DVR-MS File issues... Please Help

Hello Everyone,

Sorry this is my first post on here so please go easy on me :pinch:

I was been given a file which was exported from a Sony Z1 HD Camera. The file is DVR-MS and I have been having major issues trying to convert it so that I can edit it in FCPX.

I've tried googleing it and only seem to find conversion software that doesn't really work or full of malware.

I hoping to find a quick and painless method to convert this file so I can edit in FCPX.

Thank you all.

Hey Reef, and welcome to the forum.

DVR_MS is an outdated proprietary format that no-one uses anymore. The Z1 does not record DVR, it records HDV on tape. So the guy who has sent you this file must have converted it to DVR some way or the other. There are different solutions:

1. He sends you the original tape instead of this crappy converted file. But then you will need an HDV deck or HDV tape cam to load the footage into FCP X. If he has such a cam or deck he can send it with the tape.

2. He imports the tape himself and converts the footage to a normal format you can import (any high quality .mov format, ProRes if possible).

3. You change the file extension of the file to .mpg and if you have QuickTime7 Pro installed with the MPEG2 component you will be able to open the file in QuickTime Pro player and convert it to ProRes.

4. You change the file extension to .mpg and if you have MPEG Streamclip installed with the MPEG component you can try to open the file and convert it from there.

5. You buy one of these "converter" softwares to convert the file to ProRes.

Always refuse files in proprietary formats, especially if no-one uses them anymore.

- Ronny

Hi Ronny,

Thanks for the reply, you have explained it very well for me.

A question about point 1. He thinks he has the tapes but when he tries to playback on another camera (he doesn't have the camera he originally filmed with) nothing shows up on the screen, is this because he needs the same camera or equivalent?

HDV tapes are recorded on standard DV tapes. My guess is he tries to play these HDV tapes in a regular (not HDV) DV camera. I haven't dealt with HDV for a long time, but I think you can still rent a simple HDV playback deck at a rental house for a small fee (or find someone who owns such a deck) and capture the tapes from the deck, that would give you the best quality to start with.

- Ronny