Editing DVR-MS

{{Short description|File format}}
{{Infobox file format
| name = Microsoft Digital Video Recording
| icon = 
| logo =
| extension = {{mono|.DVR-MS}}
| mime = 
| owner = [[Microsoft]]
| typecode = 
| uniform type = 
| magic = 
| genre = audio, video, container
| released = {{start date and age|2004}}
| container for = 
| contained by = 
| extended from = 
| extended to = [[WTV (Windows Recorded TV Show)|.WTV]]
| standard = 
}}

'''DVR-MS''' (''Microsoft Digital Video Recording'') is a [[Proprietary software|proprietary]] [[video]] and [[Sound|audio]] [[computer file|file]] [[Container format (digital)|container format]], developed by [[Microsoft]] used for storing TV content recorded by [[Windows XP Media Center Edition]], [[Windows Vista]] and [[Windows 7]].

Multiple data streams (audio and video) are wrapped in an [[Advanced Systems Format|ASF]] container with the extension DVR-MS. Video is encoded using the [[MPEG-2]] standard and audio using [[MPEG-1|MPEG-1 Audio Layer II]] or [[Dolby AC-3|Dolby Digital AC-3 (ATSC A/52)]]. The format extends these standards by including [[metadata]] about the content and [[digital rights management]]. Files in this format are generated from the ''Stream Buffer Engine (SBE.dll)'', a [[DirectShow]] component introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 1.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Microsoft|year=2009|title=Working with WTV Files|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb188788.aspx|work=MSDN Library}}</ref>

==Playback and editing==

The [[Digital video recorder|DVR]] feature of [[Windows XP Media Center Edition]], [[Windows Vista]] and the [[Windows 7]] version of [[Windows Media Center]] create files in this format.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lanier |first=Chris |date=2007-04-07 |title=Why Media Center records to DVR-MS |publisher=Chris Lanier's Blog |url=http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/04/07/766300.aspx |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070423184240/http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/04/07/766300.aspx |archivedate=2007-04-23 }}</ref> If a recorded [[Broadcasting|broadcast]] is marked as [[Copy protection|copy protected]], the resultant DVR-MS file can only be played back on the recording device. Unprotected DVR-MS files (files not marked in this way) can be played back on any device running Windows XP with [[Service Pack]] 1 or later Windows operating systems, hotfix 810243 for Windows XP RTM (which adds DVR-MS support to DirectShow), and on Windows Mobile 6. For older Windows operating systems, any third-party media player which supports the DVR-MS format through [[DirectShow]] on Windows or by other means on Windows or other platforms can be used for playback.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}

Although it is not possible to edit unprotected DVR-MS files through older software programs such as [[Windows Movie Maker]] for [[Windows XP]], the files can be edited using [[Windows Movie Maker]] for [[Microsoft Windows]] [[Windows Vista|Vista]] or [[Sonic Solutions|Sonic]] MyDVD. A simple registry tweak/hack also exists for allowing the Windows XP version of Windows Movie Maker to natively import/edit DVR-MS files.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lanier|first=Chris|date=2006-08-09|title=Use Windows Movie Maker To Edit DVR-MS Natively|publisher=Chris Lanier's Blog|url=http://thegreenbutton.com/blogs/chris_blog/archive/2006/08/09/130882.aspx}}</ref> Some early freeware applications which convert the files can be found from third parties such as at [http://www.thegreenbutton.com/files/default.aspx The Green Button]. Microsoft's Developer Network ([[MSDN]]) has an article with sample code and binaries demonstrating how to use DVR-MS and convert them to WMV.<ref>{{cite web|last=Toub|first=Stephen|date=2007-09-22|title=Fun with DVR-MS|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/toub/archive/2007/09/22/fun-with-dvr-ms.aspx}}</ref> Also, [[Windows Media Player]] 10 shipped with a transcoder to convert DVR-MS to WMV only when syncing with portable devices such as a [[Portable Media Center]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bowman |first=Barb |date=2004-04-12 |title=Viewing Recorded TV on a Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Center. Windows XP |website=[[Microsoft]] |url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/expert/bowman_pmc2.mspx |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016055713/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/expert/bowman_pmc2.mspx |archivedate=2007-10-16 }}</ref>

[[MediaPortal]] also uses this format and comes with the plugin ''My Burner'', which can be used to (automatically) convert DVR-MS files to regular [[MPEG-2]]. Also, [[Orb (Software)|Orb]] uses the DVR-MS file format for recording and streaming audio and video via its web-based DVR.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}

Some universal transcoders may be able to convert DVR-MS to other formats. DVR-MS can also be converted to another format changing only the container format (extracting the original [[MPEG-2]] data without any visual loss) using [[FFmpeg]] and [[VLC media player]]'s transcoding wizard.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}

==Phase out==
Starting with Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008 and moving forward, Microsoft has indicated that DVR-MS is being replaced with the [[WTV (Windows Recorded TV Show)|WTV format]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Protalinski|first=Emil|date=2008-07-18|title=Fiji beta over, Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008 hits RTM|publisher=ars technica|url=https://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/07/18/fiji-beta-over-windows-media-center-tv-pack-2008-hits-rtm}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Foley|first=Mary Jo|title=Microsoft Fiji beta over; final 'TV Pack' due soon|publisher=ZDNet|date=18 July 2008|url=http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1489|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719071750/http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1489|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2008}}</ref>

An update is available for [[Windows Media Player 11]] in Windows Vista to add playback support for WTV.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Microsoft|date=2009-04-14|title=An update is available for Windows Vista to enable Windows Media Player to recognize .wtv files as Recorded TV files|author=Microsoft Support|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/960774}}</ref> Microsoft does not, however, provide a generic DirectShow filter to enable playback support in third party DirectShow-based media players on Windows Vista or on Windows XP Media Center Edition.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}

[[Windows 7]] includes built-in support for converting non copy-protected WTV files to DVR-MS.<ref>{{cite web |author=James |date=2009-06-13 |title=How To: Easily Convert WTV Files to DVRMS Files with Windows 7 |publisher=The Media Center Blog |url=http://www.mediacenterblog.net/tips-tricks/how-to-easily-convert-wtv-files-to-dvrms-files-with-windows-7 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811093814/http://www.mediacenterblog.net/tips-tricks/how-to-easily-convert-wtv-files-to-dvrms-files-with-windows-7 |archivedate=2009-08-11 }}</ref> Third party tools also exist to convert WTV to DVR-MS such as Andy VT's ToDVRMS<ref>{{cite web|title=DVRMSToolbox|publisher=andy vt's tools & blog|url=http://babgvant.com/files/folders/dvrmstoolbox/default.aspx|access-date=2010-01-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115161844/http://babgvant.com/files/folders/dvrmstoolbox/default.aspx|archive-date=2010-01-15|url-status=dead}}</ref> and 3LS's ConvertWTV.<ref>{{cite web|title=ConvertWTV |url=http://www.triols.com/apps.aspx?AppID=3 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331110332/http://www.triols.com/apps.aspx?AppID=3 |archivedate=2012-03-31 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dvr-Ms}}
[[Category:Computer file formats]]
[[Category:Microsoft Windows multimedia technology]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 2004]]