DSS File Extension

What is the .DSS file type?

The primary association of the .dss filename extension goes together with the Direct Speech Standard (DSS) format and file type. A proprietary standard developed and supervised by the International Voice Association (IVA, founded by Olympus, Grundig, and Philips), DSS is specifically designed for speech recording. DSS provides superior data compression and allows to store metadata directly in .dss files. A predecessor of the newer DS2 digital speech recording format, DSS is still a de facto standard in the professional dictation industry and the default recording format in most Olymus digital dictation recorders (dictaphones).

A .dss file is a digital speech recording made by a hardware/software dictaphone and saved in the DSS format. It can be played on the same device that recorded it, or using the device's bundled software. DSS dictations are understood and can be directly opened by many transcription applications as well as converted into WAV files and other audio formats, using third-party converters.

Alternatively, the .dss extension also occurs in association with the HEC-DSS Hydrologic Database (.dss) file format/type. HEC-DSS stands for Hydrologic Engineering Center Data Storage System, and the DSS file format is used extensively for database files in various scientific and applied projects based on the HEC research framework. HEC is part of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Quite differently, the .dss extension also occurs in digital video files produced by CCTV/DVR systems. A .dss file like that is a video recording made by a CCTV security camera or a DVR system and saved in a proprietary container format. As a rule, such .dss files cannot be directly opened for playback with general-purpose media players, requiring special codecs and/or player software (often bundled with the CCTV/DVR device).

DraStic Nintendo DS Emulator for Android uses the .dss extension to distinguish its savestate files. A DraStic savestate file (.dss) stores the current state of a Nintendo DS game as run on the emulator. In addition to .dss files, backup files (.dsv) are also used with DraStic.

Besides, the .dss extension is used with reference to Synology DiskStation NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices (e.g., DS209) to denote DiskStation configuration backup files (.dss). A .dss file is a gzipped TAR archive that contains a configuration database along with user, group, and share settings. DSS files can be used to migrate configurations between different DiskStation models.

Software to open or convert DSS files

GOM Player by GOM & Company

 

Media Player Classic - Home Cinema

 

DssOle

 

MediaPlayerLite by MediaPlayerLite

 

GOMPLAYER

 

Free File Viewer Pro

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