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Video Conversion

Convert WTV to WMA — Free Online Converter

Convert Windows TV (.wtv) to Windows Media Audio (.wma) online for free. Fast, secure video conversion with no watermarks or registration....

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How to Convert

1

Upload your .wtv file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.

2

Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.

3

Click Convert and download your .wma file when it's ready.

About WTV to WMA Conversion

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 WMA remains supported on modern Windows for playback, though it has largely been superseded by AAC and MP3 in the broader market.

Why Convert WTV to WMA?

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.

Common Use Cases

  • Extracting TV recording audio to match an existing WMA-format music library on Windows
  • Creating WMA audio files from WTV recordings for playback on Windows Media Player and Xbox consoles
  • Pulling music and concert audio from TV recordings for legacy Windows Phone or Zune integration
  • Migrating Windows Media Center audio content while staying within the Microsoft codec ecosystem
  • Creating compact audio extracts from WTV recordings using Microsoft's native lossy codec

How It Works

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.

Quality & Performance

WMA Standard at 128 kbps is roughly comparable to MP3 at 128 kbps — adequate for speech but slightly compressed for music. At 192 kbps, WMA sounds good for broadcast audio content. WMA Pro offers better quality at lower bitrates but has more limited player support. For most WTV audio extraction, WMA at 192 kbps provides clean, pleasant audio from broadcast sources.

FFMPEG EngineModerateMinimal Quality Loss

Device Compatibility

DeviceWTVWMA
Windows PCPartialNative
macOSPartialPartial
iPhone/iPadPartialPartial
AndroidPartialPartial
LinuxPartialPartial
Web BrowserNoNo

Recommended Settings by Platform

YouTube

Resolution: 1920x1080

Bitrate: 8-12 Mbps

H.264 recommended for fast processing

Instagram

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

WhatsApp

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 192 kbps WMA Standard for good broadcast audio quality — lower bitrates are noticeably more compressed than equivalent AAC
  • 2Choose WMA only when targeting Windows-specific playback — for cross-platform use, AAC or MP3 are more practical
  • 3Trim recordings to exclude commercial breaks before extraction, especially for music and concert content
  • 4Add ASF metadata tags after conversion to organize the files properly in Windows Media Player
  • 5Consider AAC (M4A) instead of WMA unless you specifically need Microsoft ecosystem compatibility — AAC offers better quality per bit

WTV to WMA extraction keeps broadcast audio within the Microsoft ecosystem, producing Windows-native audio files that integrate with Windows Media Player, Xbox, and legacy Microsoft platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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