So I have this video as a .dav file and I need to convert it so I can view it (or can I view a .dav file?). Done some basic google searching and haven't been successful (found some stuff, just didn't work).

Additional information: I'm on a Mac...pretty sure the dvd/cd wasn't made on a mac (if that matters). Thanks in advance.

12/8/2008 3:47:22 PM

i'm pretty sure .dav files are linux-based (i could be wrong, though)

without caring enough to look into it, my favorite solution for 99% of all conversions is SUPER:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Video/Encoders-Converter-DIVX-Related/SUPER.shtml

12/8/2008 3:52:26 PM

Thanks, but that doesn't work on Macs.

12/8/2008 4:27:52 PM

1. get a PC
2. download proper software
3. ????
4. profit

12/8/2008 4:32:39 PM

Thanks smartass...but my firm only uses Macs.

12/8/2008 4:44:29 PM

what is it with all these cocksuckers coming into tech talk, not getting the perfect answer they WANT, and then smarting off like their asshattery is going to endear them to everyone else?

put forth a little effort, go find a PC, convert the file, and then go fuck yourself

12/8/2008 6:24:07 PM

^^It's called Boot-Camp, or Parallels, or VMWare Fusion.

There's a reason that so many VM solutions exist for Macs. Because a LOT of software, maybe surprisingly, isn't made for a system with 5% market share.

So suck it up, and either go tell the person you got the file from that you need it in a usable format, or buy the software to enable you to view it (in this case, that software being Windows).

------------

But a simple google search shows at LEAST 10 different uses for .dav files. So to REALLY answer your question... We can't. You need to go back and ask what in the hell the file is, where it came from, and what was used to create it.

Otherwise this entire thread is a shot in the dark and a waste of everyone's time.

12/8/2008 7:00:48 PM

Quote :

"But a simple google search shows at LEAST 10 different uses for .dav files. So to REALLY answer your question... We can't. You need to go back and ask what in the hell the file is, where it came from, and what was used to create it."

Turns out the guys in the evidence room at the police department aren't too tech savy. But thanks anyways...

Quote :

"what is it with all these cocksuckers coming into tech talk, not getting the perfect answer they WANT, and then smarting off like their asshattery is going to endear them to everyone else?"

And I thought it was a "that's what you get for buying a Mac" comment...so I took offense. My bad if I misinterpreted.

[Edited on December 8, 2008 at 8:24 PM. Reason : .]

12/8/2008 8:20:25 PM

^if its evidence, it likely is a file from a CCTV feed. Which is still potentially proprietary, and you'd still need to figure out the manufacturer/recording software they used.

Open the file in a hex editor (BBEdit for the mac will work) and look at the file signature at the top to see if it gives you the application/software it was created with.

Quote :

"And I thought it was a "that's what you get for buying a Mac" comment...so I took offense. My bad if I misinterpreted."

If there's no software for the Mac, and someone gives you a PC solution, then that's the solution you get. In a way it *is* a "that's what you get for buying a Mac" comment.

12/8/2008 10:02:17 PM