Does converting lose quality?

No. The video is copied into the MP4 exactly as the camera recorded it, frame for frame; only the container around it changes. That also keeps the footage as close as possible to the original, which matters if it is evidence - keep the original files as well.

Why will my converted video not play?

Most newer cameras record in H.265 (HEVC) to save space. The MP4 holds it correctly, but some browsers (Firefox, and Chrome on some computers) and older Windows players cannot show H.265. VLC plays it everywhere, as do Safari, iPhones, Macs and Windows with Microsoft's HEVC extension.

My .dav file will not convert. Why?

Some recorders write .dav files in an older or different layout, and some exports are encrypted so that only the maker's player opens them. If this page finds no video in a .dav file, export the footage again from the recorder choosing MP4 or AVI if it offers them, or use the maker's own player (Dahua's SmartPlayer) to convert it.

Is the footage uploaded?

No. The recordings are read by your browser on your computer and never sent anywhere, which matters for footage of people, homes and number plates.

Stays on your computer How this works

Free DAV to MP4 converter

Turn CCTV recordings - Dahua .dav files, Hikvision exports and raw .264 or .265 video - into MP4s that play on any computer or phone, without installing the recorder's player. Nothing is uploaded.

Drag & drop CCTV recordings here, or browse

.dav · .264 · .h264 · .265 · Hikvision .mp4 · several at once · nothing is uploaded

About this DAV to MP4 converter

CCTV recorders save video in their own formats. Dahua and the many brands built on its recorders (Lorex, Amcrest, Q-See, IC Realtime and others) write .dav files; Hikvision recorders export files that look like MP4s but start with their own header; and cheaper cameras and DVRs save bare .264 or .265 video with no file around it at all. Windows and phones cannot play any of them, which is a problem when the footage has to go to the police, an insurer or a neighbour: the usual answer is the maker's player, a converter to install, or a website with an upload limit far below a night's recording.

This page puts the video into an ordinary MP4 file in your browser. The picture is copied exactly as the camera recorded it - nothing is re-encoded, so nothing is lost and even a long recording takes moments - and sound in the telephone formats cameras use is converted to AAC so that it plays everywhere. It uses FFmpeg, the open-source media library, built for this site with just what these conversions need; its source is published at /source/ffmpeg/. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and once you have used it, it keeps working offline.

What you can do

Convert Dahua .dav files (including Lorex, Amcrest and other Dahua-made recorders) to MP4
Convert Hikvision exports, which start with Hikvision's own header, to plain MP4
Turn raw .264 and .265 (H.264 and H.265) camera recordings into MP4, at the frame rate you set
Keep the sound, converted from G.711 or G.726 to AAC, or leave it out
Convert several recordings at once, play each one here, and save them one by one or all together
Handle long recordings: the file is read where it is, so its size is limited only by your computer

How to convert a DAV file to MP4

Copy the recordings off the recorder (or out of the export folder) onto your computer.
Drag them onto this page, or choose them. Each one is converted in turn.
Click a finished recording to watch it, then use Save MP4, or Save all.

Questions

Does converting lose quality?: No. The video is copied into the MP4 exactly as the camera recorded it, frame for frame; only the container around it changes. That also keeps the footage as close as possible to the original, which matters if it is evidence - keep the original files as well.
Why will my converted video not play?: Most newer cameras record in H.265 (HEVC) to save space. The MP4 holds it correctly, but some browsers (Firefox, and Chrome on some computers) and older Windows players cannot show H.265. VLC plays it everywhere, as do Safari, iPhones, Macs and Windows with Microsoft's HEVC extension.
My .dav file will not convert. Why?: Some recorders write .dav files in an older or different layout, and some exports are encrypted so that only the maker's player opens them. If this page finds no video in a .dav file, export the footage again from the recorder choosing MP4 or AVI if it offers them, or use the maker's own player (Dahua's SmartPlayer) to convert it.
Is the footage uploaded?: No. The recordings are read by your browser on your computer and never sent anywhere, which matters for footage of people, homes and number plates.

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