[Jeff Carrico]

I found this post when searching for exactly the same type of solution as the OP. This type of conversion is totally possible with just a little prep-work in Premiere. I’m using Adobe CC.

1. Using the Media Browser within Premiere, locate and import your video clips to a new project. (See also https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/importing-assets-tapeless-formats.html )

2. Right click on the imported clip and select “New Sequence From Clip”

3. Select the new Sequence and press Ctrl+M (or File>Export>Media).

4. Set export options and press the Queue button to send to Adobe Media Encoder.

This approach works with both XDCAM and AVCHD.

Cheers!