Extract text from CatDV catalogs (CDV)
To convert CDV catalogs to another format, you need CatDV or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Media Catalog File" file type, you need software like CatDV or a similar tool.
A .CDV file is a proprietary media catalog file primarily used by professional video asset management systems like CatDV by Square Box Systems and Cinegy Archive. These files store critical metadata, clip logging data, low-resolution thumbnails, and file paths. They are used by video editors and broadcast professionals to organize massive libraries of digital media. Another older variant of the .CDV extension is associated with CD Verzeichnis, a legacy German utility for indexing the contents of physical CDs and DVDs.
The primary disadvantage of the .CDV format is its proprietary nature. It is heavily tied to expensive, specialized enterprise software. You cannot natively open these files in web browsers, standard text editors, or mainstream spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel. Furthermore, because these files only store metadata and references, they do not contain the actual heavy video media files (like MP4, MOV, or MXF). Sharing a .CDV file with a client or freelancer who lacks CatDV software is usually a dead end.
Converting a .CDV file is necessary when migrating to a different media asset management (MAM) system or when sharing clip logs with external teams. The best conversion targets for this catalog data are XML (for importing timelines into Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut Pro) or CSV for viewing in standard spreadsheet tools.
This file format is notoriously difficult to open or convert directly because the internal data schema is closed. Usually, only the original software can properly read or export the structured data. However, convert.guru can still identify the file format, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. Many modern .CDV files are actually built on a compressed ZIP architecture. Just drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported. If our analysis detects the underlying ZIP archive, you can extract the raw XML metadata to recover your logging work without needing the original expensive software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CDV file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted CDW files.
If you want to convert CDV file to , you can use CatDV or similar software from the "Video Asset Management" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to CDV, try CatDV or another comparable tool in the "Video Asset Management" 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 CDV converter.