Playing a BDMV/Blu-ray/AVCHD source is designed to use a complete directory layout because the system assembles video from playlists and clip info, so the recommended method is opening the parent folder or `BDMV/index. If you are you looking for more regarding
BDMV file editor have a look at our own web site. bdmv` in a player that understands these structures; if you only want the raw video, the `.m2ts` files in `BDMV/STREAM/` hold the footage and the largest one is often the main feature, but if playback seems partial or jumps, you likely need the `.mpls` playlist from `BDMV/PLAYLIST/` to stitch segments together, while total failure usually means missing folders, renamed files, or an unsupported player—so keeping the whole structure intact and using a Blu-ray-capable player is best.
Inside a typical BDMV folder you’re seeing the standard Blu-ray/AVCHD layout where each subfolder has a defined purpose: `STREAM/` holds the actual `.m2ts` audio/video files—usually with the largest one being the main feature—`PLAYLIST/` provides `.mpls` files that stitch multiple segments together, `CLIPINF/` supplies `.clpi` timing and indexing for smooth seeking, and control files like `index.bdmv` and `MovieObject.bdmv` manage navigation, while optional folders such as `AUXDATA/`, `META/`, `BACKUP/`, or `JAR/` support metadata, backups, or BD-J menus, all combining into a package that a Blu-ray player interprets as a full disc.
Blu-ray and AVCHD rely on multiple folders instead of one MP4 because they were designed around optical-disc playback, storing video as `.m2ts` transport streams for reliable reading, using playlists and index files to stitch segments into movies or extras, and keeping navigation (menus, chapters, branching) in control files; it all forms a structured system unlike MP4, which is meant as a single unified container for easy sharing and basic playback.
Opening the BDMV folder in a player tells the player to interpret the content as a real disc because the player reads navigation files like `index.bdmv`, follows playlists in `PLAYLIST/*.mpls`, checks clip info in `CLIPINF/*.clpi`, and identifies the main title and its stream segments, ensuring chapters, audio/subtitle tracks, and seamless joins work correctly; opening just a single `.m2ts` often gives only part of the movie, so using Open Folder/Open Disc on the folder containing `BDMV` lets the player assemble the full title list and play the movie properly.
A `.bdmv` file is not a media container because it serves as a Blu-ray/AVCHD control file—an instruction guide that tells the player what content exists, how playback should begin, and how to navigate; the real audio/video lives in `.m2ts` files under `BDMV/STREAM/`, with playlists (`.mpls`) and clip info (`.clpi`) defining order, timing, and sync, so you can’t open a `.bdmv` expecting a movie since it mainly points to the streams rather than containing them.

You typically can’t get video from a `.bdmv` because it functions as a roadmap for Blu-ray/AVCHD structure rather than storing picture or sound,
leaving `.m2ts` files in `STREAM/` to hold the media and `.mpls`/`.clpi` files to define order and timing; with only a `.bdmv` there’s nothing to decode, so the correct approach is opening the full BDMV folder or the `.m2ts` files directly.