Convert TS to WMV — Free Online Tool
Convert MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS) files to Windows Media Video (WMV) by re-encoding the video with Microsoft's MPEG-4 codec (msmpeg4) and audio with WMA v2 (wmav2), producing an ASF-container file optimized for Windows Media Player playback. This is especially useful for repurposing broadcast or DVR-captured TS footage for Windows-centric distribution.
to
FFmpeg Command
Copy this command to run the same conversion locally with FFmpeg on your desktop. Download FFmpeg
Drop your TS file here
or click to browse
Free — no uploads, no signups. Your files never leave your browser.
Settings
Note: Browser-based encoding uses approximate quality targets. For precise CRF compression, copy the FFmpeg command above and run it on your desktop.
Estimated output:
Conversion Complete!
DownloadHow It Works
TS files are broadcast containers that typically carry H.264 or H.265 video alongside AAC, MP3, or AC3 audio — often with multiple audio tracks and embedded subtitles from DVB or ATSC broadcasts. Converting to WMV requires full re-encoding of both streams: the video is decoded and re-encoded using Microsoft's msmpeg4 codec (a variant of MPEG-4 Part 2), and the audio is transcoded to WMA v2 (wmav2), Microsoft's proprietary lossy audio codec. The output is wrapped in an ASF (Advanced Systems Format) container, which is the underlying format that WMV files use. Because both audio and video are fully transcoded, this conversion is computationally intensive and introduces generation loss. Subtitle tracks and chapter markers from the TS source are not carried over, as WMV/ASF does not support them in this context.
What Each Flag Does
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
ffmpeg
|
Invokes the FFmpeg tool. In the browser-based version of this tool, this runs via FFmpeg.wasm (WebAssembly) entirely in your browser — no server upload occurs. When running locally on your desktop, this calls your installed FFmpeg binary. |
-i input.ts
|
Specifies the input MPEG-2 Transport Stream file. FFmpeg will parse the TS container's program map tables to identify the available video, audio, and subtitle streams, defaulting to the first video and first audio stream for processing. |
-c:v msmpeg4
|
Re-encodes the video stream using Microsoft's MPEG-4 Part 2 codec (msmpeg4), which is the native video codec for WMV files. This replaces whatever codec the TS source used (typically H.264 or H.265) with a format that Windows Media Player can natively decode. |
-c:a wmav2
|
Transcodes the audio stream to Windows Media Audio version 2 (WMA v2), Microsoft's proprietary lossy audio format. This replaces AAC, AC3, or MP3 audio commonly found in broadcast TS files with a codec that is the standard pairing for WMV content in Windows Media Player. |
-b:v 2000k
|
Sets the target video bitrate to 2000 kilobits per second for the msmpeg4 output. Unlike modern CRF-based quality control, WMV uses bitrate-based encoding; 2000k is a reasonable default for standard-definition broadcast content but should be increased for HD TS sources. |
-b:a 128k
|
Sets the WMA v2 audio output bitrate to 128 kilobits per second, which is adequate for stereo broadcast audio. If the TS source contained high-quality multichannel audio (e.g., AC3 5.1), this will be downmixed to stereo at this bitrate. |
-f asf
|
Explicitly forces the output muxer to ASF (Advanced Systems Format), which is the actual container format underlying all WMV files. This flag is required to ensure correct container structure for Windows Media Player compatibility when using the msmpeg4 and wmav2 codec combination. |
output.wmv
|
Specifies the output filename with the .wmv extension. Combined with the -f asf flag, this produces a properly structured Windows Media Video file that Windows Media Player and DirectShow-compatible applications on Windows can open natively. |
Common Use Cases
- Sharing DVR-recorded broadcast TV clips with colleagues who use Windows Media Player on legacy Windows systems where WMV is the expected format
- Preparing TS footage captured from a digital TV tuner card for upload to older Windows-based intranet media portals that only accept WMV files
- Converting HLS-compatible TS segments downloaded from a live stream archive into a single WMV file for archival in a Windows-centric media library
- Repurposing ATSC or DVB broadcast recordings (e.g., news segments or sports highlights) into WMV for embedding in legacy Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
- Delivering broadcast-sourced training or educational video content in WMV format to organizations whose IT policies mandate Windows Media Player compatibility
- Reducing the overhead of multi-track TS broadcast files down to a single-audio WMV for simplified distribution on Windows-based kiosk or digital signage systems
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this conversion involves lossy re-encoding of both video and audio. The TS source — which may contain high-quality H.264 or H.265 video — is decoded and re-encoded using the msmpeg4 codec, which is an older MPEG-4 Part 2 implementation with lower compression efficiency than modern codecs. At the default bitrate of 2000k, most standard-definition content looks acceptable, but HD broadcast content from TS files will show a noticeable quality reduction. If visual fidelity matters, increase the video bitrate using the -b:v flag.
