.cdr on a DVD+ needs to be converted

[jamesmarcustucker]

Hello

I have been given some DVD+ by a client who I am creating a showreel for, yet one of the discs has a single file on it with the extension .cdr. It is over 1GB in size, and is not recognisable in Coral Draw, which is what the Net tells me the file extension is for.

I have tried to change the extention to .avi and .mpg (after having saved the file to my hard drive) just to see what happens and when changed to both, it opens/plays in windows media player as a video file - yet speeded up, squashed into a tall rectangle shape and no audio.

Any ideas? This is obviously originally a video file of some kind...I will go back to the client and ask, but thought I would check here 1st. Thanks

James

[mats.hogberg]

I'd put my bet on this:
Final Cut Pro CD/DVD Image File
http://filext.com/file-extension/cdr , 3rd result.
Perhaps it can be mounted with daemon tools?
Possibly raw Audio CD data, but that seems unlikely.

/Mats

[redwudz]

Have you tried opening it in Gspot 2.70 and see what it shows for format, aspect ratio and audio type? And WMP is not a good test of whether a file will work. I would try VLC and see if it does any better, as it uses it's own codecs and plays about anything.

[jamesmarcustucker]

thanks guys
it opens in VLC media player - just like a dvd with a menu to select the video, then plays the video you select. I'm wonering if it has been created in an old DVD authoring software or something - yet it doesnt play in my DVD players.

Confused as to how to export this as anything else. I want the two video files it seems to contain as two seperate video files - avi/mov/mpg/wmv - any is fine.

any ideas?

James

[t0nee1]

As suggested open in Gspot....

[AlanHK]

it opens in VLC media player

In VLC: "View/Stream and media info" will tell you what it thinks it is.

And if all else fails, you can use VLC to demux/transcode it.

File/Open and see "Stream output".

[jamesmarcustucker]

Gspot says "Not A Valid AVI FILE" under STAT and "Non - AVI FILE -TYPE UNKNOWN" Under Stream Type and AV Interleave. Also says n.a under all other firelds. So it doesnt seem to recognise it.

It seems this .cdr container file contains the menu and two video files...only playable/recognisable by VLC so far and I need to get the two video streams from it.

If anyone has any other ideas that would be great.

james

[redwudz]

I'd try what AlanHK mentions with VLC. Usually, if VLC can play it, it can also convert it to other formats. Start VLC and then 'File>Wizard>Transcode/Save to file'.

[mats.hogberg]

Have you tried mounting it with daemon tools?

/Mats

[jamesmarcustucker]

I have tried but doesnt seem to work - when i try accessing the virtual drive my PC freezes. Secondly, I don't see how it would help me access and convert the video inside the .cdr file. (?)

I have tried exporting using VLC player unsuccessfully...managed to get a still image of the menu - but thats it. Will keep trying though. Im just still confuses as to what the hell a .cdr file is if its not a Coral Draw file.

James

[mats.hogberg]

Best bet still (to me) seems like it's a DVD image. Perhaps Daemon tools doesn't support this type (I've for sure never heard about it!). If you have access to Final Cut Pro, try burning it to DVD.
The reason for mounting a disk image, is that you then have access to what's in the image - Just like if it was a physical disk in your DVD reader. In this case my guess is that it's a Video DVD structur/files.

/Mats

[Chris K]

To me cdr looked much associated with cda which means CD audio (a uncompressed wave container used on regular audio CD's).

cdr means raw audio which is actually a wave file without a header.

http://www.fileinfo.net/extension/cdr second description.

You can try audio edit programs that can import raw audio (e.g. SoundForge) but you have to find out the format yourself (bitrate, mono/stereo, big/little endian etc.).

[mats.hogberg]

Since jamesmarcustucker reportedly has managed to play it as video with VLC, I'd rate it being a raw wave file as rather far fetched.

/Mats

[Chris K]

Since jamesmarcustucker reportedly has managed to play it as video with VLC, I'd rate it being a raw wave file as rather far fetched.

/Mats

Seen it now. Sorry.
Probably a arbitrary chosen store extension for some DVD authoring program?

[mats.hogberg]

Probably a arbitrary chosen store extension for some DVD authoring program?

Yup, that's my guess.

/Mats

[Bjs]

You better ask the client if they had been anywhere near a mac .

Mac OS X, ISO images often have the .cdr extension.

Good old corel ... but when they keep using file extension naming format , limited to three characters , your bound to get them confused and recycled .

[jamesmarcustucker]

Thanks for everyones input.

I will check with the client - he probably does use a Mac - he is an architect, so wouldnt be a surprise. My guess was that it must have been a file extension for some archaic (or possibly mac) dvd authoring software. Yet when it wont play in any of my DVD players or on any PC - I would suggest a pretty useless DVD authoring software?? lol

It seems it will be pretty impossible to get this video unless i can access something on a Mac maybe so will go back to client. VLC seems to be having issues exporting it, even though it plays it fine enough.
UNLESS - maybe an analogue video card could output it somehow and i can record it that way into my camera/vhs/dvd recorder.

James

[mats.hogberg]

when it wont play in any of my DVD players or on any PC - I would suggest a pretty useless DVD authoring software?? lol

because it's not a Video DVD. The .cdr files is most likely a disk image (just like a .ISO) of a Video DVD on a Data DVD. Once you have burned this image to a DVD, you have a Video DVD. Some apps (like VLC) can open disk images of Video DVD and access the content - hence you can play your image in VLC.
If you feel adventureous, rename it to .img and try burning it to disk with ImgBurn! That Daemon Tools failed mounting it speaks against success, but may be worth a try.

/Mats

[Bjs]

Just been digging around linux and mac again .

Rename cdr to iso and away you go ... in theory .

It would have originally been *.img converted to *.cdr later to indicate it was a "cd image file" ... why , don't ask ... just rename it to *.iso

[jamesmarcustucker]

hey guys!

Progress! I changed the .cdr to .iso and can access the VOB files etc. now. I will try burning this to a Video DVD and see if I can play it.

I did try changing the VOB's to .MPG which sometimes works and plays in Premiere Pro but hasn't in this case - it imports but plays speeded up with no audio. Unless someone has a better idea, think I will try making a DVD out of it to play out to my camera.

Thanks so much for all the help so far guys!

James

[mats.hogberg]

I did try changing the VOB's to .MPG which sometimes works

I'm guessing you simply renamed the .vob(s) to .mpg?
VOB2MPG should give you what you need - the video as mpg. If you need to edit, load the mpg in VirtualDubmpg2 and save out as DV AVI (using the Panasonic DV Codec).

/Mats