Play WTV Files Online

About WTV Files

A .wtv file is a television recording saved in the Windows Recorded TV Show format, which Microsoft introduced with Windows Media Center in Windows 7. WTV files store recorded TV programs along with information such as the program title, description, broadcast time, and channel details, when available. They can contain MPEG-2 or H.264 video and supported audio streams, depending on the television source and tuner used to make the recording. Some WTV recordings may also contain copy-protection restrictions that limit where they can be played or converted.

People primarily created WTV files by using Windows Media Center to turn a Windows PC into a digital video recorder (DVR). The format replaced Microsoft's earlier DVR-MS format and was common on Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems with compatible TV tuners. Microsoft discontinued Windows Media Center with Windows 10, so new WTV recordings are much less common today. However, you may still have .wtv files in collections of television programs recorded on older Media Center PCs, and you can open and play .wtv files on FileHelper.com by dragging them to this page.

Converting WTV Files

You can convert .wtv files to other video formats to make recorded television programs easier to watch on current devices, edit with video software, or preserve outside Windows Media Center:

• Converting to MP4: Transforms the WTV recording into a broadly supported format suitable for playback on most computers, mobile devices, web browsers, and streaming platforms.
• Converting to MOV: Creates a QuickTime-compatible version of the television recording for use with Apple devices and many video editing applications.
• Converting to WMV: Saves the recorded program in Microsoft's Windows Media Video format for compatibility with supporting Windows software and older media systems.
• Converting to M4V: Produces an MPEG-4–based copy of the recording that works with compatible Apple media applications, devices, and other supporting players.
• Converting to AVI: Places the WTV video in the established AVI container, making it accessible to many older media players and video editing programs.
• Converting to MKV: Stores the television recording in a versatile Matroska container capable of carrying multiple audio tracks, subtitles, and various video codecs.
• Converting to WEBM: Re-encodes the WTV recording in a format intended for efficient video playback in modern web browsers and HTML5 applications.
• Converting to GIF: Turns a short portion of the recorded program into a looping animated image for quick viewing or online sharing.