Windows Media Format 11 SDK

This documentation describes the Microsoft Windows Media Format Software Development Kit (SDK) and applies to the 32-bit and x64-based versions of the SDK.

The Windows Media Format SDK is a component of the Microsoft Windows Media Software Development Kit (SDK). Other components include the Windows Media Services SDK, Windows Media Encoder SDK, Windows Media Rights Manager SDK, Windows Media Device Manager SDK, and Windows Media Player SDK.

The Windows Media Format SDK provides application developers with access to the components of the Windows Media Format. These components include the Advanced Systems Format (ASF) file container, the Windows Media Audio and Video codecs, basic network streaming capability, and digital rights management. The objects of the Windows Media Format SDK manipulate the components of Windows Media at a low level; the other components of the Windows Media SDK include objects that work on a higher level.

The primary purpose of the Windows Media Format SDK is to enable developers to create applications that play, write, edit, encrypt, and deliver Advanced Systems Format (ASF) files and network streams. These files and streams commonly contain audio and video content encoded using the Windows Media Audio and Video codecs. However, ASF can contain any type of data. For more information about the Advanced Systems Format container structure, see Overview of the ASF Format.

The key features of the Windows Media Format SDK are:

• Support for industry-leading codecs. The Windows Media Format 11 SDK includes the Microsoft Windows Media Video 9 codec and the Microsoft Windows Media Audio 9.1 codec. Both of these codecs provide exceptional encoding of digital media content. New for this release is the Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile codec, which provides optimizations for broadcast video. This SDK also includes the Microsoft Windows Media Video 9 Screen codec for compressing computer-screen activity during sessions of user applications, and the Windows Media Audio 9.1 Voice codec, which encodes low-complexity audio such as speech and intelligently adapts to more complex audio such as music, for superior representation of combined voice-music scenarios.
• Support for writing ASF files. Files are created based on customizable profiles, enabling easy configuration and standardization of files. This SDK can be used to write files in excess of 2 gigabytes, enabling longer, better-quality, continuous files.
• Support for reading ASF files. This SDK provides support for reading local ASF files as well as reading ASF data being streamed over a network. Support is also provided for many advanced reading features, such as native support for multiple bit rate (MBR) files, which contain multiple streams with the same content encoded at different bit rates. The reader automatically selects which MBR stream to use, depending upon available bandwidth at the time of playback.
• Support for delivering ASF streams over a network. This SDK provides support for delivering ASF data through HTTP to remote computers on a network, and also for delivering data directly to a remote Windows Media server.
• Support for editing metadata in ASF files. Information about a file and its content is easily manipulated with this SDK. Developers can use the robust system of metadata attributes included in the SDK, or create custom attributes to suit their needs.
• Support for content editing applications. This SDK enables applications to seek to points within a file by presentation time and by video frame. In addition, files created by using the Windows Media Format SDK can maintain timestamps in formats used in film and television production.
• Support for reading and editing metadata in MP3 files. This SDK provides integrated support for reading MP3 files with the same methods used to read ASF files. Applications built with the Windows Media Format SDK can also edit metadata attributes in MP3 files using built-in support for the most common ID3 tags used by content creators.
• Support for Digital Rights Management protection. This SDK provides methods for reading and writing ASF files and network streams that are protected by Digital Rights Management to prevent unauthorized playback or copying of the content.

To download the Windows Media Format SDK, see the Windows Media Downloads page at the Microsoft Web site.

This document describes how you can develop digital media applications using the Windows Media Format SDK. It is divided into the following sections.

Although this document contains information about the latest version of the Windows Media Format SDK, most of the features it describes are supported by older versions of the SDK. Reference pages for the methods, functions, structures, and enumerations of the Windows Media Format SDK include version requirements.

Windows Media Format Runtime

Review

Free Download

Enables you to play WMA and WMV files while using older operating systems without the need to install the latest media player out there

Users prefer to stick to their old version of Windows for numerous reasons, some of them got too accustomed to it to replace it, while others simply cannot afford purchasing a new OS flavor. Regardless of the reason that is keeping them with XP, 2000 or 2003, users might occasionally want to benefit from updates and apps meant for newer operating systems.

Suitable for older operating systems

When they want to take advantage of the functions included in Windows Media Player 11 but their operating system does not support actually installing the application, users can try Windows Media Format Runtime.

Once they install this software utility, users can integrate the latest Windows Media Player codecs to their computer, even if they are running an old OS. This way, they can play WMA (Windows Media Audio) and WMV (Windows Media Video) files without any additional apps.

