How do I play my MTS (AVCHD) files on my TV?

[31BZ6]

I have read alot bout media players like Roku and WDTVbut it appears that almost every piece of hardware out there does not support .MTS (AVCHD) files. Which is insane to think Canon sells HD camcorders that saves in a format that isn't supported anywhere...Maybe they should make their own Smart TV or media player...of course that's beside the point.

Anyway, from my cursory research, it seems there are only a few options:

1---Convert my .MTS files to some file that's readable on a media player or Smart TV

2---Connect my laptop to my TV with VGA cable or WiDi

3---Use the PLEX channel on Roku

So far PLEX seems like the easiest solution, but I wanted to get the forum's opinion. My main concern is that converting/transcoding video into new formats will lose HD quality. Similarly, I'm concerned that streaming my videos on TV through WiDi does not provide the same HD experience.  With that being said, would PLEX be any better that those other options?

More concise:  How do I play my home movies on my TV retaining the highest HD quality?

[Janekong]

Well ,first you should know , if you compress your video, no matter what format you convert to , it will defenitely has the quality loss, even you will not notice by your eyes. But you can improve it manually. During your conversion , (whatever converter app you use), it may have the option to let you imporve the Bitrate and Frame rate. That two will help you improve the quality. But try to keep the balance between those two or you will get some blurred video.

[anabelochoa]

It's frustrating to find that most media players don't support .MTS (AVCHD) files, especially when Canon's HD camcorders save footage in this format. It seems like a missed opportunity for Canon not to have their own compatible Smart TV or media player. Perhaps they should consider it. On another note, if you're looking for something else to download, you might want to check out Castle PC, which is available for free.

[NatalyaP]

Greetings anabelochoa,

I can understand your frustration and we do appreciate the feedback regarding the file format that some of our camcorders use to record video. In the meantime, the best option for viewing video files recorded on the camcorder would be to connect the camcorder directly to the television with an HDMI cable,

[IamintheUK]

Both VLC and Windows Media Player have no problem playing .mts files, as do most video editing software. I think you will find that TVs that can accept a video input require MP4 with AAC audio.