Question regarding DAT files

[Rossignol]

Hi,

I was just wondering if you could convert a .dat file which you is a video into other formats or record it in any way?

Thanks! :P

[Rossignol]

oops...

I meant which you *know is a video

[andkiich]

I'm assuming that you are referring to an AVSEQ01.DAT file. If so then the answers are yes and yes.

[vitualis]

The "DAT" file is basically just the VCD MPEG file with a few differences in terms of file structure and headers.

You can convert it to all sorts of different video formats if you so wish (for example, with VirtualDub for AVI).

Regards.

[antonv]

You can convert .DAT file to any format as regular MPEG file, just as vitualis and andkiich. However, you can not record .DAT file streight to VCD because it contains additional data.

If you want to burn this file to VCD, what you need to do is to multiplex your file to MPEG-1 VCD standart in MPEG Tools section of TMPGEnc. You do not have to encode it back to VCD format.

[thatcoolguy]

I rename the AVSEQ01.DAT file to AVSEQ01.MPG. That way I can play it in media player. Then I just use nero to burn and specify SVCD.

[antonv]

Renaming .DAT file to MPG will not always help. First, DAT is not exactly like MPG. Second, Nero determines the file type regardless of the resolution and will either burn a corrupted VCD/SVCD or force you to burn non-compliant VCD/SVCD because there is additional information in the beggining of DAT file which makes it bigger then MPG.
With case of multiplexing through TMPGEnc, it automaticly gets rid of this information which makes the output file purely the format it had in DAT file (VCD/SVCD...)

[vitualis]

Yep, you can remux with TMPGEnc.

However, using VCDGear or CDXA2MPEG (part of VCDImager -- use GNU VCDImager Tools) is faster (specific DAT --> MPEG tools).

Regards.

[Rossignol]

Ok cool...thanks!