How To Convert M2TS To WMV For Free

Foreword

The following is a tutorial for how to convert M2TS files to WMV files for free.  All the examples given are for use with Windows but should work with any operating system other than the binaries.

Overview

So after purchasing an extremely cool Panasonic Blueray/HD video camcorder, I realized that the format it stores directly from the import software is in M2TS format.  Which on its own is fine, but good luck trying to use that format with any other software, especially After Effects.  There are tons of software applications out there to do the conversion for you but they all cost, suck terribly or some combination of both.  I’ve found a way to do it for free on any platform.

Getting Started

First thing you’re going to need is the latest version of FFMPEG.  For windows get the unofficial night build from here:

http://ffmpeg.arrozcru.org/autobuilds/

Just click on the static w32 link, download and unzip any location of your choice.

Converting

To convert the M2TS file to WMV, I created a simple batch file to use:

Just for reference if you’re unfamiliar with Windows batch, the “%1” is the first argument passed to the batch command.  You may need to change the following arguments to match your camera’s capture settings:

The -s argument is the source dimension of the video.
The -ab argument is the audio bit rate.
The -b argument is the video bit rate.

Save this file and call it whatever you want (ie. convert.bat).  Once you’ve adjusted the arguments to fit your camera settings execute the command using the following:

That’s all there is to it. Let me know if you have any problems. Enjoy!