AVI to WMV

[fayenatic]

Hi, this may seem a bit odd to many of you, but can someone tell me how I can convert an avi file to an wmv file? An avi file of mine is too large so i hope converting it to wmv will be able to decrease the size. thanks.

[John Doe]

First off, is the AVI file all ready compressed? By this I mean with Dixv, Xvid or another codec.

You can use the Windows Media Encoder 9, which you can get free from the Microsoft web site. I personally don't care for it, it's big and hard to use. You may like it though. On my WMV files I use the Windows Media 8 Encoding Utility, which is a small and simple command line utility. It can also be gotten from the Microsoft web site. I can't tell the difference between the two quality wise. Only difference I see is that using the same settings WM9 files a way bigger in size then WM8.

If you have, ME or XP you can also use the Windows Movie Maker which is included with the OS. Only problem there is your stuck using presets that you can't change.

[Gees]

Just checked and my VideoStudio has an option to for wmv also. I never had need to try it though, so can't provide much info. There's a 30 trial period if you wanted to check it out. May be useful for other things down the road.