Just my $1.99:
You don't have to use Windows Media Encoder itself ---
--- either WmNicEnc or wmcmd.vbs can do VC-1 encoding without an intermediate convoluted GUI.
VC-1 and Windows Media Video 9 FAQ @:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=112634
P.S.: No need for that SDK, nor WMP 11,
wmfdist11.exe is more-than-sufficient.
http://www.citizeninsomniac.com/WMV/#Codecs