- The extension (format) is the characters at the end of the file after the last dot.
- The computer determines the file type precisely by extension.
- By Windows default does not show filename extensions.
- Some characters cannot be used in the file name and extension.
- Not all formats are related to the same program.
- Below are all the programs with which you can open the WMV file.

PotPlayer is free player with many features. Its distinctive feature is a very high quality playback and support for almost all modern audio and video file formats. This program can solve most of the tasks that the user needs. So, for example, PotPlayer is able to work with all subtitles and other tracks that can be linked to a file. You can, for example, synchronize external subtitles with a file if their creator has not done this before. In addition, the program allows you to take screenshots, which is very useful if you want to cut any frame from...

VLC Media Player is a universal powerful media player for all occasions. You don't have to look for and install any codecs and plug-ins, as the program installs them automatically and therefore can play almost all known file formats: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, H.264, mp3, ogg, flac (lossless), regular DVDs, VCDs, etc. The program can also be used as a server for broadcasting a stream via IPv4 or IPv6 protocols, while media files, disks, URLs or a capture device can be selected as a source. In addition, VLC Media Player can record or play streaming ...

MediaInfo - a program with which you can find out all technical information from media files. Easily recognizes the title, author, director, date, etc. For video files, you can find out codecs, aspect ratios, FPS, bitrate, etc. Supports many popular formats and codecs for both audio and video files. MediaInfo also learns the details of the subtitles, while indicating what language they are in. In addition to analysis, it is also possible to export the received data to different formats, both in plain text and in HTML. Ability to work in a graphical interface or with command line. For simplicity, there is a Drag&Drop function. Program...

This player is one of the most convenient players capable of playing great amount various video and audio file formats without installing other programs. The player is built on the basis of Media Player Classic and is a more suitable version of the program for home use. This player differs from other similar programs due to its functionality. Among them, full support for all DVD discs. Also, the player has the ability to select the language to use, 14 options are offered, it can work with two monitors and supports subtitle playback, which not all programs of this type can handle.

SplitCam is excellent and completely free program to work with the webcam. Has many useful features both for work and for fun. It supports all programs that use a webcam, such as Skype, Yahoo Messenger, etc. It will perfectly entertain the user and the interlocutor with the help of superimposed effects and 3D masks. Allows you to duplicate the work of the camera on several programs at the same time. It can record video directly through the webcam and immediately upload it to YouTube in a few clicks. Supports Stream in HD quality, and can also play video from the camera, video files on the computer, slideshow or workspace.

AudioShell is a small extension created for editing tags. Capable of renaming files thanks to integration into the Windows Explorer context menu. Allows you to change the metadata and name of a number of media files in an instant. AudioShell offers support for audio types: M4A, OGG, MP3, APE, WMA, FLAC, as well as a range of video data (eg MP4, WMV, ASF, 3GP). This extension can be useful for those users who spend countless hours organizing ID3 information for audio tracks. The program adds an editor and allows you to view tags in the "Properties" of media files. Provides detailed information about tags, m...

Ocenaudio is a handy cross-platform application that allows you to edit audio tracks. The program allows you to quickly and efficiently analyze any music files. It has many features that will help you convert any audio track. The program can work with OGG, CAF, MP4, MP3, WAV, RAW formats. An important factor in working with an audio editor is ease of use and an accessible interface. When loading the required file, the user will see a spectrogram, which will provide more information about the file. After loading and the appearance of the spectrogram, you can start editing the file.

IrfanView- free viewer graphic files, the hallmarks of which are small size and functionality. IrfanView supports a large number of formats, has a clear interface and the necessary set of functions. So, with its help, you can not only view images, but also rotate them at any angle, do a little color correction, remove red-eye from photos, etc. Also, using IrfanView, you can take screenshots (both of the entire screen and of individual areas), rip out icons and icons from various files, rename files according to a predefined template, and...

Winamp is one of the most popular players with a clear interface and a large number of supported formats. First of all, this player is notable for the fact that its functionality can be significantly expanded by installing additional plug-ins or modules on it. Moreover, such plug-ins can add both new functions and expand the list of supported formats for the player, which in some cases is very useful. In addition, the Winamp player has a convenient library where you can add all your files, which in the future will allow you not to search for them on your hard drive, but to launch them directly from the ...

