CMV File

What are CMV files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CMV file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your CMV files.

What is a CMV file?

CMV files have multiple uses, and CMV compressed data is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

CMV compressed data

These CMV files contain the compressed files created in CMV, a compression software created by Mauro Vezzosi. CMV files focus more on compression ratio than on speed. It is a single file compressor and not an archiver.

How to open CMV files

Important: Different programs may use files with the CMV file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your CMV file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested four different CMV openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 5, 2026

All known file formats using extension .CMV

While CMV compressed data is a popular type of CMV-file, we know of 3 different uses of the .CMV file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Corel Move Animation

We know that one CMV format is Corel Move Animation. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Electronic Arts Video File

Electronic Arts Video File (extension .CMV) is a video format used in older Electronic Arts games to store full-motion video sequences such as intros and cutscenes. These files embed the compressed video frames (and sometimes a color palette) so the game engine can decode and display them during gameplay. They are custom to EA and not used for general video recording or editing.

Files of this format are created by EA game tools or engines, such as those behind NHL '95, which write the video data into .CMV containers. These videos are decoded by the game at runtime, which reads chunks that define header information (image size, frame rate, palette), frame data (either full frames or inter-frame blocks), and end-of-video markers. Outside the game, third-party tools like FFmpeg implement a decoder for this format, allowing extraction or conversion.

Technical details: the file divides into chunk types called FourCC tags MVIh (header), MVIf (frame), and MVIe (end). The header chunk includes width and height, frame rate, palette start and count, and palette entries. Frame chunks allow both intra (full) frames and inter-frames using a 4×4 block motion compensation scheme, with motion vectors packed per block.

CMV opener for Windows

We have identified one CMV opener that is compatible with this specific type of CMV file.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of CMV files. Remember, different programs may use CMV files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about CMV file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.