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How to Play .bin, .cue, .dat, .daa, and .rar Movie Files

DVD images sliced and compressed must be re-built and burned before use

By Paul Gil Paul Gil Writer Paul Gil, a former Lifewire writer who is also known for his dynamic internet and database courses and has been active in technology fields for over two decades. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 24, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Home Networking The Wireless Connection Routers & Firewalls Network Hubs ISP Broadband Ethernet Installing & Upgrading Wi-Fi & Wireless

What to Know

RAR: Actually a compression format. Will need to decompress to access file.BIN/CUE: Use converter apps to re-join disparate files into watchable format.DAA: A compression file for ISO formats. Can be opened with programs like Pismo, MagicISO, or UltraISO. This article explains how to watch movie files in .bin, .cue, .dat, .daa, and .rar formats. It's comparatively rare these days to find movie files in these older Usenet-optimized formats. George Diebold/Getty Images

RAR Files

The RAR format isn't a video format. It's a type of compression algorithm, much like ZIP files. To access a movie that's archived in a RAR format, you must decompress it first. You're unlikely to find a RAR file with a movie in it. This format supports chunking, so you're more likely to encounter a series of files with sequentially numbered extensions, for example, R00, R01, R02, and so on. What Is a RAR File?

BIN CUE Files

The BIN/CUE standard benefits from being easy to implement, although it doesn't support compression or complex error correction. A CUE file is a plain-text inventory of BIN files. The BINs, in turn, represent sector-by-sector translations of a part of a CD or DVD image. So a movie might be split into several, or a dozen, or several dozen BIN files and the CUE file offers a roadmap for joining them back together. Several popular apps re-join BIN/CUE files into a version you can use. 5 Best Free File Converters for Occasionally Used Formats

DAA Files

Direct Access Archives are sourced from the PowerISO Computing proprietary method of compressing and chunking ISO images. Although the standard isn't well documented, it does implement open-source compression algorithms, so a handful of active software programs can open these files. What Is a DAA File? An ISO image is a read-only file that represents the contents of a CD or DVD. It's a common standard. Think of it as the digital equivalent of a photograph of the contents of that disc. ISO images are common and you'll find value in learning more about ISO files and what they do.

DAT Files

A jack-of-all-trades file extension, a DAT file can be one of many things. If you're confident that it's a video file, it's likely an entire file and not just a segment, although it's possible that someone subdivided a movie and made each segment a DAT. Software like VCDGear or CyberLink PowerDirector can open DATs.

Playing Video Files

Most of these files aren't movie files at all but rather methods of rendering images of a DVD into a format more amenable to Usenet. In most cases, you'll end up with an ISO image. You can't play ISO images. Instead, burn the ISO to an optical disc or a USB drive. After it's been burned, the disc or USB drive will work with software that reads DVDs. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire The 7 Best Free DVD Ripper Programs of 2022 How to use a System Repair Disc to Format the C Drive How to Boot From a CD, DVD, or BD Disc Install Windows 8/8.1 From USB [Full Walkthrough] How to Burn an ISO File to a Disc (Step-by-Step Guide) 4 Best Free Memory Test Programs (October 2022) Samsung HUTIL v2.10 Review: Free Hard Drive Test Tool Windows Memory Diagnostic Review (A Free RAM Test Tool) Can Blu-ray Discs Be Played On a DVD Player? CSO File: What It Is and How to Open One How to Burn Music to CDs in iTunes GParted v1.4.0-5 Review (Free Partition Manager Tool) How to Burn an ISO File to a USB Drive 14 Best Free Bootable Antivirus Tools (October 2022) How to Restore Hal.dll From the Windows XP CD How to Create an ISO Image From a DVD, CD or BD Disc Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies