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DVR

dvr icon

Microsoft Windows XP Media Center TV recording

File type: Digital video and movie file

Files with dvr extension can be usually found as old TV recordings saved using the Windows XP Media Center Edition. Seems like MPEG-2 based format.

Found 2 different file type records with the same dvr filename suffix.

What is dvr file?

File type category:
Digital video and movie file

Date updated: July 13, 2025

Record marked as obsolete and not updated for a long time.

File extension dvr is probably best know for its use in old Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, which introduced the DVR-MS video format for storing recorded TV content.

It was eventually replaced by the ms by later versions of Microsoft Media Center.

It is similar to ASF format, DVR-MS format uses Personal Video Recorder (PVR) functionality, including time-shifting, live pause, and simultaneous record and playback. Video data are encoded as MPEG-2 video stream and audio data are encoded as MPEG-1 Layer II audio stream. 

Some satellite and Digital-TV HDD receivers record TV content in the similar recording format as Windows Media Center and they use file extension dvr for recorded files as well.

How to open dvr file?

These *.dvr files can be most likely played back in any media players that supports old Media Center formats.

How to convert dvr file?

Use Freemake Video Converter or similar multimedia converter to transform .dvr files to another file formats.

Suggested software to open dvr file:

VLC media player icon
VLC media player
One of the most popular multi-platfom multimeda player
Microsoft Windows Media Player icon
Microsoft Windows Media Player
The default multimedia player from Microsoft Windows
Windows Media Center icon
Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center was a media player and digital video recorder for Microsoft Windows

Associated software actions with the dvr file

Software applications that can open dvr files:

Software applications that can edit dvr files:

Software capable of saving dvr files:

Software apps that record to dvr files:

Microsoft Windows

Windows Media Center icon Windows Media Center

Software apps that convert dvr files:

Software apps that import dvr files:

Microsoft Windows

DESQview data

File type category:
Various data file

Date updated: November 28, 2017

Record marked as obsolete and not updated for a long time.

The dvr file extension is also related to DESQview, a text mode multitasking program developed by Quarterdeck Office Systems which enjoyed modest popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Running on top of DOS, it allowed users to run multiple DOS programs concurrently in multiple windows.

Convert .dvr files

Convert to .dvr from other formats

Related file extensions