AVCHD

AVCHD, short for Advanced Video Coding High Definition, is a file-based digital video format designed for consumer camcorders and similar devices to record and distribute high-definition video. It was developed jointly by Sony and Panasonic and introduced in 2006 to enable HD recording on affordable storage media such as flash memory cards and hard-disk drives, and to allow the content to be authored to Blu-ray discs.

AVCHD uses the H.264/AVC video compression standard and supports audio in Dolby Digital (AC-3) or linear PCM. Video streams are stored in AVCHD's M2TS/MTS container formats within a directory structure on the recording media, and the format can be authored to BDAV on Blu-ray discs for playback on Blu-ray players and compatible televisions.

Recordable media include SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards and hard-disk-based camcorders, with frame rates and resolutions including 1080i and 1080p as well as 720p, typically at multiple data rates (commonly in the 5–24 Mbps range, depending on the camera). AVCHD devices may offer 24p, 25p, 30p, or higher frame rates, depending on region and model.

AVCHD video can be edited on many nonlinear video editing programs and played back on Blu-ray players, game consoles, and PCs with appropriate software. While it was widely adopted in the late 2000s and early 2010s, AVCHD has been gradually supplanted by newer MP4-based formats and 4K-capable workflows, though it remains in use in older equipment and archival contexts.