A method of time code retrieval for special format surveillance video based on file header comparison

Video surveillance has become an important tool in various fields of social security, including criminal investigation, remote defense, information verification, etc. Non-universal video format also brings great challenges to data recovery. We explore a typical method that contains 4 steps for time code retrieval in practical case examination. These 4 steps are A) obtain existing video files, B) analyze the structure of existing video files and find the time field location, C) ascertain the time code location and change pattern and D) export and browse. Confirmed via comparison with 2 sets of questioned special format surveillance video files, this method has proved to be effective.