How can I edit a .DVR file from a CCTV surveillance camera?

April 23, 2008 7:41 PM

How can I edit a .DVR file from a CCTV surveillance camera?

I've been given a set of .DVR files that were created from a surveillance camera that is part of a closed circuit TV system.

I have an ActiveX application (Witeye) that can view them, but I'd like to edit them. Or, convert them to a format that can be edited.

I've spent quite a bit of time looking on the Web for a program, but I haven't found anything yet. Any help?

posted by mikeand1 to computers & internet (3 comments total)

I should add that I can use VLC Media Player to view it, but I can't figure out how to use the Transcoder Wizard to convert it to something other programs will recognize.
posted by mikeand1 at 7:59 PM on April 23

Get a program called gspot, that will (or should) tell you what audio & video codecs are used in the file, once you know that you might be able to configure MediaCoder or FFmpeg to transcode it to something more usable.

If VLC can play it, this should almost certainly work. However, if it doesn't, then I'd try using a screen capturing (or screen casting) program - something like CamStudio - then you can play the video in the ActiveX app, run the capturing program on that region of the screen, and store what you capture as an AVI (or whatever).

Good luck.
posted by The Monkey at 6:00 AM on April 24

gspot doesn't seem to be able to tell me what codecs are used, but the CamStudio solution works OK.

Thanks
posted by mikeand1 at 6:32 PM on April 24