WMV container

[goofrider]

Quick question: Is the WMV container different from AVI and ASF? And how?

I'm surprised there isn't a sticky already. I know we all hate M$ stuff, but unfornately we all have to work with it.

[Cyberman]

AFAIK WMV is an updated version of ASF. Different from AVI as it´s made for streaming, which AVI isn´t.
And there aren´t many programs to edit these files.

[bond]

Originally posted by goofrider
Quick question: Is the WMV container different from AVI and ASF? And how?its totally different to avi, it often seems to be possible to rename from .asf to .wmv and the other way round (well at least with old files, but dont take this as something for sure ;) )

but unfornately we all have to work with it.why? :D

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by goofrider
Quick question: Is the WMV container different from AVI and ASF? And how? As M$ containers go it's quite flexible!

Using Micro$soft's own tools you can mux WinMedia audio and video streams in and out of the WMV container. There's even anamorphic flagging...

Cheers

[RadicalEd]

Originally posted by bond
its totally different to avi

Not too different. AFAIK, ASF is just a streamable AVI.

[bond]

Originally posted by RadicalEd
Not too different. AFAIK, ASF is just a streamable AVI. well two formats are totally different for me if you cant rename the extensions without breaking something
and i think thats how newbies understand it too ;)

[Smudge4u2]

Originally posted by bond
well two formats are totally different for me if you cant rename the extensions without breaking something
and i think thats how newbies understand it too ;)

AFAIK a WMV container is actually an ASF container containing data encoded with Microsoft's own compressors (should be a link on their website somewhere, discussing this topic).

-Smudge

[Asmodeus]

One crazzy idea :devil:
If you instal Gabes directShow MatroskaMultiplexer, you can remux WMV file into MKV file under graphedit. Furthermore if you have instaled latest ffvfw which handles WM video (less or more ;) ) you can even edit this MKV file under VDMod very easy. At least in theory. My VDMod crashes with latest ffdshow (ffvfw included) :P But it works with ffvfw.

EDIT:
In fact it beter (more stable) works with AVI container, even with audio.

[Atamido]

WMV and ASF are almost identical. There are a few tiny differences between the two that might make a parser written for the older ASF not open the newer WMV files. But the changes are tiny and not a big deal.