WavePad Audio Editor is a useful audio editor with many useful features. The utility allows you to record, edit audio tracks, voice and other audio recordings. When processing audio files, you can cut, copy or paste parts of a music track or voice recording. Allows you to add effects (echo, noise reduction, noise amplification). WavePad Audio Editor is suitable for professional sound engineers. Using the utility, you can easily record your own track. Supports sampling rates from 6 to 96 kHz, also stereo and mono. In addition to the main features, the application is able to store records, move them to the selected ...

Any Video Converter- a great program to easily convert video files. It easily lets you transcode the most popular video formats to DVD, MP4, VCD or FLV. In this utility, it is possible to use ready-made profiles in the process of encoding video files, with pre-set parameters that are oriented to certain devices, for example, a household DVD player, mobile phone. It is also possible to choose your own settings for converting. Before you start encoding the video, you can view it in the built-in player...

Splash Lite is one of the latest and powerful video player. Splash Lite allows you to view almost all video formats, which allows you not to install any other players to watch videos. Distinctive features are not only support for all formats, but also the ability to view TV channels high definition. The program supports several technologies, including support multi-core processors, which allow you to significantly offload the CPU and transfer most of the video processing to the video card. This, as a rule, allows you to significantly increase the productivity of ...

Icecream Media Converter is a fairly handy and extremely powerful media file converter. This useful tool allows you to instantly download video and audio files from popular video storages. Allows you to quickly convert to common formats: mp3, avi, mkv, wmv, vob, rmvb flv, mp4, cda, aac, aiff, swf, 3gp, flac. The program allows you to convert several files at once, put them in a queue. Informs the user about the progress of the process through the progress line. Indicates the estimated time for the completion of the conversion of files, both individually and in total. Has a history of all converted media files for...

FSS Audio Converter is a very handy utility that allows you to instantly convert any audio tracks to various formats(MP3, WAV, MP4, M4A, FLAC, WMA, AAC, OGG, MP2, AMR) and extract them from videos. The interface presents a convenient window with a well-placed structure. Files can be quickly dragged directly from the desktop, or you can use file manager. The converter supports batch loading and file processing, which will greatly reduce the file conversion time. The program allows you to choose the output format, the final directory. The user can select any given profile, edit the sound settings.

MediaHuman Audio Converter is a useful program that converts music to various formats. The utility works with a huge number of formats sound type. The converter has a minimalistic interface that will be understandable to any user. MediaHuman Audio Converter uses latest versions codecs. Thanks to the work of fresh codecs, the sound quality of music files will always be on top. The application supports a convenient Drag-and-drop mode, which allows you to quickly drag and drop the desired audio file and start the conversion process. The program supports creating playlists and adding them to libraries. Allows you to convert...

Sublight is a unique utility that searches for subtitles on the Web for all the necessary media files. The program is suitable for those who want to watch the selected movie faster, but there is no dubbing in their native language yet. The application will be a real gift for deaf and dumb fans of movies and TV shows. Performs automatic searches manual modes, just set the name of the desired series or movie, and the application will immediately scan the Web. Installation of the utility takes minutes, immediately after installation, you can start searching. In addition to the name of the film, you can indicate the year of release, the name of the director. After performing the search, the application will give all ...

SPlayer is a fairly popular media player that has a very simple yet amazingly beautiful interface. The program can automatically download subtitles for a movie on the fly (it independently goes to the Internet to search for subtitles for this movie) and can read popular video formats and much more. During video playback, you can easily change audio and video settings, add files to the playlist, move the control panel, enable various effects, etc. The program also allows you to play partially downloaded and corrupted video files. If you have been looking for a simple media player for your projector, then you are...

ComboPlayer is a program with wide functionality that is used to play movies, music, radio and even Internet TV. Main function ComboPlayer - view TV channels on your computer. Free package includes two dozen channels, including Russia-1, First, Match TV, TNT and other federal channels. The program also provides access to the TV schedule for most of the available channels. ComboPlayer has about 130 pay channels in HD quality. The program also works with torrent videos. If the torrent file of the movie you are interested in is available on the Internet, you can watch it through the program online.

