Help! Converting WMV to MP4 without losing quality?

[videojam]

Hi there, im trying to convert wmv files to mp4 but am losing quality.
I've attached a screenshot of the wmv details.

please help, thanks!!

[hech54]

You will lose quality.

[videojam]

Is there any way to keep same quality if I change wmv properties, etc or is it a lost cause?
on the other hand, can a wmv file be converted to FLV and maintain same quality?

thanks

[bat999]

That screenshot is no use.
You need to use MediaInfo and post the "text view".

[Baldrick]

What do you convert with?

Try handbrake, convert to mp4 with h264 video, use similar bitrate or constant quality(around 20) encoding and same video resolution.

[videojam]

Here's what I think is the MediaInfo? (see picture)


also, is there a way to convert WMV to FLV and keep same quality?

I appreciate all your help

[bat999]

is there a way to convert WMV to FLV and keep same quality?

No

Your screenshot shows that video codec is Windows Media and audio codec is WMA.
These are not suitable for flv.
They would need to be converted, and lose quality.

[poisondeathray]

Yes it's possible for the video, if you use a lossless format. But why do you want to do this?

You could use x264 with crf 0, and it will be lossless (it's supported in flv and mp4 container), but filesize will be huge, easily 5-10x the size. And it will only playback on computer, not devices or flash

Give some background information and context on what you're trying to

[MOVIEGEEK]

That bitrate(1000Kbps) is too low for 1366x768 on any format, the source probably has macroblocks so any lossy format you convert to will be worse.
My rule of thumb for bitrate on WMV 9(VC-1):
320x240= 500Kbps
640x480= 2000Kbps
1280x720= 4000Kbps

[budwzr]

"Lossy" is a relative concept.

As an example, let's take a highly compressed FLV(VP6) 1000kbps file and convert it to X264 quantizer 0. That conversion would be lossless, but the already existing quality would not improve. The original temporal compression artifacts will not uncompress, they're flattened and fixed.

And when you edit that "lossless" file, the existing artifacts will be compounded/multiplied into the new render, but in a new way relative to whatever editing you do, and the result would be unpredictable.

So the net gain is zilch. You're probably better off editing it as is.