WMV: What is it? Explained in a simple and understandable way

If you find a file in WMV format on your computer, it is a video file. We show you what WMV actually is and how exactly the video format works.

WMV file: Windows Media Video format

• The abbreviation WMV stands for Windows Media Video. This is the video format used by Microsoft and is mainly used on Windows.
• For example, if a movie is created in WMV format, the image is compressed so that the size of the file decreases, but the quality does not have to suffer greatly. The competition format MP4 pursues the same goal. Here, however, videos are compressed even more with almost the same quality.
• Since this is Microsoft's own video format, it is not supported on all devices. Many DVD players and all Apple devices cannot easily play WMV files.
• On Windows computers you can play WMV files with Windows Media Player or VLC Media Player, for example. The WMV format is suitable for use on computers, and MP4 and AVI are often used for use on mobile devices and DVD players.

In the next practical tip we will show you the difference between MP3 and MP4.