Transcribe a long DVR-MS recorded TV file old Media Center recordings, read at last.
A 3-hour DVR-MS recording transcribes in about 6 minutes and uses 180 minutes of the $6 pack of 500, with the first 20 minutes free. Standard-definition DVR-MS runs about 2 to 3 GB an hour, so long recordings pass the 5 GB per-file limit; extract the audio with ffmpeg or VLC first, about 173 MB for 3 hours as a 128 kbps MP3.
Media Center archives
DVR-MS files sit on old PCs and backup drives. Their speech converts to text in minutes.
What made DVR-MS
Windows XP Media Center Edition and the Media Center in Windows Vista saved recorded TV as .dvr-ms; Windows 7 moved to WTV. The files hold MPEG-2 video and usually MPEG audio or Dolby Digital, which is why they are large and why the sound comes out cleanly.
Extract, then upload
ffmpeg reads most DVR-MS files: ffmpeg -i "Session.dvr-ms" -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 128k session.mp3 gives an MP3 in a minute or two. VLC's Convert/Save can do the same through its menus, which vary by version. An MP3 of a long recording fits this box; anything over 500 MB continues on the upload page.
Protected recordings
Some channels flagged programmes as copy-protected, and those recordings only play on the PC that made them. If ffmpeg and VLC both refuse a file, that is the likely reason, and it cannot be transcribed. Only transcribe recordings you have the right to use, such as public meeting broadcasts or your own appearances.
What comes back
A transcript with timestamps, a brief of what was said, chapters, the questions the broadcast answers, and the names, numbers and dates mentioned. Speakers are named in the summary, key quotes and chapters; exports are TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT and JSON.
Recorded TV, unread
Years of recorded sessions sit on an old Media Center drive, playable only start to finish.
✗ Still in DVR-MS
Large files from an old system, with nothing searchable inside.
- 2-3 GB for each hour
- Files too big for one upload
- A PC that may not boot much longer
- No index of who spoke when
- Playback in real time to find a moment
- Nothing to cite in a report
✓ Audio out, transcript back
A small MP3 per recording, text a few minutes later.
- About 58 MB per hour as MP3
- 3 hours in about 6 minutes
- Chapters across each session
- Names and figures listed
- DOCX for the research file
- 500 minutes left on the $24 pack
Illustrative transcript
A long public meeting broadcast saved as DVR-MS.
Invented for this page; no real council, meeting or person. Times follow the extracted audio.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $6 (500 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$6/500 min
8 hours of audio — $0.72 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 500 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$12/2,000 min
33 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 2,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
Bulk pack
$24/5,000 min
83 hours of audio — $0.29 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 5,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
Long DVR-MS files: questions
Can I upload a .dvr-ms file as it is?
A short one might go through, but a long recording usually passes 5 GB and the format is not widely recognised. Extract the audio as MP3 first; if the upload refuses a file, convert to MP3 or MP4 with ffmpeg or VLC.
How big is an hour of DVR-MS?
Standard definition is about 2 to 3 GB an hour and high definition is larger. A 3-hour session at 2.5 GB an hour is about 7.5 GB, so the MP3 route is the practical one: about 58 MB an hour at 128 kbps.
How long does it take?
About 2 minutes per audio hour. A 3-hour session comes back in roughly 6 minutes, a 5-hour one in about 10.
What does an archive of sessions cost?
Twenty-five recorded sessions of 3 hours each are 75 hours, or 4,500 minutes, which the $24 pack of 5,000 minutes covers with 500 left. One session is 180 minutes of the $6 pack. A first-time visitor's first 20 minutes are free; a longer recording is previewed and a pack transcribes the rest.
Is it an official record of the meeting?
No. It is an AI transcript to work from, not a certified or official transcript, and not legal advice. Check the passages you quote against the recording.
Languages, exports and privacy?
99 languages are detected automatically. Theme music and advertisements are not transcribed as speech. Exports are TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT and JSON. Recordings are transcribed on our own servers and are never used for training.
Related
Other recorded-TV formats
An old Media Center drive. Its sessions, readable in minutes.
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