The default FFmpeg command maps only the first audio track from the TS file and re-encodes it to WMA v2. Secondary audio tracks (e.g., a second language track common in broadcast TS files) are dropped unless you explicitly add stream mapping flags. Subtitle tracks embedded in the TS file — whether DVB subtitles or teletext — are also lost, because the WMV/ASF container does not support subtitle streams in this conversion pipeline.
WMV is not a distinct container format — it is actually an ASF (Advanced Systems Format) file with a .wmv extension. FFmpeg needs the explicit '-f asf' flag to correctly write the ASF container structure, because by default FFmpeg may not infer the correct muxer from the .wmv extension alone when using non-standard codec combinations like msmpeg4. The -f asf flag ensures the file is properly structured for playback in Windows Media Player.
Replace the '-b:v 2000k' flag with a higher bitrate value, such as '-b:v 4000k' or '-b:v 6000k'. Because WMV uses the older msmpeg4 codec rather than a modern codec like H.264, it requires significantly higher bitrates to maintain comparable visual quality — a 1080p broadcast TS file that looks sharp at H.264's 4 Mbps may need 6–8 Mbps in msmpeg4 to appear similar. You can also increase audio quality by changing '-b:a 128k' to '-b:a 192k' or higher.
Yes. On Linux or macOS, you can run a shell loop: 'for f in *.ts; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v msmpeg4 -c:a wmav2 -b:v 2000k -b:a 128k -f asf "${f%.ts}.wmv"; done'. On Windows Command Prompt, use: 'for %f in (*.ts) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:v msmpeg4 -c:a wmav2 -b:v 2000k -b:a 128k -f asf "%~nf.wmv"'. Keep in mind that full re-encoding is CPU-intensive, so batch jobs with large HD broadcast files will take considerable time.
TS files from broadcast sources are often encoded at relatively high bitrates (4–15 Mbps or more for HD content) using efficient modern codecs like H.264 or H.265. The default 2000k video bitrate in the WMV output will typically produce a much smaller file than an HD broadcast TS, but at reduced quality. Conversely, if your TS source was a low-bitrate stream and you use a high WMV bitrate, the output could be larger. The msmpeg4 codec's lower compression efficiency compared to H.264 also means you need higher bitrates to match the same visual quality, which affects the size tradeoff.
Technical Notes
The msmpeg4 codec used for WMV output is Microsoft's implementation of MPEG-4 Part 2, distinct from the more widespread DivX/Xvid flavor. It is specifically designed for compatibility with Windows Media Player and DirectShow-based applications on Windows, but has limited support on non-Windows platforms. The wmav2 audio codec is a proprietary Microsoft format and may not play back on non-Windows systems without additional codec packs. Because TS files commonly originate from broadcast capture (DVB-T/S/C or ATSC), they may contain PID-mapped streams, PAT/PMT tables, and PCR timing data that are entirely discarded during remuxing into ASF — this is expected and harmless. The ASF container supports multiple audio tracks, but the default command only maps the primary stream; users needing to preserve a secondary language track from a broadcast TS file must add explicit -map flags. WMV/ASF does not support embedded subtitles in this pipeline, chapter markers, or lossless video — it is strictly a lossy output format suited for legacy Windows compatibility rather than archival purposes.