Top 6 Best DAV File Players to Play DAV Videos Smoothly

No matter you're using CCTV surveillance cameras to real-time monitor your children or pets, or guard your gate, you'll get a series of video files in .dav format. But disappointedly, you can't open such DAV files with Windows Media Player, VLC, Movies & TV app or QuickTime as other video files do. Then how can you play such DAV files? In the article, you'll find top 6 DAV file players that help you open and play DAV videos smoothly on Windows PC and Mac.

Table of Contents

Part 1. Top 6 DAV File Players on Windows & macOS

• 1. 5KPlayer
• 2. VLC
• 3. DVR365 Player
• 4. Amcrest Smart Play
• 5. Dahua Smart Player
• 6. IINA

Part 2. How to Play DAV Files without DAV Player

Part 3. FAQs

Part 1. Top 6 DAV File Players on Windows & macOS

There are numerous media players on market, yet only a few of them have integrated the DAV file codec and support opening DAV files. In this part, we will list 5 top-rated DAV players on Windows and macOS for playing your DAV footage recorded by CCTV cameras or DVR.

1. 5KPlayer

5KPlayer is a third-party universal media player integrated with h.264, HEVC, MPEG-4, AV1, VP9 codec and DAV file codec - what we're talking about today. It's both available on Windows and Mac computers. And by simply drag-n-drop you can easily open .dav video files with the original quality.

Pros:

• Free and easy-to-use. Drag and drop your DAV source video, then you can view it smoothly on your computer.
• Don't need to change settings for opening up DAV video files.
• NVIDIA CUDA®, Intel® QSV, DXVA 2.0 & AMD Hardware-acceleration support.
• Available to play music, DVD disc, DLNA streaming across devices, and AirPlay etc.

Cons:

• Outdated UI.
• Video/Audio player feels old fashioned.

2. VLC

Many people have raised questions for "can VLC play DAV files". You know, VLC is a powerful video player that supports a wide range of video formats, including MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI, FLV, WMV, and DAV files etc. However, it doesn't support to open DAV files directly. To play DAV files on VLC, you need to make some adjustments as below:

1. Download and install VLC media player on your computer. Then launch it.
2. Click on Tools in the menu bar, select Preferences from the drop-down list, or press Ctrl+P shortcuts on the keyboard.
3. Tick on the option of All under Show settings at the left corner of the popped up window. This will open an Advanced Preferences window.
4. Click on Demuxers from the Input / Codecs list.
5. Drop down the Demux module and choose the H264 video demuxer option. Then click Save button to apply the change.
6. When you're done, head Media > Open File... to load your DAV in VLC Media Player.

Pros:

• Free and open-source.
• Available on cross-platforms, namely Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• No need to install other third-party DAV file playes for DAV files playback.
• Features popular codecs.

Cons:

• Can't play DAV files directly. Users are required to make some adjustments.

3. DVR365 Player

DVR365 Player is the standalone DAV file player available to all DAV files. It's the native free DAV player that shipped with your DVR digital camera. But it is only compatible with Windows PCs. You can directly connect your DVR camera to computer, then copy and paste the DAV files to the computer. Now you're able to play DAV files with DVR365 Player by pressing the Play button.

Pros:

• Professional DAV file player that can be connected with DVR digital cameras.

Cons:

• Only compatible with Windows PCs.
• The interface is a little bit outdated.

4. Amcrest Smart Play

Amcrest Smart Play is another DAV file player that plays DAV video files without any hassle. You know what, Amcrest specializes in all kinds of surveillance cameras such as security camera systems, IP video security systems, baby monitor and so on. Naturally, Amcrest Smart Play is designed for the playback of all your recorded videos files encoded in H.264, DAV etc.

Pros:

• Professional DAV file player for playing DAV videos recorded by Amcrest cameras.
• Compatible with Windows PCs and Mac, requiring Windows 7 or later, Mac OS X version 10.7.5 (Lion) or later.
• Convert DAV to AVI, MP4, and other video formats.

Cons:

• The converted DAV file may not be playable in media players.

5. Dahua Smart Player

Dahua Smart Player is a video player designed for surveillance field. It has functions of play control, preview by part, file export, parity and etc. It supports formats like: avi, mp4, flv, asf, mov, dav, dav_ and etc. This DAV player has multiple window sync or async play, as well as smart track display. SmartPlayer also supports fisheye record correction and window adjustment.

Pros:

• Professional for playing DAV files as well as other formats.
• Allow users to convert recording footage to DAV, AVI, MOV, MP4, ASF or FLV file format.

Cons:

• Sometimes there is only mosaic no video when preview or playback video file remotely.
• FCC banned Dahua devices for security issues in 2021, thus it is not available to U.S. users

6. IINA

IINA DAV player supports to play DAV video files normally as well as in the native picture-in-picture mode. Also, it features with dark mode interface, customizable UI, touch bar support, mouse gestures and more. It accpects videos from both local and online without ant distraction. Moreover, like othe media players, IINA allows users to play, pause, forward and backward the video file, and adjust the sound quality.

Pros:

• 100% free, and simple interface.
• Offer picture-in-picture mode and dark mode.

Cons:

• Compatible with Mac computers only.

Part 2. How to Play DAV Files without DAV Player

DAV file player absolutely is the preferred for watching DAV videos. However, there are still some users don't want to install extra media player or go through the hassle of extra Settings. Fortunately, they can play DAV files without DAV player provided they convert DAV to MP4 format. WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe can help you convert DAV files to MP4, as well as other formats like MOV, AVI, FLV, MKV, HEVC, H.264 and more. It won't take you much time. With the support of hardware acceleration, you can fulfil the DAV to MP4 conversion at 47x real-time faster with high quality reserved.

Here are the simple steps for converting DAV to MP4 or any other formats.

1. Drag and drop your DAV source video to WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe.
2. Choose MP4 as the output format.
3. Click the RUN button to start converting DAV to MP4.

Part 3. Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is DAV file?

DAV file (.dav) is a video file created by a DVR365 digital video recorder, which incorporates modified MPEG compression and is saved in an encrypted format. Thus most video players do not support DAV format. 

2. Can VLC player play DAV files?

As mentioned, VLC can play DAV files. But it doesn't support you play DAV by default. You need to make some adjustments as above.