BrainVision Core Data Format 1.0

The current version of the BrainVision Recorder software supports the BrainVision Core Data Format 1.0.

An EEG recording consists of three separate files

• Header file (*.vhdr):
  This is a text file containing recording parameters and further meta-information. It has the same base name as the raw EEG data file.
• Marker file (*.vmrk):
  This is a text file describing the events that have been collected during the EEG data recording. It has the same base name as the raw EEG data file.
• Raw EEG data file (*.eeg):
  This is a binary file containing the EEG data as well as additional signals recorded along with the EEG.

For further information refer to the official documentation of our format.

Presence in the open-source neuroscience research community

The well-established Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) framework has also included two new extensions for electroencephalography (EEG-BIDS) and intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG-BIDS), which are used for standardizing, organizing and sharing freely distributed EEG datasets within the neuroscience research community. This project follows previous efforts to create standards for organizing and describing MRI datasets, and more recently to store and share multidimensional MEG data.

In appreciation for the robustness and wide use of the BrainVision Core Data Format, BIDS has officially adopted it as one of the official EEG/iEEG data formats.

Brain Products GmbH has provided formal permission for BIDS to freely publish and share the format specification across the open-source neuroscience research community. Widely-used free and open software packages have already adopted the BIDS standards (e.g. EEGLAB, FieldTrip, MNE-Python, BrainStorm, SPM.)

All rights on the BrainVision Core Data Format are reserved by Brain Products GmbH (e.g. changes on the data format can only be made by Brain Products GmbH).

BV2BIDS Converter

To continue providing high-quality solutions to the open neuroscience community, we have developed the BV2BIDS converter, which allows you to standardize the raw EEG data (in BrainVision Core Data Format) according to the EEG-BIDS standard.