Any free program available to convert .wmv video to another type?

[MrDingleDangle]

looking for some free software that I can use to convert video, anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Nanobaud]

Virtualdub
VirtualdubMod
AVISynth
TMPGEnc.net
Lots more at doom9.org

 

[BernardP]

To answer specifically to your question, ie. converting WMV to MPG or AVI, here is something that is free and easy to use. And you won't have to fight with command-line apps.

MediaCoder

It does much more than you ask...Works with a lot of video and audio formats.

 

[gsellis]

Windows Movie Maker...

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: gsellis
Windows Movie Maker...

Windows Movie Maker converts TO .wmv, not FROM

 

[gsellis]

Windows Movie Maker will load WMV files and then can be saved as DV-AVI. I just verified it. You have to import a WMV into a collection, drop it on the timeline, then save movie as as DV-AVI. Depending on the source WMV, the results might not be wonderful.

 

[BernardP]

Yes DV-AVI works and it makes gigantic files. I have experimented with it.

From WindowsMovieMakers.net;

"Movie Maker can encode your final movie into standard DV-AVI format. This is the compression format that the digital video on your camcorder is recorded. The format is great, as the quality is outstanding and it can go through many generations of editing before degrading. However, videos saved in this format are very large ? every minute of video takes up 200 megs of space"

Also, for reasons I don't understand, DV-AVI produces files in 720x480 resolution, which is a 3:2 aspect ratio, not the standard 4:3 aspect ratio of 640x480. So they are distorted when they play in Windows Media Player.

Maybe someone can explain what's the deal with the 720x480 res and 3:2 aspect ratio.

 

[gsellis]

720x480 is NTSC broadcast size. I think after the safe zone is added, it is probably 4:3.

The OP wanted DV-AVI. Yes it is big, but other encoders handle it well (usually to DVD).

MrDingleDangle - Did you know Vista will go WMM -> DVD? It is really cool. The DVD maker automatically makes a moving background and moving picons for the chapter picons.

 

[MrDingleDangle]

Originally posted by: BernardP
To answer specifically to your question, ie. converting WMV to MPG or AVI, here is something that is free and easy to use. And you won't have to fight with command-line apps.

MediaCoder

It does much more than you ask...Works with a lot of video and audio formats.

MediaCoder worked great...thanks

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: gsellis
720x480 is NTSC broadcast size. I think after the safe zone is added, it is probably 4:3.
.

By safe zone, do you mean horizontal overscan on a TV set? So I would have to crop the video to keep the 4:3 aspect ratio in WMP?