Convert MPEG to WMA — Free Online Converter

WMA (Windows Media Audio), developed by Microsoft as part of the Windows Media framework in 1999, is a lossy audio codec with several variants including WMA Standard, WMA Pro (multichannel, high-resolution), and WMA Lossless. MPEG files contain MPEG Audio Layer 2 sound that, when extracted to WMA, becomes optimized for Windows-centric media ecosystems including Windows Media Player, Zune, and legacy Windows CE devices.

WMA was Microsoft's answer to MP3 and AAC, and at low bitrates (64-96 kbps), WMA Standard actually outperforms MP3 in listening tests. For organizations embedded in the Windows ecosystem — using Windows Media Server for streaming, Windows Media DRM for content protection, or maintaining compatibility with legacy Windows CE/Mobile devices — WMA is the native format that integrates without friction.

WMA Pro supports 7.1 surround sound and 24-bit/96 kHz audio, exceeding MP3's capabilities. If the MPEG source contains high-quality audio destined for a Windows Media-based distribution system, WMA Pro preserves the quality while providing Microsoft's DRM integration for protected content delivery.

FFmpeg encodes audio using the wmav2 codec (WMA Standard v2): `-vn -acodec wmav2 -b:a 192k -ar 44100 -ac 2`. For WMA Pro (requires FFmpeg with libwmapro): higher bitrates and multichannel support. WMA Lossless is also available for bit-perfect compression. The output container is ASF (Advanced Systems Format) with a .wma extension.