Convert WTV to MKV — Free Online Converter
Convert Windows TV (.wtv) to Matroska Video (.mkv) 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 .mkv file when it's ready.
About WTV to MKV Conversion
WTV (Windows TV) is the DVR container format from Windows Media Center, storing broadcast TV recordings with MPEG-2 or H.264 video, AC3 or AAC audio, EPG metadata (program title, description, channel, ratings), and closed caption streams. The NTFS-like internal structure supports multiple audio tracks and subtitle streams within a single file. MKV (Matroska Video) is the modern open-source multimedia container, supporting virtually any combination of video, audio, subtitle, and metadata streams without codec restrictions.
Windows Media Center recorded millions of hours of personal TV content from 2007 until its discontinuation in Windows 10. MKV represents the ideal modern container to receive this content, matching and exceeding WTV's multi-stream capabilities with universal player support.
Why Convert WTV to MKV?
MKV is the premier format for preserving the full richness of WTV TV recordings. Unlike MP4 or AVI, MKV supports multiple audio tracks (preserving all language options from the broadcast), subtitle streams (closed captions), chapter markers, and extensive metadata — closely matching the multi-stream structure of WTV itself. This makes MKV the highest-fidelity container conversion available.
MKV plays on VLC, MPV, Kodi, Plex, Jellyfin, and all major media server platforms. Converting a Windows Media Center archive to MKV preserves everything that can be preserved while ensuring compatibility with modern home theater and media server setups.
Common Use Cases
- Migrating an entire Windows Media Center DVR library to Plex, Jellyfin, or Kodi media server in MKV format
- Preserving multi-audio-track TV recordings (SAP, multiple languages) in a container that retains all streams
- Converting TV recordings with closed captions into MKV's native subtitle track support
- Archiving irreplaceable TV recordings (discontinued shows, live events) in an open, future-proof container
- Consolidating WTV, DVR-MS, and other legacy recording formats into a single standardized MKV library
How It Works
FFmpeg demuxes the WTV container and can often remux directly into MKV without re-encoding when the source codecs (H.264, AAC) are MKV-compatible. For MPEG-2 WTV sources, re-encoding to H.264 is recommended for better compression and player compatibility. Multiple audio tracks from the WTV can be mapped to separate MKV audio streams. Closed captions (CEA-608/708) can be extracted and embedded as SRT or ASS subtitle tracks. EPG metadata can be mapped to MKV tags (title, date, description).
Quality & Performance
MKV conversion can be lossless when the WTV source contains H.264 video and AAC audio — FFmpeg remuxes the streams without re-encoding, preserving every byte of the original broadcast quality. For MPEG-2 sources re-encoded to H.264, quality depends on the target bitrate but is excellent at 8-15 Mbps for HD content. This is the highest-quality WTV conversion available since MKV imposes no codec restrictions.
Device Compatibility
| Device | WTV | MKV |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Partial |
| 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 stream copy mode for H.264 WTV sources to achieve instant, lossless conversion to MKV
- 2Map all audio tracks from the WTV to separate MKV streams to preserve language options and SAP audio
- 3Extract closed captions to SRT subtitle tracks within the MKV for accessibility and search functionality
- 4Set the MKV title tag to the program name from the EPG data so media servers can identify the content automatically
- 5Re-encode MPEG-2 sources to H.264 at CRF 18-22 for excellent quality with significantly better compression in the MKV
WTV to MKV conversion delivers the most comprehensive preservation of Windows Media Center TV recordings, retaining multiple audio streams, subtitle tracks, and metadata in a modern, universally supported open container.