How to Play DAV File in VLC Handily?

A DAV file is a video recorded by the CCTV security cameras. Compressed with modified compression, the video stored in the DAV format is hence encrypted and can not be directly opened by most popular video players on the market, VLC is no exception. I bet you must have tried to play DAV files in VLC but failed in the end. So can VLC play DAV files? Well, the short answer is YES, VLC can play DAV files. It just needs a little extra adjustment before we play it.

In the following part, you’ll know how to play DAV file in VLC in simple steps.

Step 1. Run VLC Media Player. In the top toolbar of the home screen, click “Tools” > “Preferences” or use the hotkey “Crtl + P” to open the “Simple Preferences” window.

Step 2. At the bottom left corner of the new window, switch to full preferences view by changing “Simple” to “All” in the “Show settings” box. And among the left advanced preferences, find “Input / Codecs” and select “Demuxers”.

Step 3. Under the Demux module section presented at the right side of the window, change “Automatic” to “H264 video demuxer” and click “Save” to keep the adjustments. Now the VLC has become a DAV player, and you should be able to play DAV files in VLC successfully.

Note: After you have changed the demuxer to the H264 video demuxer, the VLC is thence only capable of playing DAV files. To continue play videos of other formats, you need to repeat the above process and change back the settings to the previous one.

If you find changing settings back and forth to play DAV files quite cumbersome for you, you could consider changing the video format to a player-friendly format, like converting DAV to MP4 so it can be played on not just VLC but nearly all media players. If you're in this need, I also have a way for you. You could try WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro that can help make conversions among different formats and devices extremely easy. Below is a brief tutorial of how to use this software to convert a DAV file:

Before start, please free downloadfree download the software.

Step 1. Launch WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro and open “Converter”.

Step 2. Click “+ Add Files” or directly drag and drop your DAV file into this video converter.

Step 3. On the right side of the main workspace, click on the format icon and select your wanted output format. Finally, hit “Run” to start conversion.

Tips: You can load multiple DAV files into this program for batch conversion. Also, this software can be a DAV format player to view the file. And if you want to edit the DAV file to clip some important footage or merge videos together, this software could serve as a smart video editing tool to assist your editing.

Also read: DAV file player | Play TAK Files | Top 4 HEVC Players