Convert AV files online for free
The converter easily converts your AV file to various formats - free and online. No Media Player or extra software needed.
The converter also works in reverse, so you can convert other Video formats to AV with high quality output.
The .AV file extension primarily represents raw video recording data exported from Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and Network Video Recorders (NVRs) used in CCTV surveillance systems, such as those by Dahua Technology and Avigilon. Unlike standard video files, these recordings are often raw H.264 streams saved without the necessary container headers that tell media players how to decode them. A minor variation of this extension is used for Audio-Visual scripts created in older versions of Final Draft, a screenwriting software.
A key problem with .AV video files is their lack of compatibility. Because they are designed for proprietary DVR playback systems, they fail to open in standard applications like Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or mobile galleries. Users frequently encounter errors stating the file is corrupt or unrecognized when attempting to review security footage for evidence or personal archiving. This proprietary lock-in forces users to hunt for obscure manufacturer-specific players (like Dahua Smart Player) just to view a simple video clip.
To resolve this, the best approach is conversion. For surveillance footage, convert .AV files to MP4 (H.264) for maximum compatibility with web browsers, smartphones, and legal teams. If you are archiving footage for editing, MOV or AVI may offer better support in NLEs like Adobe Premiere Pro. For legacy Final Draft .AV scripts, converting to PDF is essential for universal readability, or to FDX to continue editing in modern versions of the software. convert.guru allows you to drag and drop these difficult files to instantly identify their type and convert them to a usable format.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your AV file.
Users also converted AVI, MP4, TEXT_PLAIN, MAV, TDT, MTS, SAV, DEM, URL, CMS, MKV, ZIP and MVR files.
If you want to convert AV file to VGA, M4A or ALAC, you can use Dahua Smart Player or similar software from the "Surveillance Video Recording" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to AV, try Dahua Smart Player or another comparable tool in the "Surveillance Video Recording" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our AV converter.