Convert AVCHD videos to edit in iMovie

iMovie is a superb video editing application but it’s notoriously fussy about which formats it will accept and allow you to edit in.

When it comes to HD, the situation can be even more complicated. HD cameras usually shoot in a format known as AVCHD, which is highly compressed and requires very specialized (and expensive) software packages to edit. VoltaicHD helps avoid this problem by enabling you to convert footage so it can be edited in a basic package such as iMovie.

To make things a little easier, you can preview the first frame of the AVCHD files, so you can decide which of the clips you want to convert, and which to leave on the camera or discard. Normally, this conversion process can only be performed on-the-fly directly from the camera but VoltaicHD allows you to copy it to the hard drive first. VoltaicHD supports most major Canon, Sony and Panasonic HD video cameras, although other brands have limited support.

VoltaicHD features a simple interface that’s very easy to use. Just browse to the file you want to convert and click ‘Start’. You can also view a preview of the first few frames and detailed info on the clip to be converted. Note, however, that in this demo version VoltaicHD you can only convert the first 10 seconds for AVCHD or 50MB for non-AVCHD.

VoltaicHD is an essential tool for any iMovie user that wants to edit their video in HD. It’s just a shame that iMovie doesn’t already have something like this included.

This release fixes a problem with FlamingoHD where AVCHD movies were not being sent to Voltaic. This was caused by the updated Applescript API in VoltaicHD 2.5

Changes

• This release fixes a problem with FlamingoHD where AVCHD movies were not being sent to Voltaic. This was caused by the updated Applescript API in VoltaicHD 2.5