Supported Video Formats
FrameCounsel supports a wide range of video formats commonly encountered in law enforcement and surveillance footage:
- MP4 (.mp4) — the most common body camera and dash camera format
- MOV (.mov) — Apple QuickTime format, common in iOS recordings
- AVI (.avi) — legacy format used by older surveillance systems
- MKV (.mkv) — Matroska container, used by some CCTV systems
- TS / M2TS (.ts, .m2ts) — transport stream formats from broadcast and Blu-ray sources
Audio codecs AAC, MP3, PCM, and Opus are all supported for transcription purposes.
Importing a Single Video
- Open a case from the Case Dashboard (or create a new one).
- Click the Import Evidence button in the toolbar, or simply drag and drop a video file onto the main window.
- FrameCounsel copies the file into the case evidence folder and generates a SHA-256 hash for chain-of-custody tracking.
- The video appears in the Evidence Panel on the left side of the interface.
Batch Import
To import multiple videos at once, select several files in Finder and drag them all onto the FrameCounsel window, or use File > Import Multiple and select a folder. FrameCounsel processes each file in sequence, hashing and cataloging every item.
Tip: Batch imports preserve the original folder structure inside the case directory. This is helpful when you receive evidence organized by officer, camera, or date.
What Happens During Import
During import, FrameCounsel performs several automatic steps:
- File copy: The original file is copied to the case directory. The original is never modified.
- Hash generation: A SHA-256 hash is computed and recorded in the audit log.
- Metadata extraction: Duration, resolution, codec, frame rate, and embedded timestamps are read from the file header.
- Thumbnail generation: A preview thumbnail is created for the evidence panel.
After Import
Once your video is imported, you can play it in the built-in video player, start a transcription job, or add it to the timeline builder. The evidence panel shows all imported files with their metadata at a glance.
Warning: Do not rename or move the original video file after import. FrameCounsel tracks the source path for chain-of-custody documentation. If the original location changes, note it in the audit log.