DV file (Digital Video)
Raw digital video from a MiniDV camcorder.
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Convert DV to MP4, free and without uploading it.
What is a DV file?
In short: A DV file (.dv) is a video file in the DV format. DV is what MiniDV camcorders recorded: a fixed 25 Mbps stream where every frame is compressed on its own, which makes it very easy to edit but produces about 13 GB an hour. It can be converted to MP4, MOV or GIF for free in a web browser with iHateFiles, without uploading it.
The Digital Video standard agreed by a consortium of camcorder makers in 1995.
DV is what MiniDV camcorders recorded: a fixed 25 Mbps stream where every frame is compressed on its own, which makes it very easy to edit but produces about 13 GB an hour. It was the format that put usable digital video in ordinary hands.
What DV is good at
- Every frame stands alone, so editing is frame-accurate
- Consistent, predictable quality
- Read by every editor of its era and since
Where DV falls short
- About 13 GB per hour, fixed
- Standard definition and interlaced
- Nothing plays it on a phone or in a browser
When to use DV
Convert DV to MP4 to archive old camcorder tapes at a fraction of the size.
How to open a DV file
Video editors and VLC.
| Windows | VLC. DV came off tape and the capture software that read it is long gone. |
|---|---|
| macOS | VLC, or iMovie, which still imports DV. |
| Linux | VLC or mpv, through FFmpeg’s DV decoder. |
| Phone | VLC, though DV files are large for what they hold. |
| In a browser | No browser plays raw DV. |
The thing that usually goes wrong
DV is interlaced, so it shows horizontal combing on movement when played on a computer. Running it through Restore Old Video, which deinterlaces while it converts, is what fixes it.
Not sure the file really is a DV? Identify it by its contents, whatever its extension says.
Questions
What is a DV file?
DV stands for Digital Video. Raw digital video from a MiniDV camcorder. Files use the .dv extension.
What does DV stand for?
DV stands for Digital Video. DV is the format MiniDV camcorders recorded to tape.
How do I open a DV file?
On Windows: VLC. DV came off tape and the capture software that read it is long gone. On a Mac: VLC, or iMovie, which still imports DV. On a phone: VLC, though DV files are large for what they hold. Or convert a DV here to a format that opens everywhere, free and without uploading it.
Can I convert DV for free?
Yes. Every conversion here is free and unlimited, because your own device does the work rather than a server we have to pay for.
Is DV lossless?
That depends on the codec inside the container rather than the container itself. Everything written here is re-encoded, so expect one generation of loss.