Wednesday, April 13

Using VLC player to convert .wmv files

After looking for a program that would convert .wmv file I had on my computer (especially for Mac users) to any other format that I could then use in my I-Movie, I came across this website that actually says that you don't really need an extra converter and all you have to do is simply turn to your VLC player (which most of us probably already have on our computers) for help, as it can do it pretty much for you (it has its own stream/export function). 

Its a simple procedure so just follow the following steps:

1. Launch VLC player
2. In the File menu of your player select "Streaming/ Exporting Wizard"
3. Select "Transcode/ Save to file" and click next
4. Click "Choose..." button and select .wmv extension file you need to convert
5. Select "Transcode video" and select the "H.264" codec and 1024 kb/s in a window below
6. Select "Transcode audio" and selected "MPEG 4 Audio" codec and 192 kb/s right in the small window below
7. Select "MPEG 4/ MP4" option as Encapsulation format
8. Click "Choose..." and save it as a "newfilename.mp4" to your desktop or designated folder
9. Then click finish and voila you are done. Converted file should appear shortly after either on your desktop or another folder. 

I use MPEGStreamclip to convert other formats to .mov and you can download this program for free online. 

Good luck!

28 comments:

video compression said...

he good thing about converters is that you do not need to be a genius in programming for you to run it. It has user-friendly features and options. In fact, you just need to look for the videos you wish to convert and save them in the storage media of your choice.

convert wmv file to mov mac said...

that is great, I would just like to say thanks, for your instructions worked first time.

convert from mov to dvd on mac said...

Thanks so much for documenting the steps. You're truly a lifesaver.

blabla said...

hi, i followed the instructions which are great and very clear. however my 984MB wmv file gets transformed in a 128KB mp4 file. what could be the problem? thanks for help.

blabla said...

i followed the instructions which are great. however a 984 MB big wmv file got transformed in a 128 KB mp4 file. what could be the problem? thanks for help.

Arzu Geybulla said...

Blabla, not sure what the problem might be. Maybe you could try and use a different converting program? I sometimes use MPEGStreamClip which is also super helpful in converting file extensions.
Good luck, and sorry if I couldn't be of more help.

wmv to mov mac said...

@blabla
does you set wrong codec, generally, 984MB wmv files can be converted to 900-1000 MB somewhat. your result in 128KB must be in a wrong parameter setting. check it again.

convert dvd to mp4 said...

The major processes involved to convert VOB to MP4 are downloading the installer, installing the software, and converting the files using the VOB to MP4 converter.

Jay said...

When I go through the transcoding wizard using the options you suggest I don't get offered the MPEG 4/MP4 option - only MPEG TS.
When I try to play this back using VLC I only hear the audio.
I know that VLC is not perfect at transcoding file to file so I tried with the stream but the option still didn't exist.
I also tried all combinations in the transcoding wizard to effect the radio button option but nope!
Anybody got any idea what I am doing wrong?

Unknown said...

I have the same issue as Jay. Any help?!?!?! Thanks!

Arzu Geybulla said...

sorry guys, not sure what the problem might be.
what is the file you are trying to convert? .wmv?

there is also this: http://www.mediafire.com/?42s53hyixbq0nse#1

all you have to do is download the program, type in any e-mail and registration code and then convert your file.

hope this helps.
cheers,

CD distributor said...

Thanks for sharing the details through your blog and clearing the confusion

best keylogger windows said...

You post teach me a lot about VLC player. it's so powerful .

Adriano Matos said...

Thanks man ! Help me a lot !

convert .wmv to mov said...

you guides is great, it helps me a lot, thank you very much.

convert wmv to mov said...

Thanks for your great tips!

Anonymous said...

There are many ways to convert WMV to MOV on Mac (Mavericks included). Here, I will introduce three method which are mentioned by many peopel.

1, In order to play WMV videos in iDevice and edit WMV files in iMovie, QuickTime and Final Cut Pro, you'd better to convert WMV to MOV (QuickTime) at: http://www.faasoft.com/articles/convert-wmv-to-mov-on-mac-windows.html This way is generally accepted.

2. HandBrake: is a free and open-source multi-threaded transcoding app. It supports nearly any videos including WMV format and has Mac version and Windows version.

Cons:

HandBrake is too professional to handle for most people;
It doesn't support MOV as output format.

3. Format Factory: is a freeware multimedia converter that can convert video, audio, and picture files in Windows. WMV is compatible with Format Factory.

Cons:

Format Factory only has Windows version and is not compatible with Mac OS X;
It doesn't support 1080p videos and some YouTube downloaded videos.

JAV said...

Nice tips, i've searched it for few days. Thank you

Good said...

It's nice tip. Thank you very much

Bo Blaksteen from Nerd Productions said...

I now use handbrake for this. I didnt like the vlc was handling it, and after a long search, handbrake was the first thing that really worked for me.

Anonymous said...

If you are Windows users, you may try Freemake Video Converter, Handbrake, Format Factory to convert WMV files.

If you are Mac users, you may try QuickTime Pro, or iDealshare VideoGo to convert WMV to MOV, MP4, Apple ProRes, DV, and etc at http://www.idealshare.net/video-converter/wmv-to-mov-converter-mac-windows.html

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avi said...

Thanks so much for documenting the steps. They are Easy and Best to Understand

Unknown said...

You may also get some WMV files and for certain reasons, you need to burn WMV to DVD disc so as to store WMV files, play WMV files on DVD player or share WMV files conveniently. Some of you may try to convert WMV to DVD VOB file based on the thought that DVD players could play back VOB files. There is a post that would show you the best WMV to DVD burning solution and correct answer to the question "does DVD player play VOB files".
http://www.leawo.org/tutorial/wmv-to-dvd.html

Tonya312 said...

Awesome tip! I learned from this: http://www.videostudiopro.com/en/pages/wmv-file/ how to edit wmv files but I couldn't find anywhere how to convert them, so thanks a lot for the help! I will definitely give this a try!

Arzu Geybulla said...

@Tonya312 you are welcome.
i never thought when publishing this post, its going to be so useful for so many people.
so, very happy to hear it worked.

Tomminy said...

i use Avdshare Video Converter to convert any kind of video format.

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