Why use different movie file extensions?
 

Can someone give me a basic rundown on why certain movie files (avi, mpeg, wmv) are preferred over others? Is it more of a personal prefference or....???

Also, can anyone give me any tips on converting a .wmv to an .mpeg?

rename the file from .wmv to .mpg :1orglaugh

I wish it were that simple!

WMV files are NORMALLY smaller. I say "normally" because it all depends on the original .mpg's encoding. If its loosely encoded, you save space by converting it to wmv.

It is that simple. WMVs are MPEG4. Try it and see what happens.

Or did you mean convert to mpeg1? or mpeg2? Should have said so. In that case, you're screwed probably. Virtualdub will read WMV7s but not 8s, and then only if you get an old version of it somewhere before MS brought the hammer down on them.

Also, NEVER convert WMVs to MPEG1/2, even if you can.. That's lossy to lossy, and it will look like shit. Always go from high quality source material.

Cheers,
Backov

if you have never been to www.vcdhelp.com go.

great resources for video

Mpeg1 are preferred because it´s playable on almost all computers.. many surfers like Divx too, because of its better size/quality ratio.

Our experiences with wmv are not good :( Our members hate this format.. REAL media sucks too much to mention...

Yup also a great place to learn how to rip a dvd :1orglaugh