How do I convert my Sony handy cam DCR-SX44 videos to work with after effects cs4?

When I try to import the videos into After Effects, it keeps on saying error: may have unsupported format. 86:1 (something like that). I am able to convert the video, but the quality is worse than it was before, and so I was wondering if there was a way to convert the video, while keeping the same quality or better.