Windows Media Video (WMV) is a series of video codecs and their corresponding video coding formats developed by Microsoft as part of the Windows Media framework. WMV consists of three distinct codecs: the original video compression technology, known as WMV, originally designed for Internet streaming applications as a competitor to RealVideo, and WMV Screen and WMV Image compression technologies, which cater to specialized content. After standardization by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), WMV version 9 was adapted for physical-delivery formats such as HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc and became known as VC-1. Microsoft also developed a digital container format called Advanced Systems Format to store video encoded by Windows Media Video.
History
In 2003, Microsoft drafted a video compression specification based on its WMV 9 format and submitted it to SMPTE for standardization. The standard was officially approved in March 2006 as SMPTE 421M, better known as VC-1, thus making the WMV 9 format an open standard. VC-1 became one of the three video formats for the Blu-ray video disc, along with H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.
Digital rights management
- Main article: Windows Media DRM
While none of the WMV formats themselves contain any digital rights management facilities, the ASF container format, in which a WMV stream may be encapsulated, can. Windows Media DRM, which can be used in conjunction with WMV, supports time-limited subscription video services such as those offered by CinemaNow. Windows Media DRM, a component of PlaysForSure and Windows Media Connect, is supported on many modern portable video devices and streaming media clients such as the Xbox 360.
Criticism
WMV has been the subject of numerous complaints from users and the press. Users dislike the digital rights management system, which is sometimes attached to WMV files. In 2007, the loss of the ability to restore licenses for WMV files in Windows Media Player 11 was not well received.
External links
- Windows Media Encoders at Microsoft Docs
- About the Windows Media Codecs (2021-03-03)
- Configuring a WMV Encoder (2021-01-07)
- Windows Media Video at Wikipedia
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