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VIDEO

DCR to PMD Converter — Free, Online, No Signup

Convert DCR files to PMD online with no signup required.

Reverse conversion

DCR at a glance

DCR

Convert to DCR when preserving compatibility with an older camera-specific raw workflow or recovering legacy photographic originals.

In current practice it is mainly an archival and migration target.

PMD at a glance

PMD

Convert to PMD when maintaining compatibility with a Sony-centered production workflow, preserving source media from a professional ingest system, or migrating archived broadcast assets that were originally wrapped for structured editorial exchange.

Format comparison

Feature
DCR
PMD
File type

Image

Video

Extensions
  • .dcr

  • .pmd

MIME type
  • image/dcr

  • video/x-pmd

Compression / quality

raw

depends

File size characteristics

large

large

Compatibility

limited

moderate

Editability

high

limited

Created year

2004

2004

Inventor

Kodak

Sony

Status

proprietary

legacy

Transparency

Not supported

Not supported

Animation

Not supported

Not supported

Primary use cases
  • capture ingest

  • editing

  • web or print delivery

  • jpg

  • tiff

  • png

  • dng

  • editing

  • mastering

  • streaming delivery

  • mxf

  • mp4

  • mqv

Common software
  • LibRaw

  • Adobe Camera Raw

  • vendor photo software

  • archive workflows

  • Sony PlayMemories (legacy)

  • Sony Catalyst Browse

Archival suitability

strong

moderate

Metadata handling

rich

moderate

Delivery profile

limited

strong

Workflow fit

source

delivery

Layer support

Not supported

Not supported

Camera raw data

Supported

Not supported

HDR support

Not supported

Not supported

Streaming ready

Not supported

Supported

When to use each format

When to use DCR

  • capture ingest
  • editing
  • web or print delivery
  • Preserve capture-stage image data for later interpretation.

When to use PMD

  • editing
  • mastering
  • streaming delivery
  • Integrates Sony-specific production metadata into the recording workflow.

FAQs

Why convert DCR to PMD?

Convert to PMD when maintaining compatibility with a Sony-centered production workflow, preserving source media from a professional ingest system, or migrating archived broadcast assets that were originally wrapped for structured editorial exchange.

What changes when converting DCR to PMD?

This conversion changes how the format behaves in downstream tools and delivery environments.

Quality profile changes from raw in DCR to depends in PMD. Editability profile changes from high in DCR to limited in PMD. Compatibility profile changes from limited in DCR to moderate in PMD. Archival profile changes from strong in DCR to moderate in PMD. Metadata profile changes from rich in DCR to moderate in PMD. Delivery profile changes from limited in DCR to strong in PMD. Workflow profile changes from source in DCR to delivery in PMD.

Moving to PMD removes camera raw data. Moving to PMD adds streaming delivery.

What should I review after converting DCR to PMD?

Check the exported file for No public specification or documentation.; Essentially unreadable outside Sony's own software ecosystem.; Entirely superseded by Sony's modern professional recording formats..

Format resources

DCRPMD

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