Converting Video Formats
Convert video file formats, and learn techniques for reducing file size, adding seek capabilities, and batch conversion using Windows Media Encoder and other utilities.
Answers refer to Windows Media 9 Series software, unless otherwise noted.
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How do I convert other video file formats to WMV?
To convert video file formats to Windows Media Video (WMV) format, perform the following basic steps:
1. | In Windows Media Encoder, click the New Session taskbar button. | ||||||||
2. | Click Convert a File, and then enter the following information in the New Session Wizard:
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3. | Review your settings, and then click Finish. | ||||||||
4. | On the taskbar, click the Start Encoding button and wait for the encoder to create the file or stream. |
For more information, see "Configuring sources" in Windows Media Encoder Help.
You can use files with .asf, .avi, .bmp, .jpg, .mpg, .mp3, .wav, .wma, and .wmv file name extensions as source files for your WMV files. Sourcing from a file with a .mpg file name extension requires a compatible DVD decoder (sometimes known as an MPEG-2 decoder) on the encoding computer.
If you're trying to convert a different file format to WMV, you must use a third-party program or utility. These programs range from simple freeware applications to professional-level content-creation programs. Keep in mind that not all programs produce quality results, and that any time you convert between formats, a certain amount of quality is lost. See the Windows Media Software Product Vendors Web page for a list of companies that make encoding products that support Windows Media.
How do I convert WMV to AVI for editing?
Although the WMV format works well for streaming audio and video over a network, it's not as well-suited for editing as the format used for AVI files. For this reason, many Windows-based video-editing programs only import AVI files. You can use a third-party program or utility to convert the file format from WMV to AVI. Alternatively, you can use an editing program such as Adobe Premiere and Sony Vegas Video to capture, edit, and export video in a variety of formats, including WMV. See the Windows Media Software Product Vendors Web page for a list of companies that make editing products that support Windows Media.
How do I convert a DVD to WMV?
The easiest way to convert the audio and video on a DVD to WMV format is to capture the content using an analog capture device. Simply connect the audio and video analog outputs of a DVD player to a video capture card on your computer, and then use Windows Media Encoder to encode the video to a file. Although you will lose some quality in the converted file, the loss will probably not be noticed if the file that you are encoding is meant for streaming over the Internet.
If you want to convert digitally, the process is more complex; you will first need to use a third-party utility that converts the MPEG-2 data on the DVD to an AVI file. Then you can use Windows Media Encoder to convert the AVI file to WMV.
Before you begin, make sure you have permission to copy the DVD material. It's illegal to reproduce copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright owner.
How can I compress video to save space on my hard disk?
To compress a digital media file to make it smaller, you can convert it to a Windows Media file using Windows Media Encoder. The encoder is often thought of as a tool for compressing files that can be streamed over networks, however, you can also use compression to simply make file sizes smaller, so you can fit more of them on a hard disk.
To encode a file to make it smaller, do the following:
1. | In Windows Media Encoder, click the New Session taskbar button. | ||||||
2. | Click Convert a File, and then enter the following information in the New Session Wizard:
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3. | Review your settings, and then click Finish. | ||||||
4. | On the taskbar, click the Start Encoding button. |
Play back the file and check for quality. Then, check the size of the file in Windows Explorer. You can change encoding options (bit rate) and re-encode the file if necessary, to find the balance that you need between quality and file size.
How can I add fast forward and rewind capabilities to my converted video files?
You can use Windows Media File Editor, which is installed with Windows Media Encoder, to index a WMV file. Afterwards, you can then fast forward, rewind, or seek to a particular part of the file when you watch it in Windows Media Player.
To download and install Windows Media Encoder, see the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series Web page.
To index a WMV file, do the following:
1. | Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Windows Media, point to Utilities, and then click Windows Media File Editor. |
2. | On the File menu, click Open, select the file that you want to index, and then click Open. |
3. | To save the WMV file with a new file name, on the File menu, click Save As and Index. |
4. | In the File name box, type a new file name, and then click Save. |
The file is indexed at each key frame in the video. Afterwards, when your audience plays the WMV file, they can then drag the seek slider in the Player to go to a particular part of the WMV file.
Note that in order to use Windows Media File Editor, Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 Series or later must be installed on your computer. Also, you can't index protected digital media files.
Can I convert a bunch of video files at the same time?
Yes, you can do batch encoding of the files by using either Windows Media Encoding Script or Windows Media Batch Encoder.
Windows Media Encoding Script
Windows Media Encoding Script is a command-line utility that is installed automatically with Windows Media Encoder. This utility allows you to perform many of the same encoding functions as Windows Media Encoder, but also includes batch-encoding capabilities.
To batch encode with the Windows Media Encoding Script, you create a batch file or a text file with a .bat file name extension, which includes all of the encoding commands that you want to use. These commands might include the names of your input and output files, profiles that you want to use, and other command-line options that you want to apply. There is no limit to the number of commands that you can include in a batch file, and because it's a basic text file, it's easy to edit.
Windows Media Encoding Script is also included in the Windows Media Encoder SDK as a sample written in VBScript, which you can modify as necessary to suit your needs. After you've installed the SDK on your computer, you can find the sample files in the \WMSDK\WMEncSDK9\Samples\vb\wmcmd directory.
Windows Media Batch Encoder
Windows Media Batch Encoder is a sample application written in Microsoft Visual Basic .NET, and you can modify the source code to suit your needs.
The sample shows how to encode a list of files without having to configure the encoding session for each file. Each file that you add to the list can have different settings as needed. For example, you can use a different profile for each file. This sample includes other important features, allowing you to enable two-pass encoding, specify video preprocessing, and add digital rights management (DRM) protection using an existing DRM profile.
You must have the Windows Media Encoder SDK on your computer to access the sample, which is located in the \WMSDK\WMEncSDK9\Samples\vb\batcher directory.
To download Windows Media Encoder and its utilities, see the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series Web page.
To download the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series SDK, see the Microsoft Download Center.
If you don't find the answer to your question in this column, be sure to check the Archive. Media Advice is not an official Microsoft Support channel. If you need immediate help for an urgent problem, we recommend that you visit Microsoft Help and Support.