how convert .exe video to another for zoom/still

[oregonpi]

I have a .exe video that runs on Windows Media Player. I need to zoom in on a portion of this and capture some stills, but I can't find any video editing software that works with exe files. I tried converting it to swf and avi using Camtasia, but the results were pixelated, making the areas I want to zoom in on very hard to see.

Does anybody know a way to convert this video and not lose information or to edit an exe video? THanks.

[redwudz]

I'm not sure what you mean by '.exe' video. That would generally be a program, not a video file. Have you tried dropping it into Gspot 2.70 to see if it can read anything from it? Maybe it's a video file with an embedded player or it's a self extracting video file.

BTW, do you have 'Hide extensions for known file types' unchecked in 'Folder Options'? If not, you may not be seeing the true extension.

Alternately, try opening it in VirtualDub Mod and if it opens, you can use the tools there to capture some stills. But you may need to install a codec. Gspot might tell you that.

And welcome to our forums.

[oregonpi]

Thanks for the reply. Gspot says that it is an exe file and virtual dub can't open it. It automatically opens in windows media player and displays the windows media player icons.

[Ai Haibara]

Where did the video (exe) originate? (What produced it, in other words?) If you'd rather not mention, that's okay. (It's just that if you know the program that was used to create it, someone might know of a good (and painless) way to extract the video from the EXE.)

If the video does indeed open in Media Player (as though you were simply opening any other AVI), it sounds like the EXE is merely a stub that directs the video toward Media Player. When the video is playing in Media Player, are you able to check the properties of the video? Does Media Player give any information about the video whatsoever?

[oregonpi]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure what program produced this video. It is from a mall security camera and is part of a legal proceeding. Local video experts have been unable to help. I know that the original was a digital recording and that the original has been deleted. There are several copies, but all are in this same exe format.

Windows Media Player gives no information about this video.

[redwudz]

Some security system DVRs produce proprietary formats for use with their systems. If you knew the name of the DVR system, you might be able to find a converter on the net. But most security system operators don't like to give out that information.

See if VLC media player can open it. If so, you may be able to transcode it to a different format internally with the player.

[Ai Haibara]

If you right-click on the .exe file in Explorer and select Properties, is there a tab where you can find more information about the EXE, such as creator, version, etc.? That might also provide a clue as to who or what created it.

I think it's a little silly to tie the videos to a Windows executable file, though. I couldn't even be sure if they work with at least all versions of Windows from 95 through Vista - and what if the police/courthouses aren't using Windows? :/

[redwudz]

I worked with a local police detective a while ago with a surveillance video from a VHS time lapse VCR. He told me he was using a Dazzle box to convert videos to digital. And that was the technology part of their lab. Hopefully they got some Homeland Security grants for some better equipment by now.

I used a ADVC-100, then pulled off the stills with VirtualDub Mod, plus some cleaned up stills using Photoshop. Then I made 8 X 10s with my printer and gave him those. It was enough to recognize the perpetrators and read their license plates The case was solved in a few days.

There was a post about a year ago with a similar issue with a proprietary surveillance video, but I don't remember the title. But the OP had the name of the DVR system used and it wasn't hard to find a converter.

I suppose their theory is that no one can tamper with the video if it's created that way.

[oregonpi]

Very helpful, thank you. It sounds like the next step is to find out what software the videos are being recorded with, and look for a converter or contact the company that made it. I'm sure we can do that. I appreciate the help.