Convert WTV to MOV — Free Online Converter
Convert Windows TV (.wtv) to QuickTime Movie (.mov) 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 .mov file when it's ready.
About WTV to MOV Conversion
WTV (Windows TV) is Microsoft's DVR recording format from Windows Media Center, capturing broadcast television in an NTFS-like container with MPEG-2 or H.264 video, AC3 or AAC audio, and EPG metadata covering program title, channel, description, and recording time. Windows Media Center recorded TV from tuner cards and digital cable adapters across Windows Vista, 7, and 8.1. MOV (QuickTime Movie) is Apple's multimedia container, natively supported across the entire Apple ecosystem — macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Final Cut Pro, and iMovie.
Converting WTV to MOV bridges the gap between Microsoft's defunct DVR platform and Apple's thriving media ecosystem, ensuring TV recordings remain accessible on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Why Convert WTV to MOV?
WTV files are completely inaccessible on Apple devices — macOS, iOS, and iPadOS have never supported the format. Converting to MOV provides native Apple ecosystem compatibility, from Finder Quick Look previews to Final Cut Pro editing to AirPlay streaming to Apple TV. This is essential for users who have moved from Windows to Mac but still have WTV recording archives.
MOV also supports ProRes encoding, making it the preferred format for professional video editing on macOS. Converting WTV TV recordings to MOV/ProRes enables frame-accurate editing in Final Cut Pro, a workflow impossible with the original WTV files.
Common Use Cases
- Making Windows Media Center TV recordings playable on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV
- Importing recorded TV shows into Final Cut Pro or iMovie for editing and highlight creation
- Streaming converted TV recordings via AirPlay to Apple TV from a Mac-based media library
- Building a QuickTime-compatible video archive from legacy Windows Media Center content
- Creating ProRes intermediate files from TV recordings for professional macOS editing workflows
How It Works
FFmpeg demuxes the WTV container and encodes into the MOV (QuickTime) container. For playback compatibility, H.264 video with AAC audio is the standard choice. For editing workflows, ProRes 422 (or ProRes 422 LT for smaller files) provides frame-accurate editing performance. Interlaced WTV sources (1080i, 480i) are deinterlaced with yadif for progressive MOV output. EPG metadata maps partially to QuickTime metadata atoms (title, date).
Quality & Performance
MOV with H.264 at equivalent bitrates matches the WTV source quality. For HD recordings (720p/1080i at 8-19 Mbps), H.264 at 10-15 Mbps in MOV preserves full visual quality. ProRes 422 encoding produces visually lossless results at higher bitrates (approximately 150 Mbps for 1080p) but creates much larger files — suitable for editing but not for storage. Standard definition WTV recordings (480i) convert cleanly to MOV at 3-5 Mbps.
Device Compatibility
| Device | WTV | MOV |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Partial |
| macOS | Partial | Native |
| iPhone/iPad | Partial | Native |
| 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 H.264/AAC encoding for general playback across Apple devices — this is the most compatible and efficient codec choice for MOV
- 2Choose ProRes 422 LT only when you need to edit the footage in Final Cut Pro — it is overkill for simple playback
- 3Apply yadif deinterlacing for all interlaced WTV sources since Apple devices exclusively use progressive scan displays
- 4Set the QuickTime title metadata to the program name so the file is identifiable in Finder and Photos
- 5Convert HD WTV recordings at 10-15 Mbps H.264 for excellent quality — higher bitrates provide diminishing returns for broadcast content
WTV to MOV conversion opens Windows Media Center TV recordings to the Apple ecosystem, enabling native playback, editing in Final Cut Pro, and AirPlay streaming across all Apple devices.