Free online DAV to M2TS converter

What the DAV format is

DAV is a proprietary video container used mainly by DVR and NVR surveillance systems, especially equipment from Dahua and systems based on its recorder software. Security cameras and recorders store timestamped streams, audio, metadata, and sometimes proprietary encryption or authentication data in DAV files.

You commonly encounter DAV files after copying recordings from a CCTV recorder, exporting footage from a surveillance client, or removing a hard drive or memory device from a compatible recorder. General-purpose players and FFmpeg builds may not decode every DAV variant because the container and codec handling depend on the recorder model and firmware.

What the M2TS format is

M2TS is an MPEG-2 transport stream container used by Blu-ray discs, AVCHD camcorders, and some broadcast and editing workflows. It can carry H.264 or H.265 video with formats such as AC-3, AAC, or uncompressed PCM audio, along with multiple streams and timing information.

M2TS is useful when an application expects transport-stream input, when footage is being prepared for Blu-ray or AVCHD authoring, or when a long recording must remain streamable and resilient to interruptions. The .m2ts extension alone does not guarantee Blu-ray compliance; video codec, frame rate, audio format, bitrate, packet structure, and metadata also matter.

How to convert DAV to M2TS

Use the built-in online converter

1. Open the DAV-to-M2TS converter on 101convert.com.
2. Choose the source .dav file and select M2TS as the output format.
3. Start the conversion and download the resulting .m2ts file when processing finishes.

This is suitable when the DAV file is supported by the converter and you do not want to install software. Preserve the original recording because some surveillance files contain recorder-specific metadata or timestamps that may not survive conversion.

Use the recorder manufacturer’s player, then FFmpeg

For unsupported or encrypted DAV files, first use the player supplied for the recorder model, such as Dahua Smart Player, to open the recording and export it to a standard format such as AVI or MP4. Menu names vary by version; look for Open file, Export, Convert, or Save as. Do not simply rename the exported file to .m2ts.

After obtaining a playable standard video, install FFmpeg and inspect the streams:

ffprobe input.mp4

If the video and audio codecs are already suitable for the target workflow, remux without re-encoding:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0 -c copy output.m2ts

If compatibility is more important than speed, encode H.264 video and AC-3 audio into an MPEG transport stream:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a? -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a ac3 -b:a 192k -f mpegts output.m2ts

When the recorder’s player exports only AVI, replace input.mp4 with the AVI filename. If the source has no audio, remove the audio mapping and audio codec options.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

• Remuxing with -c copy does not reduce quality, but it works only when the streams and timestamps are accepted by the M2TS destination. Re-encoding introduces quality loss and requires more processing time.
• Surveillance footage often uses unusual frame rates, variable frame timing, low-resolution codecs, or proprietary timestamps. A converted file can play correctly while losing searchable event markers, camera identifiers, authentication data, or the original timestamp overlay.
• Some DAV files are encrypted or can be decoded only by the recorder’s matching software. FFmpeg cannot bypass that protection; export the footage through the recorder or manufacturer’s player first.
• A file produced with FFmpeg’s MPEG-TS muxer may have an .m2ts name but not the exact 192-byte packet structure or stream profile required by a particular Blu-ray authoring tool. For disc authoring, validate the output against that tool’s codec and bitrate requirements.