What is the BDM file format?
.bdm files contain information about a disc and are associated with a video recording in the AVCHD format (Advanced Video Coding High Definition), usually created by cameras recording high-definition footage. A .bdm file does not contain any audio or video data - it only describes the content of records located in a specific folder within the AVCHD structure.
.bdm files are stored in the AVCHD/BDMV folder on the data carrier and are usually named index.bdm or movieobj.bdm. Files with the .bdm extension are not generated on optical drives, but only on hard drives, memory cards, or flash memory devices. Two distinct variants exist: INDEX.BDM, which begins with the binary signature INDX0100, and MOVIEOBJ.BDM, which begins with MOBJ0100. Both files are compact - typically between 0.5 and 2 KB.
An equivalent format used on Blu-ray optical discs is the .BDMV file. Like .bdm files, .bdmv files do not store video data but describe the content of files within a specific directory on the disc. Neither format can be converted into a playable video format, as the actual video data is held in .MTS or .M2TS stream files in the same folder structure.
Although the file headers contain readable ASCII characters (INDX0100 or MOBJ0100), .bdm files are binary, not plain text. Opening them in a text editor will display mostly unreadable data. Clip information files such as .cpi and .mpl files complement .bdm files within the same AVCHD disc structure.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWBDM files are tiny binary index files from camcorders and carry no executable code, so they are essentially harmless. The real risk is data loss: deleting INDEX.BDM / MOVIEOBJ.BDM or moving .mts clips out of the AVCHD/BDMV structure can make footage fail to import. Always copy the whole AVCHD folder intact and import it before deleting anything.
Format details
in a nutshell- Pro/ENGINEER bill of materials - PTC Pro/ENGINEER (now Creo) can use .bdm for a bill-of-materials / drawing file - this is what the database name wrongly assigned to the dominant AVCHD meaning.
- MapInfo / generic settings - A few legacy apps use .bdm for their own binary data; rare compared to the AVCHD camcorder use.
Programs that open BDM files
Windows5 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Doesn't open .bdm itself - play the actual .mts/.m2ts clips in the STREAM folder directly. 
PlayMemories Home / Catalyst (Sony)
Free Import the whole AVCHD folder; the software reads INDEX.BDM to list and import clips. (PlayMemories is being retired - Catalyst Browse is the successor.)
DaVinci Resolve
Freemium Use the Media pool to import the AVCHD folder; Resolve reconstructs clips from the index files. 
macOS4 apps
Catalyst Browse (Sony)
Free Import the AVCHD folder to browse and convert clips; reads the index files. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Binary index and metadata file |
| Part of standard | AVCHD specification, co-developed by Panasonic and Sony |
| Typical file size | 0.5-2 KB |
| File variants | Two: INDEX.BDM (disc navigation index) and MOVIEOBJ.BDM (movie object table) |
| Magic bytes - INDEX.BDM | INDX0100 (hex: 49 4E 44 58 30 31 30 30) at byte offset 0 |
| Magic bytes - MOVIEOBJ.BDM | MOBJ0100 (hex: 4D 4F 42 4A 30 31 30 30) at byte offset 0 |
| Storage location | AVCHD/BDMV/ directory on the recording medium |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Encoding | Binary with fixed-length records; version digits after the 4-letter tag may vary by camcorder model |
| Contains | Disc and clip index metadata only; no audio, video, or image data |
| Paired video streams | .mts / .m2ts files holding the actual AVCHD video content in the same folder structure |
| Paired metadata files | .cpi (clip info) and .mpl (playlist) files within the same AVCHD disc structure |
| Recording media | Hard disk drives, SD and CF memory cards, USB flash drives - not optical discs |
| Optical disc equivalent | .bdmv files serve the same structural role in Blu-ray disc folder layouts |
| Released | AVCHD format, 2006 (Sony & Panasonic) |
| Specification | en.wikipedia.org |
BDM conversions
Community Q&A
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