Clean integration into your system

After it analyzes the host computer’s configuration and ensures it is compatible, Windows Media Format Runtime installs without any glitches and provides users with the aforementioned WMA and WMV support.

Another way of obtaining support for these file formats is to install a third-party codec pack that contains much more codecs than only these two. The advantage of relying on Windows Media Format Runtime is that it comes with full integration with the host PC, meaning that it does not break file associations or change user settings.

To sum up

In the end, it is simply a matter of choice: Windows Media Format Runtime might be the right tool for those who only want WMA and WMV supports, whereas those who frequently deal with numerous multimedia players typically prefer a more comprehensive codec suite.

Windows Media Format Runtime

WMA and WMV are default video file types for Windows. But you need a software to play them. If there are files which have issues when handling the system files then it is the multimedia tools. The default Windows media is the best when it comes to encoding and decoding of video and audio codecs. However, users of the latest version and still feel they need no upgrade are the main beneficiaries of this application.

It solves the problem of the third-party application simply because they have the old OS. With this, it places itself on the system just like the new version to still benefit from the updates of the new version without necessarily updating the OS.

Its configuration settings are very simple and effective. although it still uses the external codecs you can always integrate it on your system with ease. It is not just a tool with basic features, it has advanced function ideal for any audio and video file format.

Computers with Windows XP and older version will benefit a lot from this application all because of the enhanced functions which perfectly integrates into the system with minimal interruptions.

You need some knowledge in dealing with multimedia codecs to understand the complex features of this application. Do not do a trial and error on this tool, seek guidance when not sure of what to do.

Windows Media Format Runtime is licensed as freeware for PC or laptop with Windows 32 bit and 64 bit operating system. It is in other video tools category and is available to all software users as a free download.

All You Need to Know About Windows Media Video Format

Windows Media Video is a type of audio and video format that is used to digitally store audio and video information in a file. WMV is basically a container format developed by Microsoft that is used to hold several audio-video codecs developed by Microsoft and to run on Microsoft – supported operating systems and machines.

The Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE) initially standardized WMV format. Currently, several physical file formats, such as HD DVD and Blue Ray Disc, are using WMV format as the default format for media information storage. WMV file format is part of the larger Windows Media framework.

History and Purpose

Microsoft Windows Media Video format is a compressed video format based on Microsoft’s Advanced Systems Format (ASF) container format.

In 1999, Microsoft developed a new compressed video format to hold video encoded with several proprietary codecs. The initial version of this Windows media format, WMV7, was built on Microsoft’s MEG-4 Part 2. Two additional versions, WMV8 and WMV9, added improvements. Microsoft submitted the WMV9 version for standardization purposes to SMPTE in 2003. WMV9 was standardized in 2006 as SMPTE 421M, also known as VC-1. The basic purpose of developing WMV was to develop a media format that can be uniformly supported by all the Microsoft -supported devices and operating systems. Another major purpose was to devise a media format that could be used for streaming videos over the Internet.

Once SMPTE standardized Windows video format, WMV became one of the three video formats for Blu-ray video discs (BD-ROM). Thus, the WMV video format has excellent widespread support. Other formats, such as MPEG-4 and AVS, still compete successfully, however.

Advantages

There are several advantages of using WMV format over other formats.

• WMV format contains a large quantity of video and audio information in smaller storage spaces. This makes WMV an ideal format for streaming videos over the Internet, as Microsoft originally intended.
• WMV format is designed specifically to run on Windows devices. Hence, it is compatible with all the Windows-powered devices. Some devices even use WMV as the default audio/video format.
• Older applications, such as older versions of MS PowerPoint, supported few formats. WMV is one of those formats.
• According to Microsoft, WMV has a 2x compression ratio as compared to MPEG-4.
• Quality is maintained well with Windows video format.
• As one of the smallest video format options, WMV is good for attaching a video to an email.
• WMV can work on the Web via Google Drive.
• While editing a WMV file or playing it on a non-Microsoft device can be tricky, it’s easy to find converters.