SMPlayer is a great alternative to the standard player from Microsoft. It contains only the most necessary functions for playing video and audio, and also introduces an interesting ability to manage subtitles. SMPlayer comes with several popular codecs. This makes it possible to immediately start watching your favorite movie. The player has rich options for managing subtitles. For example, you can change the font, color, cast shadows, etc. In addition, it allows you to use not only the subtitles in the container, but also connect external ones. Moreover, if they are not synchronized with ...

KMPlayer is a versatile player that plays many formats with ease. It can read titles, record video files, sound files, pictures from any playing fragment. It has a large number of settings, which allows you to make the use of the program convenient for each user, taking into account his needs and needs. The player also includes almost all major codecs that allow you to play various audio and video formats, which expands the capabilities of the program. In addition, it is possible to work with various filters, which makes it possible to control the parameters of the audio being played...

ViewFD is a file manager with many different features. This program is distributed free of charge and is an excellent alternative to paid clients. The main features of this program include not only the presence of a built-in player and image viewer, but also the ability to view text files any formats, as well as edit database tables. In addition, the program can manage autorun various services. Process management is also supported, although it is better to use other software for these purposes. In addition, this one supports tabbed browsing.

CherryPlayer is a high-quality media center that works with many sites such as YouTube, VKontakte, Amazon, 4shared and others. It combines the YouTube player, as well as the YouTube rocker, which allows you to watch videos online, or download videos for free and quickly. Huge library of audio recordings, as the program works with social network VK, where there are millions of audio files that you can listen to, download or add to a playlist using CherryPlayer. It is also possible to buy original materials from Amazon. The program supports all formats of audio and video files, so you do not need to install any addi...

Pazera Video Converter Suite – convenient package for converting multimedia files with a simple interface and a lot of possibilities. Distinctive feature package is that it allows you to convert files for mobile devices e.g. for smartphones or tablet computers. The utilities included in the Pazera Video Converters Suite package allow you to set all necessary settings conversion, including image size, resolution, codec used and other parameters. Also, if necessary, you can cut the audio track from the video. The resulting sound file can be easily converted to the desired...

WinX Video Converter is a program that stands out for its exceptional simplicity and clarity. It allows you to convert various types of files into many video and audio formats. File conversion occurs with just three user clicks. The application is equipped with the function of extracting an audio track from certain films and then recording it in mp3 format. In order to convert any segment of the movie, you need to go to the search bar by preview and enter data on the beginning and end of such a segment there. It is also possible to change the settings of the parameters relating to audio and video (change...

GOM Audio Player is a program for listening to any audio files. This player was created by the same company as Gom Media Player, which means that it inherited from the latter both speed and feature set. The program allows you to listen to streaming audio, for example, your favorite radio station, has flexible functionality and a clear interface. Like GOM Media Player, GOM Audio Player has built-in codecs, which allows the player to be independent of installed converters and codecs on your computer. In addition, the program itself consumes very few resources, so it will work even on very weak computers...

Kantaris Media Player is a free media player with user-friendly interface and wide possibilities for playing various files. This player has almost the same interface as Microsoft's Windows Media Player, so you don't have to learn it and you can start using the program right away. The main feature of the player is that it can play files without installing codecs into the system, which saves you from performing unnecessary operations. This player supports all popular formats, including audio CD. In addition, the program has all the standard features.

GOM Player is a universal multimedia player for Windows. A distinctive feature of this player is the ability to play most media files without the need for third-party codecs, thanks to the built-in support for most popular codecs. In addition, there is a unique ability to play damaged or underloaded files. The player supports almost all modern audio and video formats, including video from mobile devices and digital cameras, as well as playback of Internet content directly from the network. If the codec is not found, then GOM Player will offer to use a third-party one installed in the system, or ...

MPlayer is one of the main players for video and audio content. This program is written for many operating systems and is cross-platform. In addition to its cross-platform nature, this program has another important advantage - open source. This player, in fact, has no interface as such. All control is carried out using a special remote control, or using the keyboard. Usually, only the video stream is displayed on the screen. By the way, this player is sometimes supplemented GUI. KMPlayer is, in fact, one of those solutions.

