It is possible to play AVCHD video in Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center. However, neither WMP nor WMC supports AVCHD natively and needs additional codec’s installed to be able to handle AVCHD video.

Luckily it’s not difficult to Add AVCHD/M2TS Support to Windows Media Player 11 and Windows Media Center. The good news is that Windows 7 will have native support for AVCHD/M2TS videos. In the meantime we’ve found a patch that will associate AVCHD/M2TS files with WMP and WMC. Please note that you use this patch entirely at your own risk and please don’t try using this without making a backup of your registry or if you’re a novice.

The registry patch ties M2TS files (AVCHD files) into either Windows Media Player or Windows Media Center allowing them to be associated with this file type. The registry edit will also permit streaming AVCHD files from Windows Media Player 11 to your Playstation 3 (PS3).

Be aware that M2TS files will only be playable in WMP/WMC with latest versions of ffdshow-tryouts and Haali media splitter. Alternatively you could also download the latest version of the K Lite Codec Pack (http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm) (freeware) which allows for very smooth playback on even low spec PC’s  using players like WMP and VLC.

If everything goes according to plan, this is a simple 4 step process. Firstly you need to copy the registry patch and paste it into notepad. Then save as AVCHD.reg. Alternatively you can right click and save link as AVCHD.reg.

The second step is to run the AVCHD.reg file by double clicking on the file you have just created to edit your registry. (be sure to backup your registry first) This will will make the changes to add M2TS support to Windows media player or Windows media center.

The third step is to restart your computer so that the new registry is loaded.

The fourth step is to start WMP or WMC. If everything worked according to you should see all M2TS files that are in monitored folders appear in the video library. When you enable file sharing in WMP you should be able to stream the video to your Playstation 3 (PS3).

If you’re looking for a lightweight AVCHD player capable of playing your Sony AVCHD files on your computer you might want to consider one of the following:

• AVS4YOU AVCHD player (allows converting AVCHD to normal DVD)
• Oxygen AVCHD Player by Mirillis 

Your recently purchased HD handycam camcorder from sony records movies as AVCHD files. AVCHD is basically a video compression standard that is used by all HD handycam and camcorder companies including Sony, Canon, Panasonic and JVC. AVCHD is here to stay, but it is still in its infancy which means that there is not a lot of software available to use with Sony AVCHD. Sony handycams are bought with software to help you play and edit AVCHD files.  The Sony AVCHD player included in your purchase will enable you to play files recorded with your sony handycam on your computer. It’s important to know that the Sony AVCHD player requires some decent processing power and won’t work on your high school pc.

If you’d like to edit your movies with a state of the art editor you could try Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 or above which enables you to:

• Create Stunning HD Movies
• Share HD Movies on Blu-ray Disc
• Edit Sony AVCHD
• Surround Sound Mixing and Encoding
• Video Restoration Tools
• Add Professional Effects

If you’re not sure where you can play Sony AVCHD movies, the best and easiest way of playing a Sony AVCHD movie is directy through your Sony Handycam to your HDTV using a HDMI cable. But that’s not ideal. Alternatively you can plug your Sony Memory stick directly into your blu-ray player and watch your Sony AVCHD movies on your HDTV. Lastly, you can burn a blu-ray disc using software like example Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 mentioned above and start building up you professional AVCHD home movie collection. These blu-ray discs can be played by any blu-ray player for instance the Sony Playstation 3.