Convert WTV to AVI — Free Online Converter
Convert Windows TV (.wtv) to Audio Video Interleave (.avi) online for free. Fast, secure video conversion with no watermarks or registration....
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How to Convert
Upload your .wtv file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.
Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.
Click Convert and download your .avi file when it's ready.
About WTV to AVI Conversion
WTV (Windows TV) is the recording format created by Windows Media Center's TV tuner feature, capturing broadcast television with MPEG-2 or H.264 video, AC3 or AAC audio, and EPG metadata (program title, description, channel, recording time, ratings). WTV uses an NTFS-like internal container supporting multiple streams. AVI (Audio Video Interleave) is Microsoft's original multimedia container from 1992, still widely used for its universal compatibility and simple interleaved stream structure.
Windows Media Center shipped from Windows Vista through Windows 8.1 and was killed off in Windows 10. The WTV files it created are now orphaned — unplayable on modern Windows without third-party software, and completely inaccessible on macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Why Convert WTV to AVI?
Converting WTV to AVI moves TV recordings from an obsolete, proprietary container into a universally recognized video format. AVI has near-perfect compatibility across every operating system, media player, and video editing application — from VLC to Windows Media Player to legacy hardware players. This makes it an excellent choice for archiving TV recordings that need maximum accessibility.
AVI's simplicity also makes it valuable for video editing workflows. Unlike WTV's complex NTFS-like structure, AVI files can be opened, trimmed, and re-encoded by virtually any video editor without compatibility issues, making it a practical working format for post-processing TV recordings.
Common Use Cases
- Archiving Windows Media Center TV recordings in a universally compatible video container for long-term preservation
- Converting recorded TV shows for playback on legacy hardware media players and set-top boxes that support AVI
- Preparing TV recordings for editing in video software that cannot open WTV files
- Migrating a Windows Media Center DVR library to a format accessible across Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Reclaiming playability for TV recordings stranded in the obsolete WTV container
How It Works
FFmpeg demuxes the WTV container, extracting the video stream (MPEG-2 or H.264) and audio stream (AC3 or AAC). For maximum compatibility, video is typically re-encoded to MPEG-4 Part 2 (DivX/XviD compatible) or H.264, and audio to MP3 or AC3. Interlaced 1080i or 480i content benefits from yadif deinterlacing. The AVI container supports these codecs reliably. EPG metadata is discarded as AVI has minimal metadata support.
Quality & Performance
WTV recordings range from standard definition (480i/576i MPEG-2 at 3-8 Mbps) to high definition (720p/1080i H.264 at 8-19 Mbps). Files are typically 1-8 GB per hour. Converting to AVI at similar bitrates preserves visual quality well. For SD content, MPEG-4 at 2-4 Mbps is visually equivalent. For HD, H.264 at 6-12 Mbps in AVI maintains excellent quality. Interlaced sources should be deinterlaced for progressive displays.
Device Compatibility
| Device | WTV | AVI |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Native |
| macOS | Partial | Partial |
| iPhone/iPad | Partial | Partial |
| Android | Partial | Partial |
| Linux | Partial | Partial |
| Web Browser | No | No |
Recommended Settings by Platform
YouTube
Resolution: 1920x1080
Bitrate: 8-12 Mbps
H.264 recommended for fast processing
Resolution: 1080x1080
Bitrate: 3.5 Mbps
Square or 9:16 for Reels
TikTok
Resolution: 1080x1920
Bitrate: 4 Mbps
9:16 vertical, under 60s ideal
Twitter/X
Resolution: 1280x720
Bitrate: 5 Mbps
Under 140s, 512MB max
Resolution: 960x540
Bitrate: 2 Mbps
16MB limit for standard, 64MB for document
Discord
Resolution: 1280x720
Bitrate: 4 Mbps
8MB free, 50MB Nitro
Tips for Best Results
- 1Use MPEG-4 Part 2 (Xvid) codec for maximum AVI player compatibility across legacy hardware and software
- 2Apply yadif deinterlacing for 1080i and 480i WTV sources to avoid combing artifacts on progressive displays
- 3Match the output bitrate to the source quality — 3-4 Mbps for SD recordings, 8-12 Mbps for HD content
- 4Trim commercial breaks by specifying start and end timestamps to create clean program-only AVI files
- 5Consider MKV or MP4 instead of AVI if you need to preserve H.264 video without re-encoding — AVI's H.264 support is non-standard
WTV to AVI conversion rescues Windows Media Center TV recordings from obsolescence, delivering them in a universally compatible container that works on every platform and media player.