Lightworks is a free, professional editor for creating various video files. Many famous films have been edited in this program and it is used even in professional studios. More recently, Lightworks has been made free. Of course, the developers of the program left the paid version, but in terms of its capabilities it is not much different from free version. The program allows you to create transition effects, apply various effects, cut fragments from a video file, etc. However, it should be noted that the program still falls short of a well-known professional editor. However, amateur...

VSDC video editor created for editing video and audio files. It has two modes, one for beginners, the other for professional use. This is not a linear editor, unlike others analogue programs. The advantage of the program is that it supports many formats, which will allow you to import videos of any format, combine them into a clip and export them in one, without losing quality. It can also apply many effects to audio and video. The interface is as intuitive as possible, which will allow the user to work without any overlays. Just in case, the program has a very good and detailed manual that explains...

IWisoft Video Converter is a handy program for converting multimedia content from one format to another. This program will be especially useful if you have not only a computer or laptop, but also one of the portable devices, such as a smartphone. As a rule, such devices have a much smaller list of supported formats than laptops or computers. In addition, conversion may be needed in cases where you need to reduce the size of video or audio files. For these purposes, the iWisoft Free Video Converter program is excellent. This application allows you to batch convert audio and...

ToolWiz Player and Converter is a hybrid program that combines the functions of a simple media player and an audio-video converter. Supports many popular codecs for playback and is equipped with all basic functions audio and video players. Converts both music and video files to many formats. Distinguished by its conversion speed, as it is quite fast, and its easy-to-use interface. ToolWiz Player and Converter will allow users to view videos on operating Windows systems and convert it for later viewing on popular devices like PSP...

DVDVideoSoft Video Editor indispensable program for maximum fast work with video files of different formats. With the help of the utility, you can edit the video without losing quality. The user can easily trim the video file, remove unwanted moments, add various effects and work with several projects at once. Moreover, DVDVideoSoft Video Editor can be used as a converter, converting the original video to another format. With the help of the available functions, the user can extract and add music to the video file, as well as split the video stream by frames for more detailed re...

We very often have to perform various actions with audio, video, etc. files. And often, in order to perform a certain operation, such as converting, converting and editing, you need to search the Internet, download and install certain programs. Almost always it takes a lot of time and effort, "eats" a huge amount of traffic. And it is in such cases that Free Studio comes to the rescue, a collection of programs that perform all this action. The advantages of this package are that all 39 programs included in it are absolutely free, and will also help you get the desired result...

Software with features free access, which is designed to play various files presented in karaoke format. It supports a large number of such formats. These include mp3, wav, ogg, kfn, etc. The interface of this software has a standard arrangement of conventional audio players. It is equipped with all necessary functionality: a window that controls the playback process, a special playlist with a list of music files, as well as a window in which you can make sound settings. An important feature of the player is...

Zoom Player is a great media player that can replace Windows Media Player. The program will allow the user to enjoy their favorite movie or music as much as possible, as it supports all popular and common audio and video formats. She has a lot additional features, for example, has the Zoom function, which will allow not only to enlarge the image, but also to improve the quality of the picture. Can display trailers of other movies before or after the video. It differs in that it supports remote control devices, with which you can control the player and the ability to stop and continue the movie next time from the same place where you...

XviD4PSP is a handy program for converting videos, its main feature is a large number of presets. The XviD4PSP program allows you to easily and quickly get the file of the format you need. A large number of presets allows you to choose the parameters in such a way that the picture on a portable device looks great. The program supports not only the Sony PSP portable set-top box, but also other portable devices, such as smartphones. In addition, the program has an advanced mode of operation for experienced users. In the dialogs of the program, you can easily set the settings you need, for example, necessary for coding...

Wondershare Player is a very handy video player that features high speed work and some features. This player supports almost all video formats, which eliminates the need for a simple user to constantly install some players to play video. Also, this player is distinguished by its speed. Compared to other popular players, it plays videos much faster. Another advantage of the Wondershare Player program is that it consumes very few system resources, which allows you to watch even movies with HD quality without freezing and h...

