What is Windows Media Encoder?
Windows Media Encoder is a video encoding application developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Windows Media framework for encoding and decoding digital media content.
The software allows users to convert both video and audio files into Windows Media format files such as Windows Media Video (WMV), Windows Media Audio (WMA), and Advanced Systems Format (ASF). These encoded files can then be played back on Windows PCs and devices that support Windows Media playback.
Some key features of Windows Media Encoder include:
- Supports input video formats like AVI, MPEG, MP4, MOV, and more
- Various preconfigured encoding profiles for different usage scenarios
- Options for two-pass encoding to optimize output quality
- Live encoding for capturing desktop screen recordings
- Batch encoding for converting multiple files
- Hardware accelerated encoding using GPU
- Features for adjusting video resolution, bitrates, frame rates and more
The resulting WMV and WMA files can be played natively in Windows Media Player. The encoded files are also ideal for streaming over networks and the internet to Windows devices. Overall, Windows Media Encoder is an easy to use encoding tool for creating files for playback on Windows platforms.