Proprietary DVR and CCTV Video File Formats
Surveillance recorders rarely save footage as a normal MP4. Most write a proprietary format that only the maker's own player can open, and there are thousands of them. This reference maps the common CCTV video formats to the brand behind each one, and shows how to open or convert them.
Most DVRs and NVRs store footage in a proprietary container that only the manufacturer's player can read. Dahua uses .dav, Swann and Hikvision use .264, Speco uses .drv, and hundreds of other brands, including Indian makers like CP Plus and HiFocus, sit on the same formats. The video inside is usually standard H.264 or H.265, so once you identify the format you can open it in the maker's player or convert it to MP4 for normal playback.
If you pulled footage off a security recorder and your media player will not touch it, the format is almost always the reason. A forensic paper on the subject put the count of proprietary closed CCTV formats at somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000, with new ones appearing all the time. That is why a clip from one system will not open with the player from another.
The good news is that the video stream itself is usually ordinary. Nearly every modern recorder compresses with H.264 or H.265. What differs is the wrapper around it, the container and any encryption, which is what blocks a standard player. Identify the wrapper and you are most of the way to watching the footage.
CCTV video formats by brand
Here are the common proprietary formats and the systems that produce them. If your file has one of these extensions, this is where it came from and what opens it.
| Extension | Brand or system | Opens with |
|---|---|---|
| .dav | Dahua, and Dahua-based brands like Amcrest, Lorex and DVR365 | Dahua Smart Player or General Player |
| .264 | Swann, Hikvision, Lorex ECO series | Swann .264 Player, Hikvision VSPlayer |
| .drv | Speco, Keyscan, NESS | SpecoPlayer (shared player) |
| .irf | iVIEW DVR | iFile Playpack, Irftool to convert |
| .asf | Various DVRs, ASF-based recorders | Windows Media Player, VLC |
| .dvr-ms / .wtv | Microsoft recorded TV, some capture systems | Windows Media Player |
| .dbf | Vicon | VN Viewer |
| .dbx | Bosch | Bosch Archive Player |
| .dsf | Verint, Loronix | Nextiva Player, Loronix codec |
| .000 | Vista CCTV | Vista SmartPlayer |
| .127 | Q-See | Q-See Network Viewer |
| .h264 / raw | Many generic and white-label DVRs | VLC, or the maker's player |
This is a sample, not the full list. There are thousands of proprietary CCTV formats and manufacturers add more constantly. If your extension is not here, the approach is the same. Identify the recorder brand and find its official player. Convert the footage to MP4 for anything you need to share. For the most common format, see our full guide to what a DAV file is and how to open it.
Indian DVR and CCTV brands
India has its own large set of CCTV makers, and they are very common on recorders here. Most Indian brands build on Dahua, Hikvision or HiSilicon reference platforms, so their footage lands as .dav or .264 rather than a unique extension. This table maps the common Indian brands to the format and player you will meet.
| Indian brand | Format | Opens with |
|---|---|---|
| CP Plus | .dav (Dahua-based) | CP Plus Smart Player, KVMS Pro |
| HiFocus (Hi Focus) | .264 / H.264 | HiFocus Playback, VLC |
| Prama India | .264 (Hikvision-based) | VSPlayer |
| Hikvision India | .264 | VSPlayer |
| Sparsh CCTV | .dav / .264 | Brand player, VLC |
| Godrej Security | .dav (Dahua-based) | Smart Player |
| Secureye | .dav / .264 | Brand player, VLC |
| Zicom | .dav / proprietary | Brand player |
Why the format is usually .dav or .264. A brand name on the box does not always mean a unique format underneath. Many Indian recorders are built on the same Dahua or Hikvision platforms as the global brands, so a CP Plus clip is a .dav file and a Prama or HiFocus clip is a .264 file. That is good news, because the same players and converters work.
The 2026 certification shift. From April 2026, India's STQC certification mandate reshaped the market by restricting non-compliant imports, which pushed certified Indian brands like CP Plus, HiFocus, Prama India and Sparsh to the front. For anyone handling footage as evidence, that means more of these recorders in the field, so knowing their formats matters.
How to identify an unknown CCTV file
When you do not know what a file is, a few checks usually reveal it.
- Look at the extension. The letters after the dot are the fastest clue. Match them against the table above or a search for the exact extension plus the word CCTV.
- Check for a bundled player. DVRs often export the footage together with a small player program or a setup file on the same disk or USB. That player is built for the format.
- Read the file with MediaInfo. The free MediaInfo tool reports the codec, resolution and duration inside a file, which tells you whether the video is H.264, H.265 or something older.
- Note the recorder brand. If you know the DVR was a Hikvision, Dahua or Swann, that alone narrows the format down to one or two options.
