WMV to OGV Converter
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Supports: WMV
Advanced Options - Our defaults are optimized for the best results. We recommend you keeping the defaults unless you have a specific need.
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Need help?How to Convert WMV to OGV Online
- Upload Your WMV File: Drag and drop your
.wmvclip onto the converter or click "Choose Files" to browse. Batch upload is supported, and processing happens on our servers — no account, no watermark. - Pick File Compression and Quality: Default is "Quality Preset" set to "Very High (Recommended)" — Theora encodes at quality scale 0–10 where higher is better. Switch to "Constant Bitrate" (default 4 Mbps), "Variable Bitrate" (target 4 Mbps, min 2 Mbps, max 8 Mbps), "Constant Quality" with a custom CRF (0–10, default 7), or target a specific output file size.
- Adjust Resolution and Trim (Optional): Under "Video resolution" keep original, pick a Preset Resolution from 144p through 4320p, scale by Resolution Percentage, or set exact Width × Height. Use "Trim" to clip a "Time Range" by start/end timestamp (HH:MM:SS.sss).
- Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and grab your
.ogv. Files are encoded with Theora video and Vorbis audio in an Ogg container — the format Wikimedia Commons accepts.
Why Convert WMV to OGV?
WMV is Microsoft's Windows Media Video, a proprietary codec family (WMV 7/8/9 and VC-1) built into Windows but absent from the HTML5 <video> spec. OGV is Ogg with Theora video and Vorbis audio — a fully open, royalty-free pair from the Xiph.Org Foundation. Theora is one of three video formats Wikimedia Commons currently accepts for uploads (alongside WebM and MPEG-1/2); WMV is explicitly rejected as patent-encumbered.
- Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia uploads — Commons allows only
.webm,.ogv, and.mpg/.mpeg. A WMV recording of a public lecture, government press conference, or historical broadcast must be transcoded to Ogg Theora or WebM before it can be uploaded. - Open-knowledge archives and library deposits — Internet Archive, university OER repositories, and cultural-heritage projects often require royalty-free containers so future re-encoding doesn't trip Microsoft's VC-1 licensing pool.
- Linux-first distribution — older Debian, Fedora, and OpenBSD desktops ship with Theora/Vorbis decoders out of the box but require the Microsoft "Windows Codecs" package or a GPL bridge to decode WMV.
- Replacing legacy WMV libraries — Windows XP/Vista-era recordings (school lectures, Camtasia exports, Movie Maker files) are still common; converting to OGV keeps them playable on modern systems that no longer install Windows Media Player.
- Avoiding DRM and metadata baggage — WMV/ASF can carry Windows Media DRM and ASF metadata streams. The Ogg container drops both and leaves you with a clean, inspectable file.
WMV vs OGV — Format Comparison
| Property | WMV (source) | OGV (output) |
|---|---|---|
| Container | ASF (Advanced Systems Format) | Ogg |
| Video codecs | WMV 7/8/9, VC-1 (WMV 9 Advanced) | Theora |
| Audio codecs | WMA, WMA Pro, WMA Lossless | Vorbis (most common), Opus, FLAC |
| Licensing | Microsoft proprietary; VC-1 patent pool | Royalty-free (Xiph.Org / BSD-style) |
| Wikimedia Commons | Not accepted | Accepted (.ogv) |
HTML5 <video> natively |
Not in spec | Was supported; deprecated (see FAQ) |
| Typical use today | Legacy Windows recordings, Xbox 360 era | Wikimedia, free-software archives |
| DRM support | Yes (Windows Media DRM) | No |
Theora Quality Quick Guide
Theora's quality scale is 0–10 (FFmpeg -qscale:v). Higher = better quality and larger file.
| Quality | Typical use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Tiny preview clips, very low bitrate | Visible blocking; rarely worth it |
| 4–5 | Long lectures, screen captures at low motion | Internet Archive's older defaults |
| 6–7 | General-purpose web video, Wikimedia uploads | This converter's default is 7 |
| 8–9 | High-motion footage, sports, animation | Diminishing returns above 8 |
| 10 | Archival quality | File size grows fast; consider WebM VP9 instead |
Frequently Asked Questions
Will an OGV file actually play in Chrome or Firefox today?
Not natively in current versions. Google removed Theora from Chromium in version 123 (rolled out March 2024) citing low usage and security maintenance burden, and Mozilla disabled Theora in Firefox 130. OGV remains useful for archival and upload targets (Wikimedia Commons, Internet Archive, free-software projects) and plays in VLC, mpv, MPC-HC, and FFmpeg-based players. If your goal is browser playback in 2026, convert WMV to WebM or WMV to MP4 instead.
Why does Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons require OGV or WebM?
Wikimedia's policy is that all media must be in formats unencumbered by patents so they can be hosted, redistributed, and re-encoded without royalty obligations. The accepted video set is WebM (VP8/VP9/AV1 + Vorbis/Opus), Ogg Theora (.ogv), and MPEG-1/MPEG-2. WMV uses the VC-1 patent pool and is explicitly listed as a non-free format that must be converted before upload.
Should I pick OGV or WebM for Wikipedia uploads?
Wikimedia recommends WebM (VP9 + Opus) as the modern default — better compression, broader browser support, and active development. OGV is still accepted and is the right pick when your toolchain (older Linux distros, libtheora-based encoders, legacy Wikimedia bots) speaks Theora natively or when you're matching the format of a pre-existing Commons file.
What's the difference between OGV, OGG, and OGM?
.ogg is the original Xiph extension and historically held both audio and video; in 2007 Xiph asked publishers to use .oga for audio-only Ogg, .ogv for video, and keep .ogg for Vorbis-only audio. OGM is an unofficial third-party fork of Ogg from the early 2000s for DivX/XviD video — it is not the same as OGV and is not accepted by Wikimedia. Our converter outputs proper .ogv (Ogg + Theora + Vorbis).
How big will the OGV file be compared to the original WMV?
Roughly comparable at the same visual quality — sometimes 10–30% larger because Theora is older than VC-1 and less compression-efficient. If file size matters, lower the Theora quality to 5–6 or use Variable Bitrate with a target around 2–3 Mbps for 720p. For genuinely smaller files at the same quality, WebM/VP9 is a better choice than Theora.
Can I keep the original audio track instead of re-encoding to Vorbis?
No — WMV files use WMA audio, which Ogg cannot carry. The audio is decoded and re-encoded to Vorbis (the default for Ogg containers). For voice-heavy lectures this is essentially transparent; for music tracks, set audio bitrate to 192 kbps or higher in advanced options to avoid generation loss.
Do I need to install any codec to play the result?
On Windows, the system-bundled Movies & TV / Windows Media Player will not play .ogv — install VLC or mpv. macOS QuickTime also lacks built-in Theora support; VLC, IINA, or mpv handle it. Linux distros with the standard GStreamer "good/bad/ugly" plugin packs play OGV out of the box.
Can I batch-convert a folder of WMV files at once?
Yes. Drop multiple .wmv files in one go and each is converted independently with the same settings. Results download individually or as a single ZIP. Conversion runs on our servers, so a large batch is bounded by your machine's CPU and RAM on our servers.
My WMV is from a screen recorder — should I trim before converting?
Yes, if there's dead air at the start or end. Use the "Trim" → "Time Range" controls to set start/end timestamps before converting; you'll save processing time and produce a smaller OGV. For more aggressive size reduction after conversion, compress OGV lets you re-encode at lower Theora quality without re-uploading the source.