WTV (Windows TV) is the Windows Media Center DVR recording format, capturing broadcast television in an NTFS-like container with MPEG-2 or H.264 video, AC3 or AAC audio, and EPG metadata (program title, channel, description, recording time, ratings). WMA (Windows Media Audio) is Microsoft's proprietary audio codec and container, historically the default audio format for Windows Media Player, Windows Phone, and the Zune ecosystem. Both formats are Microsoft technologies, making this a within-ecosystem audio extraction.

WTV files were created by Windows Media Center from 2007 through its discontinuation in Windows 10. WMA remains supported on modern Windows for playback, though it has largely been superseded by AAC and MP3 in the broader market.

Extracting audio from WTV to WMA keeps the content within the Microsoft audio ecosystem. WMA is natively supported by Windows Media Player, Windows 10/11's built-in media player, and Xbox consoles — making it a natural choice for users who stay within the Windows platform. WMA Standard at 128-192 kbps delivers good audio quality for broadcast content.

This conversion is most relevant for users who have existing WMA music libraries and want extracted TV audio to match the same format. It is also useful for integration with legacy Microsoft platforms (Windows Phone archives, Zune libraries) that require WMA format.

FFmpeg demuxes the WTV container, discards the video stream, decodes the AC3 or AAC audio, and re-encodes to WMA Standard (Windows Media Audio 2) using the wmav2 codec at the specified bitrate (typically 128-192 kbps). Multi-channel 5.1 AC3 is downmixed to stereo. The output is wrapped in the ASF (Advanced Systems Format) container with a .wma extension. EPG metadata is discarded though ASF supports standard metadata tags that can be added later.

Resolution: 1920x1080

Bitrate: 8-12 Mbps

H.264 recommended for fast processing

Resolution: 1080x1080

Bitrate: 3.5 Mbps

Square or 9:16 for Reels

Resolution: 1080x1920

Bitrate: 4 Mbps

9:16 vertical, under 60s ideal

Resolution: 1280x720

Bitrate: 5 Mbps

Under 140s, 512MB max

Resolution: 960x540

Bitrate: 2 Mbps

16MB limit for standard, 64MB for document

Resolution: 1280x720

Bitrate: 4 Mbps

8MB free, 50MB Nitro

Not natively. macOS and iOS do not support WMA without third-party players like VLC. For cross-platform compatibility, AAC (M4A) or MP3 are better choices.

WMA Standard is more widely supported. WMA Pro offers better quality at low bitrates (64-96 kbps) and supports multi-channel audio, but fewer players and devices handle it.

AAC generally outperforms WMA Standard at equivalent bitrates. WMA at 192 kbps sounds comparable to AAC at 128-160 kbps. Choose WMA for Microsoft ecosystem integration, not for maximum quality per bit.

Yes. The ASF container supports rich metadata tags. You can add title, artist, album, and genre after conversion using Windows Media Player or any WMA tagging tool.

WMA is functional but declining. AAC (M4A) and MP3 offer broader compatibility. Choose WMA only for specific Microsoft ecosystem integration needs or to match an existing WMA library.

Device	WTV	WMA
Windows PC	Partial	Native
macOS	Partial	Partial
iPhone/iPad	Partial	Partial
Android	Partial	Partial
Linux	Partial	Partial
Web Browser	No	No

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WTV vs WMA

Feature	WTV	WMA
Full Name	Windows TV	Windows Media Audio
Extension	.wtv	.wma
Best For	Windows Media Center	Windows native