Requirements: OS X 10.12+
, 89.2MB free space
Version 8.15(3307) (22 Mar, 2023) Release notes
What does WMV stand for? "Windows Media Video" is a Microsoft format, created for the purposes of video encoding, playback, and streaming on PC. It can significantly compress a video while keeping its quality, which is important for the Web, or storing a large amount of files. At first, the format was inaccessible. But later, it was standardized by SMPTE and released to the public. However, it remains a licensed property of Microsoft. The format is widely supported on Windows systems, and mostly incompatible with macOS.
Because "WMV" has a double meaning, it's recommended that you read the illustration below to discern between an MKV video file and an .mkv container.
A codec is a program used to compress or extract video and audio data. Depending on its role, it can be either an encoder or a decoder. A good codec will save space, and a better one will minimize quality losses. Usually, it's a trade-off between quality and compression levels, but over time, there is always some improvement. There are separate codecs for video and audio, so to combine them, the two media types are stored together in a container.
Container files are used for their convenience. One of their obvious benefits is that you don't have to open video and audio tracks separately. They are also useful because of other features, such as subtitles, and storing multiple different audio tracks (for example, in different languages). The container itself also holds information on its contents, such as their codecs. The .wmv container format is a subtype of .asf, and it usually contains WMV-encoded video and WMA audio. File extensions are mainly used by humans; a format, if it's needed, is usually coded into the file. A .wmv and an .asf are virtually the same, as long as they contain the same set of video and audio files. Of course, there are also different formats of containers.
The WMV format is more familiar to Windows users, since it’s native to the system. Some of your older files might be encoded this way. To avoid losing data, we’ll give you some recommendations on how to open Windows Media Video. Whether you’re on Android, on Windows, or on macOS, these solutions will help you run WMV.
WMV is easy to play on this system, since the default player - Windows Media Player - is fully compatible with this format. Just find the file and double-click it, and it should open. Since WMP is an optional feature, make sure to check that it’s enabled in "Settings - Apps and Features - Manage Optional Features".
Support for WMV is not native on macOS, but achievable through the use of third-party video players. Elmedia Player is one of the better apps out there - it has playlist and bookmark support, a video tuner, an audio equalizer, and you can even use DLNA and AirPlay 2 to stream.
1. Download the Elmedia Player.
2. Install and launch Elmedia Player.
3. Use one of these ways to open the WMV::
Most Android video players support a large variety of formats. If your built-in player can’t handle WMV, look for VLC, MX Player or similar apps. Note that it will be difficult to find an ad-free player; your best bet is open-source software.
FAQ
Not really, Quicktime player can't open WMV. Though, since it's such a popular format, this can be solved in a few ways.
On one hand, you can use a third-party app to play your WMV. Some popular choices are Elmedia, VLC, or 5KPlayer. Either will do it, with varying quality. This WMV player Mac application is the premium choice, by far the most stable.
On the other hand, you could use a converter. Online or offline, both have their time to shine. Earlier, we have suggested https://convert-video-online.com , it ought to be a good experience.
We've got a converter in mind just for you. Try https://convert-video.com/, with it, you'll be able to convert online. And this is how you use it.