Free online DAV to FLAC converter

What the DAV format is

DAV is a proprietary surveillance-recording format used by DVR and NVR systems, especially equipment from Dahua and related OEM brands. It commonly stores H.264 or H.265 video, sometimes with an embedded AAC, G.711, or other surveillance audio stream.

You may encounter DAV files exported from a security recorder, downloaded through its web interface, or created by software such as Dahua Smart Player. Standard media players and audio editors often cannot open DAV directly because the container and codec metadata are vendor-specific.

What the FLAC format is

FLAC is a lossless audio format. It reduces file size without discarding audio data, supports metadata such as artist and date, and is accepted by many audio editors, media players, and archival systems.

FLAC is appropriate when the DAV contains an audio stream that needs editing or long-term storage. It does not preserve video; converting a DAV recording to FLAC extracts only its audio.

How to actually convert DAV to FLAC

First try the built-in converter

You can try converting the file for free on 101convert.com without installing software. Upload the DAV file, select FLAC as the output format, start the conversion, and download the result if the service recognizes an audio stream. Do not upload sensitive security footage unless your organization permits sending it to a third-party service.

Use the recorder software when direct conversion fails

1. Open the recording in the manufacturer’s player, such as Dahua Smart Player.
2. Use Export, Convert, or Backup and select a standard container such as MP4 or AVI. Choose the original audio option when available.
3. Install FFmpeg and inspect the exported file with ffprobe exported.mp4. Look for an audio stream in the output.
4. Convert the audio stream to FLAC with ffmpeg -i exported.mp4 -map 0:a:0 -vn -c:a flac output.flac.

The -map 0:a:0 option selects the first audio stream, -vn removes video from the output, and -c:a flac applies lossless FLAC encoding.

Try FFmpeg directly

If FFmpeg recognizes the DAV container, run ffprobe recording.dav first. If it lists an audio stream, convert it with ffmpeg -i recording.dav -map 0:a:0 -vn -c:a flac recording.flac. If FFmpeg reports an invalid or unsupported format, export the recording to MP4 or AVI with the DVR manufacturer’s software before running the command.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

FLAC encoding is lossless only after decoding the source stream. If the recorder stored AAC, G.711, or another lossy codec, converting it to FLAC preserves the decoded result but cannot restore quality discarded during the original recording.

A DAV file with no audio stream cannot be converted into a meaningful FLAC file. Some recorders save audio in a separate channel or disable audio recording entirely; check the recorder settings and the FFprobe output.

Surveillance exports can contain multiple audio tracks. Change -map 0:a:0 to -map 0:a:1 for the second track, or use -map 0:a to include every audio stream when the target player supports multiple FLAC files or a multichannel layout.

Keep the original DAV file if it may be needed as evidence. Exporting to another container can remove recorder timestamps, camera metadata, encryption, or authentication information even when the audio itself is preserved.