AVC generally means H.264/AVC video compression, which is how the video is squeezed down, while the actual file format is usually a container like MP4, MKV, MOV, or TS that can hold AVC video along with audio tracks such as AAC, so people sometimes mix things up and label an MP4 as “an AVC file” despite the container defining the type; files ending in .avc or .h264/.264 usually contain raw AVC streams or custom exports that VLC may handle but often with weak seeking, incorrect duration, or no audio due to missing container-level indexing.
Some CCTV/DVR systems output strangely named files even when the contents are standard, so a clip may be misnamed and work once renamed to .mp4, though some files are truly proprietary and require the vendor’s player to re-export; the quickest way to check is to open it in VLC, inspect codec details, or run MediaInfo to see if it’s a real container like MP4/MKV/TS with audio, in which case renaming often helps, while raw AVC streams usually need to be wrapped into an MP4 container for better compatibility and seeking without re-encoding.
A `.mp4` file is typically a full MP4 *container* that stores not just AVC/H.264 video but also timing data, indexes for smooth seeking, audio tracks, subtitles, and metadata, while a `.avc` file is often a raw H.264/AVC bitstream or device-specific export that lacks container structure; it can still play because frames exist, but players may struggle with smooth seeking since key structural info is missing.
This is also why `.avc` recordings often have silent-only output: audio wasn’t packaged or lives separately, whereas MP4 generally combines video and audio; plus, many CCTV/DVR systems output bizarre extensions, so a file might actually be MP4/TS but mislabeled and fixed by renaming, while others rely on proprietary wrappers needing vendor software; put simply, `.mp4` means a standard structured file, and `. If you have any sort of inquiries relating to where and the best ways to use advanced AVC file handler, you can call us at our own webpage. avc` usually means just the encoded stream, which explains missing audio, limited seeking, and compatibility problems.
Once you figure out what your “AVC file” actually is, the next move depends on whether it’s mislabeled, a raw H.264 stream, or a proprietary CCTV/DVR export; if MediaInfo or VLC reveals it’s in a normal container (e.g., showing “Format: MPEG-4” or behaving like a standard video), the easiest fix is usually renaming the extension—many devices save MP4s but call them `.avc`, and switching `clip.avc` to `clip.mp4` often makes it universally playable (always duplicate the file first); if it turns out to be a raw H.264 stream, usually identified by “Format: AVC” with minimal container details and odd seeking, the typical remedy is to remux it into MP4 without re-encoding so it gains proper indexing and timing for smooth playback.
If the file comes from a CCTV/DVR or a system with its own wrapper, the safest approach is usually using the vendor’s playback/export tool to create an MP4 or AVI, since some proprietary formats won’t remux properly without a correct export; in those situations you’re converting from a custom structure into a standard container rather than just renaming, and if playback is corrupted, won’t open, or the duration stays wrong even after remuxing, it often means the recording is incomplete or missing companion index files, so the real fix is re-exporting from the device or finding the required metadata files.
