High-def video editing & DVD conversion

[Arterion]

Hi all, I have a rather large number of AVCHD Video (.MTS) files, and I need to edit them- nothing interesting, just remove some film here or there and collate them all into one contiguous file, is there any (preferably free) software with which I can accomplish this?

What I then need to do is convert this into a format which I can burn to a DVD in normal DVD format so it can be played in the average player...If I can accomplish step one I would imagine this can be done with a standard DVD authoring tool (it should convert the file format automatically, shouldn't it?).

On a relatively tight schedule, particularly for part one, would very much appreciate any info you can provide.

Cheers all!

 

[Dangerous]

Have a look at Cineform Neo Scene to convert the AVCHD to AVI - Makes it easier to edit.

Windows Live Movie Maker should be able to cut them down and push out to DVD.

 

[Arterion]

Ok, the trial of that program works great, although the output files refuse to play in VLC and it gives the error

No suitable decoder module:
VLC does not support the audio or video format "CFHD". Unfortunately there is no way for you to fix this.

It plays ok in WMPlayer but was just wondering if this might cause a problem when I come to burn it on a DVD. Also, the output files are approximately thirteen times the file size of the original....my 50mb video has gone up to 650mb!