Using .dv files

mchenry · Post by **mchenry** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:11 am

I have a number of .DV files captured from my video camera from before I owned VS.

I would like to use these files in VS however it does not appear to recognise the dv filetype.

Can someone please advise how I can use .dv files in VS. I am using version 9

Thanks in advance...

Post by **lancecarr** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:50 am

Are you sure the file extension is .dv?
DV files (from video cams) are in a format called DV AVI and have the .avi extension.
If you can get the files into the VS library at least, right click on the files and select properties, then post them here so we can take a look.

mchenry · Post by **mchenry** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:58 am

http://www.fileinfo.net/extension/dv

Getting the files into the library is exactly what I need help to achieve.

Once in the library I can continue.

Maybe a simple rename to avi from dv may do the trick.

Post by **lancecarr** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:08 am

As far as I know VS is not going to recognise the .dv extension because it is very uncommon.
You could try:
1. Rename to .avi and see how it goes.
2. Open them with the Windows Movie Maker software which you should have (or can get free off the Microsoft site) and then laod the file and output them to standard DV AVI files. Then import into VS.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:20 am

IIRC, the .dv extension is used in Mac computers and is in fact, as the extension implies, DV video. Only not in a form recognised by PC programs. The one time I had it, I converted it using QuickTime Pro, and that seemed to work, though I wasn't greatly impressed with the end quality.

mchenry · Post by **mchenry** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:54 pm

Tried to rename... no go
Tried Windows Movie Maker... no go

Converted the files with the following output:
25 FPS
Data Rate: 3640.63 kbps

Video
Compression: DV Video Encoder -- type 2
Attribute: 24 bits 720X576 4:3

Audio
Compression: PCM
Attributes: 32.000 khz 16 bit stereo

Does this sound acceptable before I proceed and convert all the files using this method ?

Thanks

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:00 pm

Those properties are fine. What conversion program did you use. It would be useful for others to know...

mchenry · Post by **mchenry** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:53 pm

Linux utility called dvgrab using the standard input

http://www.kinodv.org/

cat filename.dv | dvgrab -stdin

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:23 am

If your using Linux you can load the raw dv files into Kino and export them as DV-Type-1 / DV-Type-2 (or even Mpeg2 video if you have the correct libraries installed). I would reccommend using Kino and exporting the DV files as DV-Type1 OpenDML to use in VS for windows.

What's nice about using the Kino graphical interface you can trim them and catalog them to your needs, saves work doing this in VS.
But, VS likes DV-Type 1 OpenDML.
If you don't export them correctly in Linux, then VS for windows will not be able to read into the file past 2 gigs, this is codec related. So do a test and make a 4gig DV-Type-2 file from Linux, load that into VS. Read the properties and see if the file video/audio parameters says OpenDML.
Take note of the last frame & how long the video is.
Render to a compliant dvd mpeg2 video file & see if VS generates any errors, if no errors then load the mpeg2 video & make sure the complete video was rendered and not just a partial render.
If the DV-Type-2 file isn't OpenDML then VS can only read into the file for 2gigs, that is somewheres around frame 1500 or so, can't remember. I use to get a file or frame not found or some other type of error when doing this and the source dv files weren't OpenDML.

Microsoft Developed OpenDML for DV Type2 filesto break the 2 gig limit for DV Type 2 files. DV-Type-1 files are natively OpenDML, this is one reason VS likes them.