Why these formats exist
It helps to separate two things that often get muddled, the codec and the container.
The codec is how the video is compressed. Almost every recorder uses H.264, or the newer H.265 for 4K, because they are efficient and standard. The container is the wrapper that holds the compressed video, the audio and the extra data like timestamps and channel numbers. Manufacturers build their own containers, sometimes with encryption, to protect the footage and to keep it inside their ecosystem. That container is what a normal player cannot read, even though the video stream inside is ordinary.
How to open or convert any of them
Whatever the format, the path to playable video is the same three options.
- Use the maker's player. The most reliable route is the official player for that brand, downloaded from the manufacturer's own site. It reads the format directly, encryption and all.
- Try VLC. VLC opens many CCTV files, especially raw H.264 and unencrypted ones. It is worth a quick test before anything else.
- Convert to MP4. Once the file opens, export or convert it to MP4 so it plays on any device and can be shared. Most brand players have a built-in export, and tools like HandBrake handle the rest.
Download players from official sources only. Fake surveillance players are a common way malware spreads. Get the player from the manufacturer's own website rather than a random download site. Keep the original file untouched if the footage might be evidence.
The forensic problem these formats cause
For anyone handling CCTV as evidence, this format sprawl is a real obstacle. An investigator handed a disk of case-critical footage often has to identify the format first, then hunt down the right player, before anyone can even watch the video. That can burn hours per case.
It is worse when the footage is deleted, the recorder was formatted or the DVR has failed. Then there is no file to identify at all, only a hard drive that a normal computer reads as empty. That is the gap DVRXaminer closes.
Reading the format straight off the drive
Our DVR data recovery software reads the recorder's hard drive in its native format, so it does not depend on the manufacturer's player or on the files still being present. It understands the major DVR filesystems, recovers deleted and lost recordings and exports them as standard playable video with the timestamp intact.
So whether you are looking at a live .dav file that will not open, or a drive full of footage you cannot see at all, the result is the same, footage you can actually watch and share. The brand guides behind these formats cover the recovery side in detail, from Dahua to Hikvision to Swann, while the guide on footage that will not play tackles playback once you have the file.
Common questions
Why will my CCTV video not play on a normal media player?
Most DVRs save footage in a proprietary container that standard players cannot read, even though the video inside is usually normal H.264 or H.265. To watch it you need the manufacturer's own player, or you can convert the file to MP4 so it plays anywhere.
How many CCTV video formats are there?
A lot. A forensic study estimated between 1,500 and 3,000 proprietary closed CCTV formats in use, with manufacturers adding more all the time. That is why a clip from one recorder often will not open with another brand's player.
What format does a Dahua DVR use?
Dahua recorders save footage as .dav files, and so do Dahua-based brands like Amcrest, Lorex and DVR365. A .dav file opens in Dahua's free Smart Player or General Player, which can also export it to MP4.
What format do Swann and Hikvision DVRs use?
Both commonly use the .264 extension, which holds a raw H.264 stream. Swann provides a .264 Player and a 264-to-AVI converter, and Hikvision provides VSPlayer. VLC can also open many .264 files.
What format does a CP Plus DVR use?
CP Plus recorders are built on Dahua technology, so they save footage as .dav files. You can open a CP Plus .dav file with the CP Plus Smart Player or the KVMS Pro playback feature, and export it to ASF, AVI or MP4 for normal playback.
What format do Indian CCTV brands like HiFocus and Prama use?
Most Indian brands run on Dahua, Hikvision or HiSilicon platforms, so their footage is usually .dav or .264 rather than a unique format. HiFocus tends to use .264, Prama India uses .264 through Hikvision VSPlayer, and CP Plus and Godrej use .dav. The same players and converters that handle those formats work for the Indian brands.
How do I identify an unknown CCTV file?
Start with the file extension and match it to the recorder brand. Check the disk for a bundled player the DVR exported alongside the footage. The free MediaInfo tool will also report the codec and resolution inside the file, which helps confirm what it is.
Can I get footage back if the file is deleted or the DVR is dead?
Often yes. The recordings usually stay on the hard drive until they are overwritten. A tool that reads the DVR filesystem straight off the disk can pull back the deleted or lost footage and write it out as playable video, working even on a recorder that was wiped or died with no file left behind.
Footage stuck in a format you cannot open?
DVRXaminer reads the DVR drive in its own format, recovers the recordings and exports them as standard playable video with the timestamp intact. Run the free trial to see what is on the drive.
Sources
- CCTV DVR and NVR file extension references, surveillance and forensic vendor lists, 2026
- Kinesense, The CCTV File Format Minefield, on the scale of proprietary formats
- Manufacturer player documentation, Dahua, Swann, Hikvision, Speco and others