DV File

What are DV files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a DV 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 DV files.

What is a DV file?

DV files have multiple uses, and Digital Video is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Digital Video

Digital Video (extension .dv) is a file format for storing video and audio captured or transferred from DV-format digital video cameras. Manufactured VHS-like tape camcorders from Sony, Panasonic, and JVC record video using a DV codec and save that data either directly as "raw" DV or, more often, when connected via interfaces like FireWire, dump the stream into a computer file. These files hold compressed video and uncompressed (or lightly compressed) audio.

DV files are often used as an intermediate format in video editing. The video is encoded with compression that treats each frame independently (intraframe) using discrete cosine transforms rather than inter-frame compression. Audio tracks use linear PCM sampling. Files may be produced raw (as DV bitstream) or wrapped inside container formats like AVI, QuickTime MOV, or MXF, which aid in editing, playback, and archiving.

Files of this type begin with a signature: the bytes 0x1F 0x07 0x00 at offset zero.

How to open DV files

We have identified two DV openers that are compatible with this specific type of DV file.

Programs that open Digital Video files

Last updated: August 4, 2026

All known file formats using extension .DV

While Digital Video is a popular type of DV-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .DV file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Lightscape View

We know that one DV format is Lightscape View. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

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

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of DV files. Remember, different programs may use DV 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 DV file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.