Metal Player is a player with an easy and user-friendly interface. Does not require a large amount of computer resources and is supported by any Windows version. Provides the user with both standard multimedia and some new features, making it the best solution when choosing a player. The program plays most media file formats, has a built-in equalizer, playlist, the ability to search and sort songs, hot keys, and a significant number of other functions that make working with it convenient. In addition, the built-in library allows you to assemble your own database of online radio channels for ...

VSO Media Player is a multifunctional media player that has a practical and user-friendly design. The player is equipped with features that allow it to play all common formats of certain music as well as video files. It supports work with various media and video cards. The function bar allows the user to download a batch of files in order to play them in turn. In the process of working with the application, the user can adjust the volume indicators. The main advantage of the program is the absence of the need for additional installations...

JetAudio Basic is one of the most popular players with a user-friendly interface and many features. A distinctive feature of this program is that when encoding video or sound, it uses unique technologies that help to fully convey the quality of video or sound. Also, the program already contains several “improvers” and sound effects, which can be useful to fans of surround sound when watching movies. jetAudio Basic has a built-in equalizer that allows you to customize playback to suit your preferences. Also, this player has a clear and simple interface...

MediaCoder is a powerful video converter. For example, the program can convert video to another format, or compress it to the quality and size you need. File compression can be useful when you need to play a finished video or movie on weak computer. In addition, of course, there is also the function of converting from one format to another. Also, the program has a scheduler that allows you to turn off the computer after the conversion is completed or set batch processing files. But that's not all. The MediaCoder program allows you to pull out an audio track from almost any movie or reel ...

TorrentPlayer is a handy program for watching movies and listening to audio. Instead of downloading files to your computer, the program automatically starts playing them. Also a plus is that you do not need to search for movies or audio on the Internet and risk downloading a virus, just enter in the program search desired file multimedia and she will find it in her reliable and extensive library. Playback of the file starts immediately from the moment the user clicks on "Play". At the same time, it plays any file formats, which means that you do not need to spend time installing additional codecs. During viewing...

Format Factory is a very handy program for converting multimedia in almost all formats. Surely you have had a situation when you needed to convert an image from one format to another. Yes, and the video with sound also had to be converted. There could be several reasons for this. This is the limited format support of your favorite phone, the need to reduce the file size, and so on. The Format Factory program helps to solve all these problems. It allows you to convert almost any multimedia files. The program successfully works with images, audio and video. All major formats are supported.

Free Video Dub is a program for editing video files. Namely, to cut various content from the video. The program has a very simple interface, which can be dealt with by almost any user. The user simply needs to select the initial and end point fragment to be deleted, and then click the "delete" button. The operation can be repeated an unlimited number of times with any fragments. After the file you need is created, you just need to save this file in the format you need. Distinctive feature Free programs Video Dub consists in the fact that when you save a video, do not...

MediaMonkey is a media center with over 100,000 audio files and movies. Allows you to search by genre and includes genres such as audiobooks, podcasts, movies, home videos, TV shows and more. Also, the program synchronizes not only files from the Internet, but also from a PC, which will allow you to combine files from a PC and the Internet in one media center. Automatically adds missing information by audio or video file, such as title, artist, album, etc. The program also supports the ability to convert audio and video files to any format, as well as burn data to disk. Supports many plugins, skin...

ProgDVB is a free program for listening to Internet radio, watching TV channels, both from the Internet and using satellite dish. The program supports most satellite TV standards and works with almost all types of satellite equipment. ProgDVB allows you not only to watch a channel or listen to the radio, but also to record them so as not to miss a single movie or program that is important to you. Also, there is support for HD TV, various TV standards, subtitles, etc. The program supports teletext, which allows you to access some additional information that ...

XBMC Media Center is a modern cross-platform media center with a high-quality graphical interface, a clear and simple menu. It can be called worthy Windows competitor Media Center from Microsoft. The XBMC Media Center interface can also be displayed in Russian and has its own dynamically changing design. Also, the program can work both in normal windowed mode and in full-screen mode, and in addition to this, it effectively uses its own screensavers stored in its memory. With the help of this media center, a home PC is easily transformed into a full-fledged HTPC, capable of not only playing, but also storing...

