The ".wtv" file extension is the designated extension attached to files for television shows or movies created by Windows Media Center when it records a program. Before the release of Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008 these files used to be identified with the extension ".dvr-ms." As the default extension in Windows Media Center and Windows 7, this extension is automatically assigned to recorded video files.
Function
- Newer versions of Windows Media Center allow you to record live television shows or movies to the hard drive. These shows are scheduled for recording in advance so the program captures the video automatically. This file extension is difficult to convert into different formats like AVI and MPEG, which are used by more computer programs than ".wtv" formats, without the assistance of commercial software.
Metadata
- The ".wtv" file stores extra metadata previous extensions didn't. Metadata is information about the data contained in a file. In Windows TV files the data includes recording date, original airing of the episode, show title, genre and content. All Windows TV metadata is visible to programs that use Windows TV files. The Windows TV metadata also contains the digital rights of the file, which attempts to protect the owner’s intellectual property rights.
Requirements
- Windows Media Center requires two components to record live TV into a ".wtv" file. The computer needs a TV tuner, which is a device that connects the TV signal to the computer. Several computers are available with this component built into the system; otherwise the tuner is attached through an internal or external expansion device. The computer also needs a TV signal source, which is access to an antenna or cable TV jack. You feed the signal into the computer's tuner, which allows the computer to act like a television receiver.
Specifications
- Windows TV file extensions are used by Windows operating systems including Windows 7, Vista, 2003, XP, 2000 and NT. There are no special requirements to run the ".wtv" extension file as long as the computer can handle any of the newer Windows systems. Besides Windows Media Center, Movie Maker is a common program used to access Windows TV files. The technical method of recording a Windows TV file is the use of MPEG-2 compression for the video component combined with MPEG-1 Layer 2 compression to handle the sound.
