Anybody know how to convert .DAT files to any other kind...?

[howie2005]

I borrowed my friends MV cd, and they were all in .DAT format. I was wondering if they can be converted to another type, such as mpeg or AVI or something common? Are there any downloadable free software? thanx in advance

[chineseguyjl]

.DAT??

first of all is it a data disc, VCD, or DVD type. because most dvds are seen as .DAT when u open the directory file.

[retrobaby]

actually, if you just change the extension to '.mpeg' it will work fine. i'm not sure if it's already 'converted', but i usually just change the extension and it's ok. but if you want to change the file to avi or wmv you'll need a software like WinAVI video converter.

[milkified]

I just change the extensions to .wmv and they show. :sweat:
I don't know if it's working for you. I'm using WMP10.

[Starylosophy]

Besides changing extentions, I think it's possible to view .DAT files though Windows Media Player.

Perhaps you can try it. It works fine for me.

[Sting]

change the file extension to .AVI/MPEG/WMV and all will work perfectly fine.

[howie2005]

hey every1 thanks for the feedback, except im not exactly sure how to "change the extension". I think by changing the extension, you mean for a file like 12345.dat and change the name to 12345.wmv? except my files dont have that ".dat" at the end, so adding the ".wmv" is useless. I know they are .Dat files because I right clicked them and went to properties, and it says file type is .dat. Any ideas on this one? I tried adding a .avi and .wmv, but they didn't change the file type. my file name is "AVSEQ01"

[spax]

Open Windows Explorer, go to Tools >> Folder Options.

A window would pop up such as the one below. Click on the View tab.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/spax49/folderoptions.jpg

The one that I've circled should be unchecked so that the filename will show the file extensions. If you've that option checked, you cannot change the file extension, like the situation that you're in now. Hope this helps. :wink2:

BTW, I think Video CD .DAT files must be renamed to .mpg after you've copied the files into your computer.

[BlueChaos]

Actually, converting is a better idea than renaming since DAT is a raw format while converting it to another format can compress it greatly, notably to DivX. I don't know how to do it though but I've been told that people are using an XVid codec or something for the conversion.

[howie2005]

Open Windows Explorer, go to Tools >> Folder Options.
A window would pop up such as the one below. Click on the View tab.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/spax49/folderoptions.jpg
The one that I've circled should be unchecked so that the filename will show the file extensions. If you've that option checked, you cannot change the file extension, like the situation that you're in now. Hope this helps. :wink2:
BTW, I think Video CD .DAT files must be renamed to .mpg after you've copied the files into your computer.

umm im not quite sure how to get to this, I use windows XP. Don't know where "tools" is

[milkified]

Just open any Window. E.g. My Documents, My Computer etc etc.
The 'Tools' is at the menu bar, same row with File, Edit, View, Favourites and Help. Or it's at the top of the Window, below the Title bar.

[howie2005]

o, ok well i tried that. The file extension seems to have changed but the actually files are messed up. Usually my video files that are say wmv or whatever can be converted to mp4 using a converter program, if i manually change the extension of the files, they wont convert to mp4. So back to my original question, does any1 know of any .Dat coverters?

[BlueChaos]

Use this:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/X_Video_Converter.htm

Should not be too hard to use, and it's free. Ask again if you find any problems using it.

There are other better programs, but not free.

[milkified]

Not all extensions can be changed. Some needs converter and some don't. It all depends on what files you are trying to change. Anyway, I think you've got the converter already from BlueChaos. :happy:

[howie2005]

When I straight up converted my files, there was no sound, just the video. But BlueChaos should clear some things up for me