M4V to WTV Converter

Convert M4V to WTV — Read This First

This re-encodes an Apple M4V video into a WTV file, Microsoft's Windows Recorded TV Show container. Be honest with yourself before you start, because for almost everyone this is the wrong direction. M4V is a modern, perfectly good Apple video (H.264 + AAC, the same payload as MP4); WTV is a discontinued DVR format built only for Windows Media Center, which Microsoft removed from Windows 10 (announced at the 2015 Build conference) and whose program guide shut down on January 14, 2020. Taking a clip into a dead format is an unusual thing to want — the traffic around WTV almost always flows the other way, as people try to escape it, not enter it.

For almost everyone, the right move is one of these instead:

• Just want the M4V to play everywhere? Keep it as-is or convert M4V to MP4 — the same H.264 video in a universally playable container that opens on every phone, TV, browser, and PC. This is what the overwhelming majority of people who land here actually need.
• You arrived from the wrong direction and actually have a WTV recording to open? You want WTV to MP4 — that is the way the traffic almost always flows.

WTV output only makes sense in one narrow case: you are deliberately feeding an un-migrated Windows 7 or 8.1 Media Center HTPC and want the clip to sit in its Recorded TV library. If that is genuinely you, the format specs below explain exactly what you will and won't be able to control — including the DRM caveat that stops many M4V files from converting at all.

M4V Format at a Glance

WTV Format at a Glance

How to Convert M4V to WTV

1. Upload Your M4V File: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to select your DRM-free .m4v clips. Batch upload works — every file is re-encoded with the same settings.
2. Pick a Quality Preset: Expand Advanced Options. The Quality Preset under File Compression defaults to "Very High (Recommended)"; leave it for near-source fidelity, or switch to Specific file size, Constant Bitrate, or Variable Bitrate if you need to hit a size target.
3. Set Video Resolution and Trim (Optional): Use Video resolution to keep the original size ("Keep original") or fit a preset, and set a Time Range under Trim if you only need part of the clip.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert". No sign-up, no watermark. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically a few hours after conversion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would I ever convert an M4V to WTV?

One narrow reason: you run an un-migrated Windows Media Center HTPC on Windows 7 or 8.1 and want the clip to sit in the Recorded TV library beside your tuner captures, with the 10-foot Media Center UI. For every other purpose — playing on a phone, a smart TV, a browser, or any current PC — keep the M4V or convert M4V to MP4 instead. WTV exists for the Media Center workflow and essentially nothing else, and it has been a discontinued format since Windows 10.

My M4V won't convert — is it the FairPlay DRM?

Almost certainly. M4V bought or rented from the iTunes Store carries Apple's FairPlay DRM, which is encrypted and locked to your authorized Apple account. No third-party converter — ours included — can legally or technically decrypt it, so a protected M4V will fail or refuse to upload. Only DRM-free M4V (your own exports, or files that were never store-protected) can be converted. If you own the content and need a personal copy, play it back through an authorized Apple device rather than trying to strip the protection.

Will the WTV play on Windows 10 or Windows 11?

Not natively. Microsoft confirmed at the 2015 Build conference that Windows Media Center would not be included with Windows 10, and the program-guide service was shut down on January 14, 2020, so there is no built-in WTV playback on Windows 10 or 11. The file will still open in VLC or Kodi if they have MPEG-2 decoders, but if forward compatibility matters at all, keep your M4V or convert it to MP4 instead.

Why is there no Video Codec option for WTV output?

Because the WTV container only accepts a narrow, Media-Center-compatible set of codecs (MPEG-2-class video), the encoder is fixed server-side. On this site every one of the 25 codec selections (H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VP9 and the rest) carries an allowlist of output formats, and none of those lists include WTV — so when the output is WTV, no codec dropdown is shown at all. Exposing one would only let you pick something that fails to play in Media Center. You steer fidelity through the Quality Preset and File Compression settings instead.

Will I lose quality converting M4V to WTV?

Some, and it is unavoidable. Your M4V's H.264 video is decoded and then re-encoded into WTV's fixed MPEG-2-class codec — a lossy-to-lossy generation that cannot regain detail the original H.264 already discarded, and MPEG-2 is a less efficient codec, so matching the look usually costs more bitrate. In our testing, a short DRM-free 1080p M4V re-encoded to WTV at the Very High preset stayed clean at normal TV viewing distance, but treat the WTV as a disposable playback copy and keep the original M4V as your master.

How are my files handled, and how long are they kept?

Your M4V is uploaded over an encrypted (TLS) connection, processed on our servers — never in public view — and the upload and its converted output are deleted automatically a few hours after conversion. There is no sign-up, no watermark, and your files are never shared or made public, so download your WTV before that window passes if you want to keep it.