Windows Player- a player that can play almost all video files without the use of codecs, since they are already present in the Windows Player installation package. This program is fast enough and can work on almost any operating system. Windows families. The player has standard set features such as: equalizer, video brightness and contrast adjustment, as well as the ability to create playlists. The latter is especially useful if all your files are scattered across different parts computer and you want them to play in order no matter what.

AVS Media Player is a complete multimedia center that can be used to play almost all multimedia content. For example, the AVS Media Player program not only supports playback of most video formats, but can also work with images and audio files. It should be said that the list of supported formats is very large and includes all popular audio, video, and graphic formats. The player has a user-friendly interface and allows any user to start working with it without the need to study special manuals and additional materials. Software, which is a set of special multifunctional tools designed to work with a variety of graphic files. It also supports certain audio and video files. Here, users are given the opportunity to view digital photos, organize the processes of sorting and storing them within hard drive. RAW files are also supported. A convenient feature is the ability to use the program as a media player. It is possible to create various presentations and record them on discs. Available full set graphic tools for... Light Alloy is one of the most popular players for playing multimedia files. The main advantage of this program is that it has a large number of functions, but it has very small system requirements. The player is capable of various types codecs. You can, for example, connect the codecs installed in the system to the player, or you can use other codecs included in the player. Also, if the user has his own set of codecs, then it can be connected to the player. Besides, this program can work great with subtitles.

SUPER is a media center with many different features, including a player, recorder and converter. The player boasts a large list of supported formats, as well as support for all the standard features that can be found in any player. The SUPER converter also has a large number of supported formats, which allows you to use it as a video converter for subsequent playback on portable devices e.g. on smartphones. The recorder allows you to record video and sound from your computer, which can be used, for example, when contacting a technical service...

ALLPlayer is a player with many different functions and features, the main of which is the ability to play video and audio files without installing codecs into the system. The fact is that the player already incorporates several codecs, which allows you to play files. Also, the player allows you to open files directly from the archive without unpacking it, which is very convenient when downloading files from the Internet. Another feature of the program is the ability to automatically download subtitles for video files, as well as covers for albums or films. In addition, you can download additional information for albums and files, for which you can use ...

Miro is a kind of multimedia center that combines a rocking chair, an Internet TV viewer, and a player. Miro program supports most popular video formats, which allows you to use it as a player. However, the main features of the program do not end there. The Miro program integrates with popular services, such as youtube, which allows you to view the video you need directly from the program. Moreover, if you set the automatic video download setting and subscribe to the channel you need, the program will automatically download a new video from this channel...

Further development of the format AVI. Developed by Microsoft at the very end of the 90s as part of an initiative Windows Media(creation of a set of hardware and software tools aimed at improving the multimedia capabilities of modern Windows-compatible computers). The very name of this format translates as Windows Media-Video.

Video files saved in this format have a wmv or asf extension. (There is a special kind of format - WMA (Windows Media - Audio), intended for storing sound, such files have the extension wma.) Compared to AVI format WMV has various additional features, in particular, means of protection against unauthorized copying.

Currently, this format is rapidly gaining popularity. It is used to distribute full-length films and video clips.

History of Windows Media Video

Windows Media Video is the name of a whole set of video codec technologies developed by Microsoft. It's part of the structure Windows Media. Codecs Windows Media Video were originally developed for low bit rate streaming applications. However, in 2003, Microsoft prepared specifications for a video codec based on Windows Media Video version 9, and submitted it to SMPTE for standardization. The standard was formally approved in March 2006 as SMPTE 421M, thereby Windows Media Video 9"not private". Early versions of the codec (7 and 8) are still considered proprietary as they do not fit into the SMPTE 421M standards.

Windows Media Video Format

WMV built not only domestic technology Microsoft's. It is assumed that WMV version 7 (WMV1) based on its Microsoft custom version MPEG-4 Part 2. However, since WMV 9 was standardized as an independent SMPTE standard (421M, also known as VC-1), it is true to believe that WMV has branched off enough from MPEG-4 to be considered a unique codec in its own right. In April 2006, there were 16 companies holding the VC-1 patent. Microsoft is also a member of the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 patent association.

