG, etc., and which one to select is totally depending on you.

At the same time, you can click the folder icon at the end of “Output” to specify where to store the output files, if not, this program will export generated files to the save path set by default automatically, and wherever your destination folder is, you are able to find out the output files via clicking on “Open” button with ease.

Step 3: Click “Settings” button to adjust audio and video parameters

On the popup window, you are allowed to reset all the options on it, such as codec name, aspect ratio, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, and audio channels, so as to make good control of the output file quality.

Step 4: Click “Convert” button to start conversion

Additional tips:

1. This TiVo converter enables you to combine multiple TiVo files into one file, so that there are no intervals while playback. Just tick “Merge into one file”, and this goal will be achieved.

2. Fast conversion speed and perfect audio and video in sync technology.

3. Support VFW codec encoding and 5.1 channel audio output.

4. This program can be used as a simple video editor. The trim function allows you to get a specific length of video accurately since its inner seek function can capture any key frame of video, while with crop, you can cut off the black edges and unwanted video area easily. Its watermark function allows you to add different sorts of watermarks, including text, image (including GIF), and video watermark, so as to realize picture-in-picture effect in your TiVo files.

As we all know, Windows Movie Maker is the free video editing software installed on a PC using Microsoft Windows OS. However, probably because of the copyright issues, Windows Movie Maker only provides supports for a relative small range of formats. I’d like to list them out.

Windows Movie Maker accepted formats:

.WMV, .ASF, .MPG (MPEG-1), .AVI (DV-AVI), .WMA, .WAV, and .MP3
Additionally, the Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Movie Maker support importing MPEG-2 Program streams and DVR-MS formats.

It is obviously that AVCHD .mts and .m2ts files are out of this range, and if you try to capture these videos to Windows Movie Maker, it will prompt you that:

My question is that how to make it possible to let Windows Movie Maker workable with them? Up to now, the only answer I have got is that doing format conversion is absolutely necessary. Then what program can work well to do this? Through some attempts on several utilities I searched on Google, finally Pavtube MTS/M2TS Converter stands out from the others. Before using it, I’ve tried some similar converters as well, virtually all of them can transfer mts/m2ts to Windows Movie Maker compatible format, but always bring problems one or another, like terrible conversion speed, audio and video out of sync issues, etc. This one does not have these issues, so it won my appreciation, of course.

Well, back to the point, my post aims to show you a detailed instruction of how to convert .mts and .m2ts AVCHD files for importing to Windows Movie Maker via Pavtube, just go through with it to see whether it is what you need or not. Okay, here we go.

You can download this video converter here, and then install and run it.

Step 1: Click “Add” button to load your .mts and .m2ts files.

Step 2: Select output format and set destination folder

Click the pull down menu of “Format”, you will be able to select a Windows Movie Maker supported format from the output format profile, here I choose .wmv for example. Meanwhile, click the folder icon at the end of “Output” to specify where to store the output files for your WMM, if not, this program will export them to the default save path automatically. BTW, if you want to combine multiple .mts and .m2ts files into a single file, you can tick “Merge into one file.

Step 3: Set advanced settings

Click “Settings” button, then you will be able to adjust audio and video parameters on the popup window to customize the output files, these parameters include codec name, aspect ratio, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, and audio channel.

Step 4: Click “Convert” button to start conversion.

Once finished, you can click “Open” button to get the output files effortlessly, and what you need to do next is just importing them to Windows Movie Maker for editing via its “Import video” option.

Lots of people have been looking around for information on how to burn tivo files generated by a TiVo DVR to a DVD disc, so as to watch them on a PC or their widescreen TV via a DVD player, as well as a Blu-ray player. To give a solution to this universal problem to full extent, my post will focus on this point, and present you the method of how to author tivo files to DVD. If it is what you are looking for, just take it easy to go through with it.

What you will need:

1. TiVo Desktop

2. A video converter that can support tivo files, here I choose Pavtube Video Converter

3. A DVD burner, like ImgBurn, Nero Express, etc.

At first, you should transfer your recorded files which you want to burn to DVD from your TiVo box to your personal PC via TiVo Desktop, that is “Pick Recordings to Transfer”. Then do as the following instruction shown:

1. Run Pavtube Video Converter and add tivo files to it

Once you run it, the following wine red interface will appear, and you can click on “Add” button to load tivo files into it.

2. Select DVD format as output format, and set save path

As long as tivo files are imported, you should click the pull down menu of “Format” to select a VOB format for DVD burning. Here I choose DVD-Video Format – NTSC (*.vob) for instance. Notice that NTSC is a video format used in North America, Central America, Japan, and parts of South America; PAL is the video format used in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, most of Asia, and parts of South America; SECAM is used in Africa, Asia, Pacific Islands, Former USSR, and Americas. You should select one according to your geographical regions.

At the same time, you can click the folder icon at the end of “Output” to specify where to locate the output VOB files. Additionally, if you want to combine all the tivo files you loaded to be as a single file, you can tick the checkbox “Merge into one file”.

