Video to WTV Converter

How to Convert Video to WTV Online

1. Upload Your Video File: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to select MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WMV, TS, MPEG-2, HEVC, AVCHD, WebM, FLV, or any of 30+ video formats. Batch uploads are supported — drop a folder of recordings and they all queue at once.
2. Pick a Quality Preset or Bitrate Target: Default is the "Very High" Quality Preset, which keeps near-source fidelity. Switch to Specific file size to target a number in MB/GB, Constant Bitrate for steady streaming-friendly output (try 4 Mbps for 720p, 8-10 Mbps for 1080p), Variable Bitrate for smaller files at the same visual quality, or Constant Quality / Constraint Quality to fix a CRF-style target. Under Video Codec the default is H.264 — leave it for broad Media Center compatibility, or switch to MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 to match the original WTV codec spec.
3. Resize, Trim, or Adjust (Optional): Use Resolution Percentage (scale by %, default 80) or a Preset Resolution (1080p, 720p, 480p, 2160p/4K), enter a custom Width x Height, or fix the width while keeping aspect ratio. Use Trim to clip a Time Range — handy for stripping commercials before re-encoding. Audio defaults to AAC; switch to AC3 (Dolby Digital) if you need the codec WTV originally used for broadcast audio.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and the file processes on our servers — no sign-up, no watermark, no email required. Files are auto-deleted after a short retention window.

Why Convert Video to WTV?

WTV (Windows Recorded TV Show) is the proprietary recording container Microsoft introduced with Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008 for Windows Vista and shipped by default in all Windows 7 Media Center editions. It carries MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 video alongside MPEG-1 Layer II or Dolby Digital AC-3 audio, plus EPG metadata that DVR-MS could not store. Microsoft discontinued Windows Media Center for Windows 10 in May 2015, and the EPG service shut down on January 14, 2020 — but a large enthusiast community still keeps Media Center alive on Windows 7, 8.1, and via unofficial ports to Windows 10/11. Converting video TO WTV is what you do when you want playback inside that exact Media Center library workflow.

• Drop a downloaded show into the Recorded TV library — your existing Windows 7 / 8.1 Media Center install indexes WTV files automatically, so a converted MP4 episode shows up next to your real DVR captures.
• Restore Media Center on Windows 10/11 using community ports — projects like the Garybyte/WMC installer revive Media Center on modern Windows; converting modern MP4/MKV downloads to WTV keeps the experience native.
• Match HTPC remote-friendly playback — Media Center's 10-foot UI was built around WTV; native files skip the third-party plugin chain that MP4 sometimes needs.
• Archive legacy DVR-MS recordings into the newer container — WTV stores richer metadata (closed captions, program guide info) than DVR-MS and is the documented successor format.
• Prep video for set-top boxes that read WTV from network shares — some Ceton InfiniTV and SiliconDust HDHomeRun setups stream the Media Center library directly.
• Keep AC-3 5.1 audio passthrough — when re-encoding to MP4 you may downmix to AAC stereo; converting to WTV with AC-3 audio keeps surround channels intact for AVR pass-through.

WTV vs DVR-MS vs MP4 — Format Comparison

Codec & Bitrate Quick Guide

Real-world reference: Microsoft's documented sample sizes were roughly DVR-MS ~2.2 GB and WTV ~2.6 GB per 45 minutes of HD broadcast, versus ~556 MB for the same content re-encoded to WMV.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the converted WTV file play in Windows Media Center on Windows 7?

Yes, provided the codecs match what Media Center expects. H.264 video with AAC or AC-3 audio plays in Windows 7 Media Center out of the box; MPEG-2 with AC-3 is the most compatible "safe" combination because it matches what real DVR recordings use. If playback stutters, drop the codec to MPEG-2 and the audio to AC-3 and the file should index in the Recorded TV library exactly like a native capture.

Can I import my converted WTV into a Media Center port on Windows 10 or 11?

The community-maintained Media Center ports for Windows 10/11 read the same WTV files Windows 7 did. As long as the install includes the MPEG-2 / H.264 decoders, your converted file should appear in the Recorded TV library. If your Windows 10 install lacks MPEG-2 decode, install the LAV Filters decoder pack or a Microsoft-licensed DVD playback codec.

Why pick WTV over just keeping MP4?

WTV exists almost exclusively to fit into the Windows Media Center library workflow. If you don't use Media Center, MP4 is the better choice — it plays everywhere, supports H.265/AV1, and produces smaller files at the same quality. Convert TO WTV when the target is a Media Center HTPC, an existing WTV-based archive, or a set-top device that expects the format. For modern playback on phones, smart TVs, or browsers, head to Convert WMV to MP4 instead.

Does WTV support H.265 / HEVC or AV1?

No. The WTV container format was finalized in 2008 and never officially extended to H.265 or AV1. The two supported video codecs are MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (with H.264 working in practice on most Media Center installs). If your source is HEVC or AV1, our converter transcodes to H.264 by default for the WTV output — selecting HEVC for WTV will fail in Windows Media Center playback even if the file is created.

How do I keep AC-3 5.1 surround audio when converting to WTV?

Under Advanced Options → Audio Codec, select AC3 instead of the default. AC-3 (Dolby Digital) is the codec used for ATSC broadcast TV, so it's what real Windows Media Center recordings carry — keeping it preserves up to 5.1 discrete channels and works with AVR pass-through over HDMI or S/PDIF. AAC will downmix to stereo unless your AVR specifically decodes multichannel AAC.

Can I convert TS or MPEG-2 captures from a Hauppauge tuner to WTV without re-encoding?

Re-muxing without re-encoding requires that the source video stream already be in a WTV-compatible codec (MPEG-2 or H.264) and that the audio be AC-3 or MP2. Our converter still re-encodes by default to normalize the output; for true stream-copy you'd need a desktop tool like ffmpeg with -c:v copy -c:a copy. The advantage of our re-encode path is consistent metadata and clean keyframe spacing for HTPC scrubbing.

My WTV file plays in VLC but not in Media Center — what's wrong?

VLC plays nearly any codec combination, but Windows Media Center is strict about its expected codecs (MPEG-2 or H.264 video, MP2 or AC-3 audio) and requires the file to live in the Recorded TV folder it indexes. Confirm the codec under VLC's Tools → Codec Information, re-encode if it shows HEVC or VP9, and copy the file to C:\Users\Public\Recorded TV (or your configured Media Center recording path).

What's the largest file I can convert and how long does it take?

Free uploads are limited to 400 MB per file (1 GB on Basic, 4 GB on Pro). A 1080p H.264 source at 8 Mbps is roughly 3.6 GB per hour, so use the Video Cutter first to split episodes before converting; conversion to WTV with re-encode typically runs at 1-3x real-time on our servers.