Dealing with proprietary A/V formats

Reduct supports most audio and video formats, including many proprietary ones. But some formats are intentionally locked up inside proprietary software, and only play using specialized programs. If you’ve ever been handed one (or many!) of these unusual files, you know how frustrating it can be to try to work with them outside of their original ecosystem.

For situations like this, Reduct offers Human Services Import Support as an Enterprise Add-on. Our team can manually convert your proprietary files into standard formats that work seamlessly with Reduct and import them to your workspace. To learn more, contact sales@reduct.video.

If you have not opted to add the Human Services Import Support add-on, below are some of the more common proprietary formats you might come across, and how you can handle them yourself.

Doing it yourself

If you encounter files that can only be played using specialized software (typically from the maker of the hardware that generated or captured the footage in the first place), or files that Reduct cannot process, your first effort should be to convert or export them to standard formats - typically MP4, MOV, or AVI files for video, or to MP3 or WAV for audio files. Many proprietary players offer the ability to export a file in one of the above formats. Take that exported file and upload it to Reduct.

Working with .exe files

Sometimes you may receive video footage packaged as an .exe file. These are self-contained media players, and the footage inside can only be viewed by running the executable (typically using the exaqVision media player).

To get that footage into Reduct:

  1. Open the .exe file using the exaqVision media player and then click on File.
  2. Click Save As… and choose MP4 as the output format.
  3. It will now take some time for the export to complete.
  4. Upload the exported MP4 to Reduct.

Common proprietary formats

GTL jail calls

GTL jail calls in .v24, .v25 and .v26 format require their own proprietary application to open. While files like this are typically very difficult to open, Reduct has added a support for it! You can just upload your .v24, .v25, and .v26 GTL calls into Reduct, and they will be imported just like any other audio or video file.

DS2 files (from Olympus voice recorders)

DS2 is a proprietary format developed by Olympus. Many Olympus recorders let you switch to MP3, a standard format supported by Reduct. Olympus provides instructions for changing the recording format on models like the DS-9500, DS-9000, and DS-2600. There is also a guide that explains how to change the format using the Dictation Module or the Device Customization Program.

G64x files (from Genetec Security Center)

G64x (and G64) are proprietary surveillance formats from Genetec’s Security Center.

To use their footage in Reduct, you’ll need to export it to MP4 from Genetec’s Security Center software. Genetec provides a walkthrough here: Exporting an MP4 video with Security Center.

If you’ve been given a G64x file and only need to view it, Genetec offers a free Windows-only video player.

Need support for proprietary software?

If your jurisdiction works with another proprietary software format that is not supported, and you’d like to add support, get in touch with us. Email us a sample file and the player file at support@reduct.video and we’ll get back to you!