Convert MVL to AVI

What the MVL format is

MVL is associated with Medison ultrasound imaging systems, including software used with Samsung Medison equipment. It may contain an ultrasound image, 3D/4D data, or a manufacturer-specific cine sequence, but the extension does not define a standard video stream that FFmpeg, VLC, or ordinary online converters can reliably decode.

Open the file with the Medison or Samsung Medison workstation and viewer that created it. Do not rename scan.mvl to scan.avi; changing the filename extension does not change the stored data. If the file came from another person or institution, obtain the originating system's model and export software before attempting conversion.

What the AVI format is

AVI, or Audio Video Interleave, is Microsoft's older container format. It remains readable by many legacy Windows players, editors, capture applications, and laboratory systems, but AVI does not specify one particular video or audio codec.

Motion JPEG video with PCM audio is a practical compatibility choice for older software. FFV1 in an AVI container can preserve decoded video without further lossy compression, but produces much larger files and is not supported by every legacy application. H.264 in AVI is less consistently supported than H.264 in an MP4 container.

How to export MVL as AVI

Use the originating ultrasound system or its supplied viewer first:

1. Open the MVL file in the Medison/Samsung Medison application that supports the source system.
2. Select the relevant image, cine loop, or 3D/4D sequence.
3. Choose File → Export, Save as, Export movie, or the equivalent command. Menu names vary by system and software version.
4. Select AVI if it is offered, then choose the original frame size and frame rate. Export only the required sequence rather than re-recording the entire examination.
5. Open the resulting AVI in the target application and check that the image, frame sequence, duration, and any required annotations are present.

Some Medison viewers export still images or standard video formats but not AVI. In that case, export to a format the viewer supports, such as MPEG-4, then convert that exported file on a desktop computer.

Convert the exported video with FFmpeg

FFmpeg is appropriate after the Medison software has produced a standard readable file. For a Motion JPEG AVI with uncompressed PCM audio, run:

ffmpeg -i exported.mp4 -c:v mjpeg -q:v 3 -c:a pcm_s16le -ar 48000 output.avi

A smaller -q:v value generally gives higher-quality Motion JPEG and a larger file; test the result because acceptable values depend on the source. If the source has no audio, use:

ffmpeg -i exported.mp4 -c:v mjpeg -q:v 3 -an output.avi

VLC can convert a standard exported file through Media → Convert/Save, but it provides fewer controls for codec, frame rate, and audio format than FFmpeg. Neither VLC nor FFmpeg is a dependable solution for an MVL file that the Medison software cannot first export.

Online conversion and limitations

Services such as CloudConvert or Convertio may convert the intermediate MP4 or another standard export to AVI, but they generally cannot decode proprietary MVL files. Do not upload identifiable ultrasound examinations to an online service unless the data has been properly de-identified and the service is approved for that medical information; desktop conversion avoids that disclosure risk.

Exporting a cine loop to AVI may discard proprietary measurements, 3D navigation data, annotations, patient metadata, multiple image planes, or other information that AVI cannot represent. Re-encoding also can reduce image quality, and a standard video export cannot restore detail absent from the source. Keep the original MVL file and the compatible Medison software or workstation for clinical, diagnostic, and archival use.

If the filename was intended to be .mvi rather than .mvl, identify the device or application first: MVI is also used by several unrelated, manufacturer-specific movie formats and has no universal decoding method.