What is the MSV file format?
An .msv file is a Sony Memory Stick Voice audio recording, produced by Sony ICD-MS series IC voice recorders of the early 2000s. These compact devices stored voice recordings on Memory Stick media using Sony's proprietary encoding.
Two codec variants exist: MSV (ADPCM) - used by the ICD-MS1 and earlier models at 33 kbps in SP mode or 16 kbps in LP mode - and MSV (LPEC), which uses Sony's proprietary Long-term Predicted Excitation Coding and was used on the ICD-MS515 series. Both codecs target speech intelligibility at low bitrates, with sample rates of 8-16 kHz; they are not suitable for music.
The format is entirely proprietary and undocumented by Sony. The official playback tools - Sony Digital Voice Player and Memory Stick Voice Editor 2 - are effectively abandonware, last supporting Windows XP-era systems. The related .DVF format was used by other Sony ICD series recorders and faces similarly limited modern support.
Sony's current IC recorders use MP3, AAC and Linear PCM (.wav), making .msv a legacy format. Opening .msv files on modern Windows is difficult: the legacy Sony software does not run reliably on Windows 10 or 11, and no widely available third-party application currently decodes the LPEC variant.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWMSV is a passive binary audio file - no executable code. It is safe to handle the file. The main practical risk is data loss: old MSV recordings may become permanently inaccessible as legacy Sony playback software stops working on modern Windows. Convert important recordings to WAV or MP3 as soon as possible for long-term preservation.
Format details
in a nutshell- MyStars! Saved View File - MyStars! astronomy/planetarium software uses .msv to store saved sky view configurations; entirely unrelated to Sony audio.
Programs that open MSV files
Windows1 app
Sony Digital Voice Player
Free Legacy Sony software (EOL; designed for Windows 98/ME/2000/XP); may not install on Windows 10/11. Supports MSV (ADPCM and DVF); compatible models: ICD-BP100, ICD-MS1, ICD-R100. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary Sony voice recorder audio file |
| Container | Sony proprietary voice file container (two variants: LPEC and ADPCM) |
| Codec variants | MSV (ADPCM) - ICD-MS1 and early series; MSV (LPEC) - ICD-MS515 and compatible models |
| ADPCM bitrates | 33 kbps (SP mode) / 16 kbps (LP mode) |
| Sample rate | 8-16 kHz (speech-optimised; not CD-quality audio) |
| Compression | LPEC (Sony Long-term Predicted Excitation Coding) or ADPCM |
| File signature | None publicly documented; format undocumented by Sony |
| Typical file size | 50 KB - 20 MB (highly variable with recording length and mode) |
| Associated OS | Windows only (via legacy Sony Digital Voice Player / Memory Stick Voice Editor 2) |
| Hardware origin | Sony ICD-MS series IC voice recorders using Memory Stick media (early 2000s) |
| Status | Legacy - Sony current IC recorders use MP3, AAC or Linear PCM (.wav) |
| Released | early 2000s (Sony ICD-MS series voice recorders using Memory Stick) |
| Latest version | N/A (format is static/legacy; Sony current recorders use MP3/AAC/Linear PCM) |
MSV conversions
Community Q&A
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