CCTV and DVR footage usually arrives in a proprietary format that VLC, Windows Media Player and QuickTime cannot open — the recording is perfectly good, but the only software built to read it is the manufacturer’s own. This page helps you identify what you have and convert it to standard MP4 that plays anywhere.
Most recorders do not write standard video. They wrap the footage in their own container — and often encode the picture with their own codec — so that only their bundled player will open it. That player is nearly always Windows-only, frequently will not install on a locked-down machine, and cannot be sent to counsel, an insurer or a colleague who needs to watch the footage too. So the recording exists, is exactly what you need, and opens on nothing you have.
The fix is to convert it to standard MP4: it plays in every browser and on every operating system, needs nothing installed, and can be handed to anyone. Where the recording is already in a standard codec, the picture is copied, not re-encoded — so what you watch is the recorded image itself, not a compressed copy of it.
Do not go by the extension — recorders reuse ordinary ones like .avi and
rename their own. The reliable test is the first few bytes of the file, which name the
format even when the extension does not. On any machine, without installing anything:
xxd -l 16 "your-file" # macOS / Linux
certutil -dump "your-file" # WindowsMatch what you see against the signatures below and click through for the full guide to that format. If nothing matches, it is still very likely convertible — send it to us and we will identify it.
| Recorder | Files | Begins with | Offset | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TimeSpace | .xba | FC FE ED FE | 0 | Open .xba → |
| Hikvision | .hvv | 49 4D 4B 48 | 0 | Open .hvv → |
| Dahua | .dav | 44 48 41 56 | 0 | Open .dav → |
| Synectics | .synav | 53 59 4E 2D 41 56 2D 32 | 0 | Open .synav → |
| Synectics SynX | .pdt / .idt | 00 00 00 01 | 0 | Open .pdt / .idt → |
| Bosch / DIBOS | .XI1 | 00 00 00 10 27 | 0 | Open .XI1 → |
| ADPRO / Xtralis | .hbox | 63 30 30 30 32 | 16 | Open .hbox → |
| PADD | .sec | 00 E0 00 03 | 0 | Open .sec → |
| Verint / Nextiva | .avi | 41 56 49 20 | 8 | Open .avi → |
| Synectics | .SYN | 53 59 4E 2D 41 56 2D 32 | 0 | Open .SYN → |
| Cleartone | .cve | 54 43 56 45 46 69 6C 65 4F 62 6A 65 63 74 | 714 | Open .cve → |
Bytes are shown in hex, as xxd and
certutil print them. “Offset” is how many bytes into the file the
marker sits — 0 means the very start.
The table covers the formats we see most, not every recorder in existence. We identify a format from its own signature rather than its extension, so an unfamiliar or renamed file is no obstacle. Send one export that will not open — the whole folder as the recorder wrote it — and we will tell you whether it converts, usually the same day. If it turns out not to play, the player it shipped with can help us make it work, and we will ask for it then. New formats are typically a matter of days, and there is no charge for finding out.
Not sure whether yours will convert? Send us one export that has given you trouble. We will tell you whether it converts, usually the same day, and there is no charge for finding out.
Try it — first conversion free or email enquiries@veriframe.co.uk
Because most CCTV and DVR recorders do not write standard video. They wrap the footage in a proprietary container — often with a proprietary codec inside — that only the manufacturer’s own player is built to open. VLC, Windows Media Player and QuickTime are general-purpose players; handed one of these files they usually show nothing, play sound with a black picture, or refuse the file outright. The recording is fine — the software you are opening it with simply cannot read that format. Converting it to standard MP4 fixes it for good.
Do not trust the extension — recorders reuse common ones (.avi, .264) and rename their own. The reliable test is the first few bytes of the file, which name the format even when the extension lies. Open a terminal and run xxd -l 16 your-file on macOS or Linux, or certutil -dump your-file on Windows, and compare the first bytes against the table on this page. Or just send us the file — we identify it from its own signature, not its name.
The export usually ships with the manufacturer’s own player, which is Windows-only and often cannot be installed on a work machine. The dependable way to open the footage on any computer, with nothing to install, is to convert it to MP4 — which plays in every browser, on every operating system, and can be sent to anyone. Where the recording is already in a standard codec it is copied, not re-encoded, so what you watch is the recorded image itself.
Nearly always, yes. The ten recorders listed on this page are handled today, and a format that is not yet listed is usually a matter of days rather than months — we would rather look at a real export than guess from an extension. Send a sample and we will tell you whether it converts, at no charge and before anything is billed.