What Is WMV (Windows Media Video) & How to Use It

A Brief Introduction of WMV

What is a WMV file? WMV (Windows Media Video) is a compressed video container format, which is designed for the Internet streaming applications. It is a part of Windows Media Framework. It was introduced by Microsoft as a series of video codes and initially released as the competitor to RealVideo format in 1999.

WMV video files are the most suitable ones for selling video contents online or through HD DVD and Bluray disks. WMV file is one of the common files that are used for storing videos in Windows.

You will see it when downloading videos or sharing videos via USB devices such as USB flash drive or electric products. You can utilize various media players to watch videos that are stored in WMV files.

The additional feature of Digital rights management prevents this format from copying the data. This feature makes WMV become one of the most famous video file formats. It supports cross platforms such as Windows and Mac and etc.

The WMV file extension is based on the Microsoft Advanced Systems Format (ASF) container format. The WMV format file is usually written as xxx.WMV (xxx stands for the file name).

You may also be interested in this: How to Change File Extension in Windows 10 Correctly

How to Open WMV File on VideoStudio and Windows

You are able to open WMV files on VideoStudio and Windows, but the detailed steps are different. Hence, this part will be divided into 2 parts to introduce the methods for opening WMV file.

Steps for opening WMV file on VideoStudio

Step 1: At first, launch the VideoStudio.

Step 2: Select File > Open.

Step 3: Find the WMV file that you would like to open and click it.

Step 4: Edit and save the target file.

Open WMV file on Windows

You need to pay attention to that those WMV files are compatible with Windows 10/9/8 versions. Most Windows versions install Windows Media Player or movies & TV players, and they are the best choices for opening WMV files.

As WMP Player stopped being developed for MacOS after version 9, you can utilize Filp4Mac if you are a Mac user. However, it is not free and you need to pay for the service.

As mentioned earlier, you can open WMV files by using Windows Media Players and movie & TV players. You can try opening videos in WMV files with these players. Certainly, there are some totally free media players such as VLC, DivX Player, KMPlayer for you. All these players can be used for playing WMV files on both Mac and Windows operating systems.

If you open them successfully, it indicates that WMV files are openable. If not, there is probably something wrong with the file. In this case, you need to download or buy the correct application. In another case, you have the correct application on PC, but the .wmv files are still not associated with it.

If so, you need to tell Windows which application is the correct one for that .wmv file. By doing so, you can open the correct application when opening a .wmv file.

Convert WMV Files

When you are unable to open WMV files, you can convert it to a more compatible format such as MP4, AVI, MKV, and other formats. However, you may not be able to convert it directly. Hence, here comes the need of a converter.

Some converters are paid ones, while some are free. MiniTool Movie Maker, a free and reliable converter, is strongly recommended for you. It is easy to use and support multiple output formats like MOV, MP3, etc.

For example, if you are wondering how to convert WMV to MP4 free, this tool can help you. After using MiniTool Movie Maker, you can explore more functions from it.

Here comes the end of this post. Read here, you may have a deep understanding of WMV file.