Are you having a problem playing a wmv file on your media player? If yes, then you can convert the wmv format to avi in order to resolve the issue.
There are a number of situations that will make it important for you to convert a wmv file to an avi file. With the increasing number of file formats and compatibility issues with media players, you may need to convert the formats of file from one type to another. Before you learn to convert the same, you should know what these formats are and how they are different from each other. AVI or Audio Video Interleave, a multimedia container format, was released by Microsoft in 1992.
Launched as a part of the Video for Windows technology, it facilitated the playing of digital video. A meta-file format, the container format that defines avi is derived from Resource Interchange File Format or RIFF. AVI allows for synchronized audio and video playback and has both audio and video files. WMV was developed by Microsoft to rival RealVideo, as one of the video compression formats that will allow viewers to experience quality video. A standard for HD DVD and Blue-ray discs, it can be played on almost any player, including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player.
Converting WMV to AVI
The simplest method to perform this file conversion is to download a software for video and audio conversion that will allow you to transform the format of the file from one to another. If you are working on a Windows operating system you do not even need to possess a video conversion software as you can learn to do this conversion on Windows Movie Maker. All you need to do is import the file you want to convert into Movie Maker.
Then start a new project with a new timeline with this file. Now save the file using the save movie wizard option that will allow you to save the file in its new format to your computer. When you are saving the file, it will ask you to choose the format in which you want to save the file. This is where you choose the option for avi. Ensure that the file size of the avi file may be quite big and therefore, it may be a good idea to use a video editing software to compress the file.
Of course the second option you have is to use a video converter. Download any video converter that you are comfortable with. Some of the best options according to us are, OJOsoft Total Video Converter, Digital Media Converter, Blaze Media Pro, Prism video converter, etc. which allow you to convert a huge range of video formats. The method to follow remains pretty much the same.
First after you have installed the software, start the same. Choose the form of conversion you want to perform. You need to enter the format of your source file and upload the same and then choose the format you want to convert it to, in this case avi. After this, most software will ask you to name the destination file and to determine the path of the directory the file will be saved in.
Once you have specified all the dimensions and features, the software will start the conversion process. The time that the system will take to convert the format of the file from one type to another will depend on the size of the file and the speed of your system. Once the conversion is over, you will be informed about the same by a dialog box. You can check whether or not the file has been converted with the help of a multimedia player.
The process is no different on a Mac. The software you can download while working on MAC are Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate and Aimersoft Total Media Converter. While using a video converter, always remember to turn off your screen saver as it tends to slow the conversion rate and close any other program that you are running which are unnecessary.
Hopefully, now you will not be at loss about what to do the next time you are faced with a situation wherein the file format of your song or movie is not compatible with the media player you are using.