As soon as I right click a .wtv file and choose to open .wtv with media center as my default program the problem is fixed . The option to convert to .dvr-ms appears on the drop down menu whenever a .wtv file is right clicked. :)
Maybe this can help....I just tried a way to skip commercials. I right click and covert to DVR-MS and used Lifextender to skip commercials and it worked perfectly (except for a couple of 10 sec news bumps left in). This is the easiest way I've found to do this in Windows 7. Also VideoPad Editor free version can edit DVR-MS but not WTV.
http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/03/cut-o...-7mc-with.html
Last edited by seven; 08 Jan 2012 at 21:42.
Find the wtv file and right click on it. You will see an option to convert to dvr-ms. Choose that. After the file converts, you can change that to other formats. A FREE converter that I have used for many years is "Format Factory", currently v2.9 as of Feb 2012.
I am using a fully updated Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1 (updated at of this morning, February 22, 2012).
I record HD via component cables connected to a Hauppauge Colossus with Windows Media Center. When I right-click on those videos, I see the "convert to .dvr-ms Format" option, but I get an error almost immediately after choosing that option. The error says "WTV Converter cannot convert the file from .wtv to .dvr-ms format because the content is not compatible with the .dvr-ms format".
I tried the same procedure on a test rig with the same equipment setup and with a clean but fully updated installation of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1. So I conclude that Windows is incapable of converting its own Windows Media Center recordings.
Someone please explain this witchcraft to me!
ps - I tried the free MC-TVConverter from a recommendation in this thread a page back. I am very pleased with the results. Its relatively fast, it produces superb quality conversions of my HD recordings. I converted several of my HD .wtv files to .mkv and the videos look great.
Last edited by oxgt2e; 22 Feb 2012 at 11:24.
You could also try this: Kingsley wtv converter
it does HD & Standard to a range of formats, and has some nice features like doing a 10 sec preview to check your settings are what you want, and will wake up the computer to convert at a predefined time, then put it to sleep again
Last edited by Brink; 04 Jun 2014 at 08:03. Reason: removed broken link
Cannot convert to dvr-ms error message usually means (at least here in UK) encrypted or HDTV. DVR-MS is mpeg2 and HD wtv is h264 (in UK). I find Cyberlink Mediaespresso can convert these files, although each country seems to use different broadcast and encryption standards.
I found the easiest FREE fix yet. VLC, the open source free universal player. (which also plays the .wtv files just fine) Under Media click on Convert/Save, then in the new window that opens click Add to browse to your recorded TV folder, choose the file you want to convert. The path for that file will be added into the box. Copy this path, you'll use it in a moment. At the bottom right click on Convert/Save and choose Convert. A new window with a Destination File box will open....paste the copied path into that box but change the file type from .wtv to your chosen format, in my case, .mp4. You can always rename your file name later. Click Start. The video will convert as it silently plays, just wait. Done.
My 1 minute test recording of The Tonight Show went from 69 MB as wtv to 11 MB as an mp4 file. I didn't notice any degradation of quality. Explore the other options for conversion, one might be just what your looking for. There are several for specific devices and destination like Youtube.
VLC conversion of WMC SD or HD don't seem to work here in the UK. Probably a bit academic seeing as how it looks like MS are bent on phasing WMC out. Shame because it's #1 for TV IMHO.
I've tried most of the WMC alternatives and they either don't work, or you get bogged down in page after page of front end, back end, server, client, codecs etc - a trademark of the open source/Linux scene. There's a fortune waiting to be made for anyone who can design a simple to setup multi channel PVR.
I'm sorry to hear that it doesn't work for you like it does for me. Are you using the latest, or next to last, version of VLC? I used 2.1.1 and have declined the upgrade notice for the the minor upgrade.
I saw in an earlier post that VLC would play .wtv videos so I tried it and it worked. I had used VLC to strip out mp3's of the audio from videos before so tried the video conversion and was surprised that it worked.
Most of the posts refer to paid products that probably work with better interfaces but now that i know I can do it with VLC I have stopped looking for solutions.
For those type files I use a simple trick. I change the filetype of the file to e.g. .avi and then I run it thru the Freemake Video Converter. Then they play. Works great with e.g. .xesc files.
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