WMV and AVI are video file formats that were both developed by Microsoft and are commonly used with the Microsoft Windows operating systems. Although AVI is the older container format it is still the preferred choice of most persons who do not use many third-party players, and as it is the most widely accepted video container format it is easier to be used for playback purposes; so converting from the newer WMV to the older AVI is not a strange request.
Video files that are played back on a computer are done so arbitrarily by most users with a few clicks of their mouse, without thought for the container used or the features available as they just want the file to play. There are times when a user will acquire a video file but be unable to play it or be able to play it but only have sound with no video; this is due to the fact that all video files regardless of the container format have at least one video and one audio stream which can be programmed or created using a variety of different methods called encoding.
The player on the computer needs to be able to read or open the container format – in this case either WMV or AVI and then it will check on the computer for the relevant decoders to enable the user to see the video and hear the audio. For playback purposes all you need are filters but for encoding purposes you will need codecs or an application which can perform a conversion using a hidden internal encoding method that does not require the installation of different codecs. With any kind of application on your computer there is usually a free or a paid way of getting any kind of work done so we will go through at least one of each here.
The process of finding the right codec and installing it and then the right programs to do your video conversion is somewhat tedious, so people will often go online and search for what they want, which will usually be “free conversion” or “best conversion” and the results that come up will vary. A paid solution is a program called WinAVI which is very straightforward with the conversion options and process; all you do is tell it what kind of file you want, where the original file is and after the timer counts down or the percentage bar is filled you will have your resulting AVI from your WMV.
For a free solution, in previous times the process involved finding a free program and the necessary free codecs to get the job done but now there are free alternatives that work just as quickly as paid ones such as Format Factory which gives similar options to WinAVI but with a broader scale of conversion options for both audio and video, allowing one to convert to and from virtually any format to another and thus raises the bar for free alternatives.