Free online WTV to F4V converter

What the WTV format is

WTV, or Windows Recorded TV Show, is a container created primarily by Windows Media Center in Windows Vista and Windows 7. It stores television recordings together with program metadata, and may contain MPEG-2 or H.264 video plus AC-3, AAC, or other broadcast audio streams.

WTV files usually appear in Windows Media Center recording folders with names ending in .wtv. Some recordings are copy-protected using broadcast DRM. A protected file may play in the authorized Windows Media Center environment but cannot be converted by ordinary software without an authorized, unprotected source.

What the F4V format is

F4V is Adobe's ISO Base Media File Format container for Flash video. It was designed mainly for H.264 video and AAC audio delivered through Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Media Server, unlike the older FLV container that commonly carried Sorenson or VP6 video.

F4V can provide better compression and image quality than older FLV encoding when H.264 is used, and its MP4-derived structure supports features such as metadata and progressive playback. Most current browsers and consumer video players no longer target Flash, so MP4 with H.264/AAC is usually a more compatible replacement unless a specific application requires .f4v.

How to convert WTV to F4V

FFmpeg is the most controllable desktop option because it can read supported WTV streams and encode the H.264/AAC combination normally expected in F4V.

1. Install a current FFmpeg build and place the WTV file in a working folder.
2. Inspect the streams before converting with ffprobe input.wtv. Confirm that the file contains an accessible video and audio stream.
3. Convert the first video and audio streams with:

ffmpeg -i input.wtv -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 160k -ar 48000 -f f4v output.f4v

The crf 20 setting gives a relatively high-quality result; use a larger value such as 23 for a smaller file or a smaller value for higher quality. The command re-encodes both streams because WTV commonly contains MPEG-2 video or AC-3 audio, while F4V workflows generally expect H.264 and AAC.

Television recordings are often interlaced. If the output shows comb-shaped edges during motion, deinterlace while encoding:

ffmpeg -i input.wtv -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -vf bwdif=mode=send_frame -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 160k -ar 48000 -f f4v output.f4v

If FFmpeg does not recognize the f4v muxer, update to a current build rather than merely changing the filename extension; an extension alone does not create an F4V container.

For a no-install option, the free converter on 101convert.com can process an unprotected WTV file online. Uploading sends the recording to a third party, so avoid that option for confidential recordings or files whose distribution is restricted.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

Re-encoding causes generation loss. Preserve the original WTV and compare the converted file on the intended F4V player, because F4V support is inconsistent outside Adobe-era software and some players recognize the H.264 stream but reject the F4V container.

WTV metadata, electronic-program-guide information, captions, multiple audio tracks, and broadcast subtitles may not survive. The command selects only the first video and first audio stream; use different -map options if the recording contains alternate tracks. DRM-protected recordings cannot be made convertible by changing codecs or renaming the extension.