Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your PRV file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert PRV to another file type
To convert PRV previews to another format, you need Hikvision DVR Software or other Video software.
Convert a file to PRV
To convert other file formats to the "Security Video Recording" file type, you need software like Hikvision DVR Software or a similar tool.
About PRV files
The .PRV file format most commonly stores proprietary DVR security video recordings generated by standalone CCTV systems from manufacturers like Hikvision. In other contexts, .PRV files act as packaging design previews created by Esko ArtPro or as XML-based electronic signatures under the XAdES standard. The video variant of the .PRV format is notorious for poor compatibility. It is a closed, proprietary format designed specifically to maximize storage on cheap DVR hardware. These files intentionally lack standard container headers, meaning everyday media players like VLC or web browsers will completely fail to open them. Users are typically forced to download specific, often outdated, proprietary playback software from the camera manufacturer. Converting .PRV videos to standard .MP4 or .AVI formats is essential for sharing crucial footage with law enforcement, insurance companies, or clients. Converting ArtPro previews to .JPG or .PNG makes the design accessible to stakeholders without expensive software subscriptions. Standard online converters almost always fail to process .PRV files because they cannot parse the non-standard video streams or proprietary data wrappers.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PRV file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert PRV file to MP4, PPK, PEM, OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, MAX, BLEND, MA, MB or C4D, you can use Hikvision DVR Software or similar software from the "DVR Security Video Recording" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DWG, DAE, X3D, IGES, WRL, JT, SKP, 3DS, 3DM, OBJ, STEP or FBX files to PRV, try Hikvision DVR Software or another comparable tool in the "DVR Security Video Recording" category.
The PRV Converter Story
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 PRV converter.