How do I Convert MOV to WMV?

MOV (.mov) is a digital file format developed by Apple® and used in its QuickTime® application as well as by a number of digital cameras. MOV is distinguished from other media formats by its container-like structure, which is capable of supporting Internet streaming video and holding a variety of contents, each on a distinct track, including both audio and video, as well as text, sprites, and images. WMV 9 (Windows® Media Video) is a video codec made in accord with VC-1, another name for SMPTE 421M which was published by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers in 2006. While Flip4Mac® provides an easy way to play WMV files in QuickTime, going the other way and playing an MOV file on a Windows® Media Player requires that you convert MOV to WMV.

When you want to convert MOV to WMV, you can take several different approaches. One approach is to use a free online service, which may be especially useful if your need to convert MOV to WMV is not constant. If you are considering this, carefully read the terms of service and consider the consequences if your video were to be made public before taking action. Another approach is to use downloadable freeware. Freeware is unlikely to have support, and while this may not be an issue in general, people who have tried to convert MOV to WMV have found that, on occasion, it can be tricky.

There are several reasons why you might want to purchase software, whether a stand-alone converter or an add-on, to convert MOV to WMV. One is that you get support. Another is that although QuickTime® supposedly has the ability to export to WMV, users have found that it cuts off after about 30 seconds. Telestream® Flip4Mac® WMV is an add-on to Apple® software QuickTime Pro®, Final Cut Pro®, Compressor®, and iMovie® ‘06 and is useful to assist in exporting WMV files from all these programs. If you don’t have QuickTime Pro®, you could use iSkysoft™ Video Converter on a Mac® or Xilisoft™ MOV Converter for Windows®.

Once you have chosen the software appropriate to your situation and operating system, you will follow fairly similar steps. After launching the software, you will browse to the location of the file you wise to convert and open it or, if the software allows it, drag and drop it onto the interface. The converter will either recognize the file type automatically or you will have the opportunity to designate it. Next, you will choose export, or export will be the next step presented to you, and you will designate the type of file you wish to export to, WMV 9.

Along with choosing the file type for the export, you will have the opportunity to adjust other settings, including audio settings, video settings, and the location and file name for saving the exported file. Audio settings will have choices like sample rate, bits/sample, channel, and bitrate, while video settings will have choices like resolution, frame rate, and mode.