3. Set advanced settings

If you’d like to adjust the video and audio parameters of your tivo files before conversion, you can press “Settings” button to enter the interface as below, on which you are permitted to adjust aspect ratio, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, etc.

4. Start conversion

As soon as the above steps are finished, you can click “Convert” button to begin converting tivo files to VOB, which is the source file that can be burn to a DVD disc directly. Once conversion is done, you are able to find out the output VOB files via clicking on “Open” button.

After finished, what you should do next is just inserting a blank DVD to the DVD drive of your PC, and then use no matter ImgBurn, Nero Express or whatever to author the generated vob files to DVD. Then a new DVD that is originated from your tivo files is belonging to you right now.

During the most special and happy family days of the year, what have you done to enjoy this amazing Christmas and New Year holiday? Have you held a party with your big family and friends, or traveled around some attractive places with your lovers and kids, or done something else you were looking forward to for a long time? Whatever you did, you must have not forgotten recording all the meaningful and unforgettable moments as precious memories via a Canon, Sony, or Pansonic AVCHD camcorder. Then it is a good idea to upload these charming things shot by your camera onto YouTube for sharing with everyone else in the world.

However, if you have this thought, you should know that AVCHD camcorders save footages in the format of MTS and M2TS, which are out of the range of YouTube supported formats, they are .FLV, .MKV, .MOV, .WMV, .AVI, MPEG, .MP4, DivX, 3GP and .OGG, therefore, in order to upload MTS and M2TS video files onto YouTube successfully, you have to convert these files to YouTube compatible formats as above mentioned previously.

At the same time, one more thing you must notice, that is video files uploaded to YouTube by standard accounts are limited to 10 minutes in length and 2 GB in size and only partner account holders are permitted to upload videos longer than 10 minutes. That means you should compress the length and size of your footages to fit the two requirements. Don’t worry, the following part will show you how to upload MTS/M2TS holiday footages onto YouTube via Pavtube MTS/M2TS Converter in detail, just feel free to go through with it.

Step 1: Download, install and launch Pavtube MTS/M2TS Converter

Step 2: Add MTS/M2TS files, select YouTube format and set save path

You can click on “Add” button to load MTS and M2TS files into this program, after that, hit the drop-down list of “Format” to choose a YouTube supported format, here I select FLV for instance. It is said that FLV should be a much better choice than other formats, as long as you limit the bit rate in not more than 320 kbps. In that case, the generated .FLV files will not be converted for the second time by YouTube’s encoders while uploading.

Meanwhile, if you want to combine all the MTS/M2TS files into one file, you can tick the checkbox of “Merge into one file” to realize this goal. Imagine you dislike using the save path set by default, and then you are able to specify a destination folder by yourself via clicking on the folder icon at the end of “Output”.

Step 3: Set advanced settings

In this step, you can compress the file size of your footages, so as to meet the upload requirements of YouTube. Click on “Settings” button firstly, and then the following interface will pop up, which allows you to adjust video and audio parameters like aspect ratio, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, etc. The smaller inserted figures will produce the smaller output file size, but accompanying with inferior video quality, so do remember making a balance between file size and video quality.

Step 4: Convert

As soon as all the above three steps are completed, and now you can press “Convert” button to begin conversion. The window below will show you the conversion info including conversion progress, time elapse, time left, generated file size as well as estimated file size. Particularly, the estimated file size will remind you if your output file size is not more than 2 GB. Otherwise, you should set the advanced settings again to fit the upload demands of YouTube. If you can’t set the optimized settings accurately, try and match them as close as possible.

In Sep. 23, 2008, Adobe released Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, and in October of the same year, it released Adobe Premiere Elements 7.0, both the two programs include AVCHD support (but not in the trial version of CS4). It is good news for people to see that via the two versions and the later ones, they are able to edit their footages shot by a Sony HDR-SR10, or other AVCHD camcorders, which have .mts or .m2ts file extensions. The thing is that some people already have a Premiere Pro CS3, Premiere Elements 4.0, or even older versions, they are not willing to spend money for upgrading or purchasing, and then what would be the cost-efficient way to solve their problem? As a matter of fact, you just need cost very little money for an AVCHD video converter, no more than $30, and it will totally resolve your problem.

In the following paragraphs, I would like to show you my own solution of converting AVCHD files to Adobe Premiere workable format via this kind of converter named Pavtube MTS/M2TS Converter, which is only $29, and without audio and video out of sync issues.

Step 1: Run this AVCHD video converter, and load MTS/M2TS files to it

Click “Add” button to import .mts and .m2ts files as long as you launched this program.

Step 2: Select output format and set save path

Click on the drop-down list of “Format” to select an output format for importing to Adobe Premiere. This utility has specific format profile for Adobe Premiere, and you just need choose one according to your own needs.

Click the folder icon at the opposite side of “Output” to specify the save path of the output files. At the same time, if you want to combine multiple files into a single file, you can tick the checkbox “Merge into one file”.

Step 3: Click “Settings” button to do advanced settings

All the parameters in the popup window are changeable, including codec name, aspect ratio, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, and audio channels.

Step 4: Click “Convert” button to start conversion

Once finished, the output files can be found out via clicking on “Open” button.