Free online WTV to FLV converter

WTV recordings often need conversion when a player, editor, or publishing workflow accepts FLV but cannot read Windows Media Center recordings. Converting also creates a more widely supported file for older web video systems, although FLV is now largely obsolete.

What the WTV format is

WTV, or Windows Recorded TV Show, is a Microsoft container used by Windows Media Center to save television recordings, including electronic program guide data, video, audio, and sometimes subtitles. Windows Vista and Windows 7 Media Center commonly created .wtv files; earlier systems generally used the DVR-MS format.

The actual streams inside a WTV file may use MPEG-2 or H.264 video with formats such as AC-3 or AAC audio. Some recordings contain copy-protection restrictions. A WTV extension therefore does not guarantee that every converter can decode or legally export the content.

What the FLV format is

FLV is a container designed for Adobe Flash video playback. It commonly holds Sorenson Spark, VP6, or H.264 video and MP3 or AAC audio. H.264/AAC FLV files are the most practical variant for conversion because they work with FFmpeg and many older Flash-era players.

FLV was useful for legacy websites, Flash-based media players, and applications that specifically require an FLV container. Modern browsers and services normally prefer MP4, WebM, or other formats because Flash support ended in 2020.

How to convert WTV to FLV

For desktop conversion, FFmpeg is the most direct option when the WTV file is not encrypted:

1. Install a current FFmpeg build and place recording.wtv in an accessible folder.
2. Open Command Prompt, PowerShell, Terminal, or the folder containing the file.
3. Run:

ffmpeg -i recording.wtv -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f flv recording.flv

-crf 23 provides a reasonable size-quality balance; use a lower value such as 18 for higher quality and a larger file, or a higher value such as 28 for smaller output. The -map options select the first video and audio streams, which avoids accidentally including unsupported data streams.

For interlaced television footage, add the deinterlacing filter before the video codec:

ffmpeg -i recording.wtv -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -vf yadif -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 22 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f flv recording.flv

On 101convert.com, use the free converter without installing software: open the WTV-to-FLV conversion page, upload the .wtv file, select FLV if required, start the conversion, and download the resulting file.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

Conversion re-encodes the video and audio, so it cannot improve the source quality. Keeping the original WTV file preserves the recording at its original quality; the FLV should be treated as a compatibility copy.

FFmpeg may fail when a WTV recording is DRM-protected, damaged, or uses an unsupported stream layout. A file that plays in Windows Media Center may still be inaccessible to general-purpose converters if its recording rights prohibit export.

FLV supports H.264 video and AAC audio, but some old FLV players support only Sorenson Spark, VP6, or MP3. If the target application is modern, MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio is usually a better choice than FLV unless the application explicitly requires the FLV container.