Is there a way to convert .wmv to .mpeg?

[joeAgain------]

Is there a (free, hopefully) program for converting a .wmv video file that I found on the web to an Mpeg ?

[Tommyknocker]

TMPGEnc can open wmv files and it has a demo version. The MPEG-2 version expires after after a time, but the MPEG-1 version will still be functional.

[Rond66]

MAGIX movies to CD & DVD. $30
OR
MAGIX video deLuxe 2.0 $49

http://usa.magix.com/index.php?id=411

Not free, but easy to use.

Import & Amend:

Video: AVI, DV AVI (Types 1 & 2), Windows Media™ , MOV, MXV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 direct editing, read in DVD VOB streams (compatible with PAL or NTSC)

Picture: BMP, JPEG, GIF (e.g. individual photos and menu motifs)

Sound: MP3, WAV, MPEG-1 Audio, WMA, Audio-CD tracks
Integrated picture & sound archive (250 license-free video, title, menu, sound and animation templates )

[dcsos]

If you don't mind transcoding to MicrosoftDV.avi,Windows Movie Maker does that if you look at the ouput choices carefully

[housepig]

or check the Tools section for Stoik Video convertor, it's freeware. It'll convert to .avi, then use TMPGEnc to go to mpeg.

yeah, it's two steps, but it's all freeware... and I've had no luck converting wmv directly with TMPGEnc...


- housepig

[joeAgain------]

Tommyknocker,
I own the PLUS(paid)version of TMPGEnc. I don't see that ot will convert(or even let me import).wmv files.

Please tell me how you do it?
-----------------------
Dcsos,
I'm using W2K and don't have MovieMaker
-----------------------
Rond66
I can't seem to get MAGIX to import my .wmv file.
-----------------------
Housepig,
Stoik Video convertor(VideoPak) looks interesting, but keeps saying that it can not open input file(my .wmv file)...any ideas?

[DJRumpy]

If I remember correctly, you can also open a WMV file in VirtualDub (version 1.3 or older), and then just frameserve it to your encoder.
You might also be able to open it with AVISynth, although I've never tried it. If your just looking to re-encode, I'd go with Tommyknocker's suggestion, and get TMPGenc, as it will open WMV files directly.

[joeAgain------]

DJRumpy,
How? I own the PLUS(pay)version of TMPGEnc and I've been trying. It doesn't seem to recognize wmv files!

Please tell me how?
(when I try to import it...it says that the wmv file "can not open, or is unsupported")

[DJRumpy]

Just rename it to .ASF, instead of .WMV/.WMA.

[housepig]

Housepig,
Stoik Video convertor(VideoPak) looks interesting, but keeps saying that it can not open input file(my .wmv file)...any ideas?

sorry, no... I only use it occasionally, so I haven't yet run into a .wmv that it wouldn't open.

can you play the .wmv on your system? I've heard people trying to convert because the file wouldn't play, so they were trying to convert to a format that would, but I think that's a codec issue - if you don't have the codec, you can't convert, much less play it.

- housepig

[Rond66]

JoeAgain,

DJRumpy is right. THANKS!
I just tried it. By rename .wmv to .ASF and use TMPGEnc does work.

[joeAgain------]

Thanks, Guys
I'm getting closer.
I renamed the wmv file to an asf file and start to run it thru TMPGEnc(which accepts it now), but just as it starts to encode it, I get a popup saying an error has occured and a file is being generated.

Where is that file, so I can see what kind of error occured?

Do you know?

[Gazorgan]

Vdub 1.3c is the version, and it only did ASF. Older ASF. Newer codec ASF and WMV don't work in my copy. I use WME 9 and transcode it to raw or AVI, then go from there, quality is usually mediocre because the original WMV was radically overcompressed.

[joeAgain------]

I don't have that version of VirtualDub.

I like the TMPGEnc solution, IF anybody can tell me why I'm getting it to accept the renamed .asf file, but says there is an error file being generaled(but won't tell me what the error was)

can anyone help me with that?

[Baldrick]

joe: Tried inrease the directshow priority? And search for the file that tmpgenc claims to create, search for example for files created the last hour or something.

[joeAgain------]

I've just made DirectShow as high a priority as it will go...no help..same message.

Where would I look for the error message?

(is there a setting in TMPGEnc that I'm not setting right, or something?)

[MOVIEGEEK]

Try the free version(mpeg-1,30 days for mpeg-2) of TMPGEnc,it seems to handle .wmv files better.
www.tmpgenc.net

[joeAgain------]

thanks, MOVIEGEEK and everyone else.

Housepig...I uninstalled and reinstalled Stoik Video convertor, which then finally worked great...Thank you!

I also downloaded TMPGEnc...which again gave me that errror message on the asf file. But it reecoded the .avi file(that Stoik Video convertor created) just fine into an Mpeg.
(really weird....the .wmv file plays perfectly, but TMPGEnc(one of my favorite programs)seems to not do this one.

Anyway...It was kind of an experiment to see the compression differences(wmv=1.38Meg...mpeg1=4.75Meg)

thanks all

[DJRumpy]

WMV uses MPEG-4 compression. A bit newer than old MPEG-1...

[tjtoed]

I have used TMPGenc many, many times to convert .wmv movies to mpeg2. After you click browse on the video source, and the Open window appears, change the Files of Type: to All files(*.*). Navigate to folder where .wmv movie is select it and hit Open.

Worked for me everytime. No need to convert it to something else or even rename it.

tj

[Tommyknocker]

I tried to tell him, Tjtoed (see second post). Maybe he will believe you.

[tjtoed]

Yea, I saw that, but just thought I would reiterate your point...

[philippo]

ive been desparately looking at these boards for months with no answers

we believe you that TMPGEnc will work on WMV's but some of us just cant do it!

[tjtoed]

This is a mystery to me man... I have successfully converted 20 some .wmv movie files that I created from my DV camera.
Are you sure the file is not corrupted and is really a .wmv file?

It appears you got this from Kazaa and I am not too sure I would trust anything from Kazaa...

I think there is just something wrong with the file itself, not TMPGenc.

[David K]

The version of wmv is crucial (7-8-9?). I think the problems with TMPegenc must be for the more recent ones. WMV 9 for example is not mpeg 4 - no one knows yet exactly what it is.

[philippo]

AH HA!

i think i have sussed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David K's post points out that there are numberous types of wmv's - which i didnt realise.

so i converted my unknown wmv (which turned out to be a wmv 3) into another wmv (which i think is a 7 or 8 ) using this prog at the microsoft site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/WM7/encoder.aspx

then i took that new wmv which opened fine in STOIK and convereted into an AVI. this was a problem i have had for a while, just like joeAgain, the wmv would not open in STOIK, but this reencoded wmv opened just fine.

then I used TMPGEnc to make a mpg

a long winded process but i dont mind... at last i can do it!

your advice was the key guys, many thanks

[David K]

Glad the info helped.

You can probably cut out the middle stage eventually, if the version of WMV in your original file is as old as you think. VirtualDub 1.3c (still floating around the web somewhere) can probably handle that version (you may have to rename the file extension to .asf) and you can use VirtualDub to convert to AVI and from there encode to mpeg.

[joeAgain------]

I guess the version(or form) of this wmv is the problem.

I didn't create it from a DV camera myself(I can't cap DV with my limited hardware).

It was a very funny thing(commercial) that I found on the internet.

Whatever version/form/type it was, TMPGEnc just would Not recognize it no matter what it did to it.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions, guys.