What is the “WMV” video file format? 

A WMV video file format is both a container format and a codec developed by Microsoft. The compressed data allows it to contain a multimedia set of type audio and video.

This format is generally widespread in the use of video sharing, streaming or downloading on the Internet since it allows to maintain a high multimedia quality while compressing the file.

A brief history of the WMV format.

The .wmv format is the most recognized video format of the WMV Suite. With MPEG-4, AVS, RealVideo, DivX and Xvid as the main competitors, Microsoft aims to compete with these internationally implemented container formats. Originally, the .wmv format was a concurrent and non-standard version of the .mp4, whose issue was problematic until 2007.

The first version of the codec was introduced in the early 2000s as WMV7. Subsequently, WMV9 proposes an increase and regularisation of its bitrate. Windows aims for high-definition quality of 300,000 pixels and a bitrate of 1000 kbit/s, with a resolution of 720p and 1080p.

As created by the Windows Corporation, it is important to point out that this is a difficult file to access for Linux or Mac users.

How do I use and export a WMV video? 

Files with the .wmv extension cannot be launched by all applications. We advise you to use Microsoft Windows Media Player, VLC Media Player or Winamp Media Player.

A .wmv is both a codec and a container. As a codec, it performs efficient compression in order to work the volume of your media content. The WMV codec allows you to encode, in order to reduce the size of the file, and to decode it afterwards.

WMV content is broken down into three files: video, audio and container. The most commonly used container is the .wmv or .asf. This will allow you to get a file volume at the same time suitable, with a reasonable weight for digital transport.

What media can I upload a WMV file to? 

To upload your .wmv file can be uploaded to YouTube, Dailymotion, and Vimeo. Also, the social network Facebook supports .wmv uploads.

The .wmv files are not compatible with other social networks such as Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat. It is up to you to appropriately define your objectives and intended field of action when publishing your multimedia content in .wmv.