DVR-MS File

What are DVR-MS files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a DVR-MS 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 DVR-MS files.

What is a DVR-MS file?

A .DVR-MS file is a Microsoft Digital Video Recording file.

Microsoft Digital Video Recording (DVR-MS) is a file format that Microsoft developed for storing television programs recorded on Windows PCs. Microsoft introduced it with Windows XP Media Center Edition, and it continued being used by Windows Vista and Windows 7 Media Center. Its purpose is to capture TV content - including audio, video, and metadata - and support functionalities like pausing live TV, recording while watching something else, time shifting, and storing metadata about the broadcast such as show name, channel, and recording times.

Files in the DVR-MS format are made by the Stream Buffer Engine (SBE), which is part of Microsoft's DirectShow system introduced with Windows XP Service Pack 1. The format wraps MPEG-2 video and typically MPEG-1 Layer II audio into a container based on Microsoft's Advanced Systems Format (ASF). Some DVR-MS files include digital rights management ("copy protected"), restricting playback to the recording device; others are unprotected and readable by compatible media players.

A DVR-MS file begins with a particular byte signature at offset 0 (hex 30 26 B2 75 8E 66 CF 11 A6 D9 00 AA 00 62 CE 6C ), includes the ASCII string "D.V.R..Index..Granularity…D.V.R..File..Version" at offset 58, and contains other internal identifiers like "WMFSDKVERSION", "WMFSDKNEEDED", "VBR PEAK", and "ISVBR".

How to open DVR-MS files

We have identified three DVR-MS openers that are compatible with this specific type of DVR-MS file.

Programs that open Microsoft Digital Video Recording files

Last updated: January 22, 2025

Various apps that use files with this extension

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

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