The video stream is usually combined with the audio stream. Windows Media Audio and consists of Advanced Systems Format files with .asf or .wmv extensions.

Files WMV playable with MPlayer or Windows Media Player, the latter is only available for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh systems. There are many third party players for various platforms, such as Linux, which uses the FFmpeg implementation in codecs WMV.

Mostly, WMV compressed in ASF container files. for storage WMV AVI or Matroska containers are also used. Destination files are named .avi if it is an AVI container file, .wmv or .asf if it is ASF, .mkv if it is MKV files. WMV can be stored in AVI files if using the VirtualDub encoder and codec WMV9 VCM. Microsoft Windows Media Player for Mac does not support all WMV-encoded files except for the ASF container file. More files can be viewed with Flip4Mac and QuickTime or MPlayer for MacOS X.

WMV can support DRM if compressed in ASF files.

In addition to being the most popular codec for delivering video over the Internet, WMV is also used to distribute high-quality video on standard DVDs in what Microsoft has called WMV HD (Windows Media Video High Definition). This format can be played on computers or compatible DVD players.

The most common problem that prevents users from opening this file is an incorrectly assigned program. To fix this in Windows, you need to click right click on file, context menu move the mouse over the "Open with" item, and select the "Choose a program ..." item from the drop-down menu. As a result, you will see a list installed programs on your computer and you can choose the one that suits you. We also recommend checking the box next to "Use this application for all WMV files".

Another problem that our users also encounter quite often is that the WMV file is corrupted. This situation can arise in many cases. For example: the file was not downloaded completely as a result server errors, the file was damaged initially, etc. To fix this problem, use one of the recommendations:

  • Try to find the desired file in another source on the Internet. You may be lucky to find a better version. Google search example: "File filetype:WMV" . Just replace the word "file" with the name you want;
  • Ask to send you original file again, it may have been damaged in transit;

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WMV Video File Format

WMV files are placed in an ASF - Advanced Systems Format container. Such files often contain both Windows Media Video video data and Windows Media Audio audio data. WMV files may support the use of DRM protections that prevent users from copying the information. And it is this characteristic that makes this format a popular product among companies selling digital copies of video and audio recordings online. WMV files can be downloaded and viewed on both Mac computers and personal computers. The WMV format is the most recognizable format of its family, competing with certain types of MPEG-4 and Real Video. WMV files are used in online sales, portable devices, Microsoft's Zune players, and Xbox 360 devices.

Technical information about WMV files

WMV files are compressed with codecs developed by Microsoft. The ASF container format encodes data using the WMV codec. Windows Media Video 9 Professional codecs allow users to stream at resolutions greater than 300,000 pixels (on-screen size from 528x576) and bitrates of 1000 kbps. Such high performance turn WMV files into perfect solution for HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. WMV 9 Advanced Profile is not compatible with previous versions of WMV 9 formats. WMV 9 format is the default format for Microsoft Silverlight. In addition, the WMV 9 format is comparable to the H.264 Main and High Profile formats, but does not support, in particular, multiple reference frame technology, as well as context-dependent binary arithmetic coding (CABAC). The difference between WMV 9 and competing formats is best seen at low bitrates.

More information about the WMV format

The WMV video format is one of the most popular among users. operating systems from the Windows family. This extension appeared thanks to developers from Microsoft.

Two Windows codecs are used to package and compress files. Media files can contain exclusively video, audio, or be mixed. The WMV extension is used to store sound files and their playback. Video files with the WMV extension are not uncommon on the World Wide Web.

Why choose WMV files?

They are chosen for the relatively high quality of video and audio and at the same time small size. Thus, such a file will occupy a minimum of space on the hard disk.

Note that playing files with the WMV extension does not require solid hardware. The WMV format compares favorably with various additions and improvements. Files with this extension are protected from unauthorized copying. To play video in WMV format, it is necessary that the software has special codecs.

If you want to know what programs are used to play media content in such an extension, then see our selection on this site.

File extension .wmv
File category
Sample file (33.9 MiB)
(11.2 MiB)
Related programs MPlayer
Microsoft Windows Media Player
PowerDVD
RealPlayer
VideoLAN VLC Media Player