Convert DVR and CCTV .264 footage to MP4 online so it plays on any phone, PC or browser. Upload files up to 20GB and download the converted result in a few clicks.
Drag & Drop your 264 file here
264 files, up to 20GB
Files stay private.
Automatically deleted after 24 hours.
Link
20GB upload limit.
4.8/5
Trusted for 1,827,796+ conversions
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps, no account, nothing to install.
01
Upload your 264 file
Drag in the .264 file from your DVR export, vehicle DVR or camera SD card. The converter works out what kind of recording it is from the contents.
02
Convert to MP4
Start the conversion. The recorder's own framing is removed, the video is copied into the MP4 and the sound is converted to AAC when needed.
03
Download the MP4
Download one MP4 per .264 file. The whole recording is converted, and the MP4 starts playing while it is still downloading.
264
A .264 file holds H.264 video saved by a security recorder or camera, either as a bare stream or inside the maker's own framing. Dahua and Xiongmai/XMeye DVRs, HiSilicon-based DVRs and vehicle DVRs, and IP cameras that record to an SD card all use the name, and ordinary players usually cannot open these files.
MP4
MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) is the most widely supported video container. An MP4 with H.264 video and AAC sound plays in web browsers, on iPhone and Android, in the standard Windows and Mac players, and on most sharing and upload sites.
FILE FORMATS
SOURCE
A .264 file is H.264 video saved by a DVR, NVR, dashcam or IP camera. Sometimes it is a bare stream, but often it is wrapped in the recorder maker's own framing, such as Dahua DHAV, Xiongmai or HiSilicon chunks, with timestamps and G.711 or ADPCM sound mixed in. Without a standard container, ordinary players can't work out the timing or find the sound.
TARGET
MPEG-4 Part 14 is the default container for phone recordings, web video and streaming. MP4 with H.264 video and AAC sound plays on iPhone and Android, in every browser, on smart TVs and in Windows and Mac players without extra codecs. It holds text subtitles and chapters, but not picture-based subtitles.
| Feature | 264 | MP4 |
|---|---|---|
| Developed by | Security camera and DVR makers | MPEG (ISO) |
| File extension | .264 | .mp4 |
| Usual video codec | H.264 (bare or vendor-framed) | H.264, HEVC, AV1 |
| Usual audio codec | G.711, ADPCM or none | AAC |
| Subtitles | No | Text only |
| Best for | DVR and camera SD-card exports | Sharing and playback anywhere |
| Plays on phones and browsers | Maker's player only | Yes |
USE CASES
Practical workflows where 264 to MP4 conversion is useful.
Watch recordings from a camera's SD card
Many Wi-Fi cameras save .264 files (HXVS) to their SD card. The MP4 keeps the camera's own time for every frame, so the clip plays at the right speed with the sound in sync.
Check night footage at its real length
Cameras drop to a slower frame rate at night. Because each frame of an SD-card recording keeps its recorded time, an overnight clip plays at its real length instead of running fast.
Open old Dahua DVR backups
Older Dahua DVRs export .264 files in their DHAV format. The MP4 uses the recorder's timestamps and turns its G.711 sound into AAC.
Play Xiongmai and XMeye DVR exports
Recordings from Xiongmai-based DVRs lose their private headers and play as a standard MP4. Cut or damaged files are resynced so the rest of the recording is kept.
Review a bus or truck incident
HiSilicon-based vehicle DVRs (MDVR) write '00dcH264' chunks. The MP4 keeps the recorder's microsecond clock for every frame, and its ADPCM sound becomes AAC.
Send a clip to an insurer or the police
An MP4 opens on any phone or laptop, so investigators can watch the footage without installing the DVR maker's player.
Play Xiongmai DVR footage at the right speed
When a Xiongmai DVR stored fewer frames than its setting, the real rate is used, so the video keeps the right speed and stays in sync with the sound.
Keep a clip whose recorder clock was changed
If a HiSilicon-based recorder's time was set while it was recording, the clock jump is closed up instead of leaving a long empty stretch in the video.
Rescue a damaged SD-card recording
If a frame header in an SD-card recording is damaged, that frame is skipped and the rest of the recording is kept, so the clip is still usable.
Post a clip to a neighborhood group
Social sites and messaging apps accept MP4, so a doorstep or parking-lot clip from a .264 recording can be shared directly.
SUPPORTED FILES
Recordings from DVRs, NVRs, IP cameras and dashcams are supported.
Wi-Fi cameras that record .264 to an SD card.
Older Dahua recorder exports with G.711 sound.
Including recordings with fewer stored frames than their setting.
Bus and truck recorders with '00dcH264' chunks.
Bare streams, timed at their own rate or 25 fps.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Most problems come from how the recorder exported the clip.
01
Some recorders encrypt exports. Export the clip again with encryption turned off.
02
The export may be empty, all zeros or audio-only. Export the clip again from the recorder.
03
Damaged spots lose frames up to the next key frame. The rest of the recording is kept.
04
CCTV footage often has a variable frame rate, which some editors handle less well. VLC and browsers play it smoothly.
05
Hikvision 4HKH files aren't decoded. Play them in Hikvision's player or export them again as MP4 or AVI.
06
A raw stream with no timing plays at 25 fps. Footage recorded at another rate will play at the wrong speed.
Dahua SmartPlayer, XMeye VMS, Hikvision VSPlayer and similar programs play their own brand's files on Windows. dragdropdo turns 264 into MP4 so the footage plays in ordinary players and editors.
| What matters | dragdropdo | The Recorder Maker's Player |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing to install | ✓Yes. Runs in any modern browser. | ~Yes, a Windows download for each recorder brand. |
| Works on phones and tablets | ✓Yes. Desktop, Android, iPhone and iPad. | ~No. Desktop players only. |
| Batch conversion | ✓Yes. Add many files and download one ZIP. | ~Clips are exported one at a time. |
| Share finished files | ✓Yes. Send a unique link from the result page. | ~You upload and share the files yourself. |
| Pricing | ✓Free with daily limits. $2.99 or $6.99 passes for unlimited use, no monthly plan. | ~Free. |
| Plays on phones and in editors | ✓Yes. The MP4 opens in browsers, phones, VLC and editors. | ~No. The 264 still needs the maker's player. |
Other tools use different pricing, limits and workflows. This comparison describes dragdropdo's own features without assuming every other tool works the same way.
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WHY DRAGDROPDO
Convert 264 to MP4 in your browser, with nothing to install and nothing kept after 24 hours.
Private by default
Files are encrypted in transit and deleted from our servers automatically after 24 hours.
No install required
Convert in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone or iPad. No app and no sign-up wall.
Big files and batches
Upload files up to 20GB each, add several at once, and download the results one by one or as a ZIP.
Share & download
Save finished files to your device or pass them on with a share link from the result page.
FAQ
Answers to common questions about dragdropdo's 264 to MP4 converter.