Disadvantages

• WMV is proprietary to Microsoft, which means that it is not compatible with most of the other operating systems. It is not easy to find a Linux or Apple-based media player to run WMV files. Probably the most popular Apple WMV format player is the Flip4Mac WMV QuickTime component. Alternatives include Eltima Elmedia Player and ShedWorx Smart Converter.
• WMV files have a digital rights management system associated with them. Users do not appreciate this system because it makes it impossible to restore the licensing information attached to WMV files. This is the case with Windows Media Player 11.
• Video transmission sometimes can be delayed.
• While WMV is one of the smallest video format choices, not all applications can work with the tiny size of WMV files.
• Labeling can be problematic WMV can refer both to the file container format or the Windows Media Video codec. Subsequently, it’s not always clear whether a .WMV file also contains compression based on other codecs Microsoft supports.

Differentiations

WMV format is one of three compression technologies from Microsoft. These media formats are WMV Screen and WMV Image. WMV Screen is designed primarily for screencast content but has some conversion capability, as well. WMV Image is a video slideshow format.

Associated Codecs

Supported audio codecs include:

• Microsoft Motion JPEG
• Windows Media Video 9
• Windows Media Video 9 Advanced (VC-1)
• Windows Media Video 8
• Windows Media Video 7
• Microsoft MPEG-4 versions 2 and 3
• ISO MPEG-4 versions 1 and 1.1

Supported audio codecs include:

• Microsoft ADPCM
• Microsoft G.711 u-Law
• Microsoft G.711 a-Law
• ISO MPEG Player 3 (MP3)
• Microsoft Media Audio 9
• Microsoft Media Audio 9 Professional
• Microsoft Media Audio 9 Lossless
• Microsoft G.726
• Microsoft IMA ADPCM

Windows media audio vs. video file

Windows Media Audio files share similarities but have no video. The files have a WMA extension. The player is linked to different file formats utilizing the same file extensions, but necessarily the same formats. For instance, WMZ files are compressed WM player files that are the brain behind its interface. Windows Media Redirector files or WMX are shortcuts that point to Windows Media Video and Window Media Audio file types.

How to open a Window Media Video File

Firstly, what is a WMV file? What does WMV mean? It is a window media video file built on the Advanced Systems Format or Microsoft ASF container format. It possesses encoded video embedded with one of Microsoft’s WMV codecs which share similarity with .ASF file. Any .wmv file will automatically open in Microsoft Window Media Player(WMP).

Several Windows versions have Movies TV and WMP, so they simplify the process of opening .WMV files. Mac users can utilize Flip4Mac which is a premium service. This is because Microsoft has not been developing WMP for Mac users after windows media video 9.

Other alternatives are Mplayer, KMPlayer, DivX Player, and VLC and they are free. They can play WMV audio and video files on both Windows and Mac OS. Other players are Elmedia Player which is also built for Macs.

In case your file is not opening after using the programs above, the chance is you are not opening a WMP file at all. Some files utilize the same extension, but that does not mean they share the same formats.

These are some examples

Google Play Video files are examples of WMV files. You can see them on Android gadgets as the only format Google utilizes to store movies and TV shows. You can also find them while browsing through the files on the gadgets via com.google.android.videos/files/movies/folder.

WMF files may also exist in the Metafile format. This is a graphics file format holding drawing commands, for instance, like explaining how to make a circle or triangle. The Widelands games make use of WMV files as well, map files storing the resources, map’s size, and location of characters.

Why Convert WMV to WMA

A lot of people love watching movies on mobiles, tablets, and PC. This approach has overridden other means of absorbing information over the years. Most of those videos are in WMV format. Windows OS supports this format, and this is why it is one of the most user-friendly operating systems. Nevertheless, you may want to convert WMV file to a WMA file due to these reasons:

• You love a song in a particular movie, and you want to extract it.
• You want to utilize the audio to prepare some quotable quotes.
• You want to transcribe the video content.

There are many reasons and whichever your reason, storing your file in the WMV file is the most ideal.

Converting WMV Files

You can use web-based video converter software in converting the WMV file. Download and install it, then upload the Window Media Video and pick another format you desire such as 3GP, MKV, AVI, MP4 and FLV, and others. However, they do have their benefits and disadvantages. While it is not required to download any software, there is a need to always upload your video to the site before converting and this could typically take time if you desire to convert a large file.

Additional Information on Window Media Video Files

WMV files utilize Microsoft’s AST container format which shares similarity with ASF files, another file format from the stable of Microsoft.

Nevertheless, WMV files can be organized in the AVI or Matroska container format to have the AVI or MKV extension.

Conclusion

WMV format having a very good compression rate, is a very good format, especially for Windows platforms. But where compatibility and portability is the priority, WMV format is not a good choice.

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