Label for 7.1 extended surround sound

Windows Media High Definition Video (WMV HD) is the marketing name for high definition videos encoded using Microsoft Windows Media Video 9 codecs. These low-complexity codecs make it possible to watch high definition movies in 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080p) resolutions on many modern personal computers running Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista, although the hardware requirements are steep. Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game console can also play WMV HD.

WMV HD is not a standalone video codec nor a special modification of the WMV9 codec. As of April 2006, all existing WMV HD titles are encoded using the VC-1 compliant Windows Media Video 9 (FourCC: WMV3) codec conforming to VC-1 Main Profile @ High Level specification. It is possible that in the future Microsoft will take advantage of the new VC-1 Advanced Profile codec dubbed Windows Media Video Advanced Profile (FourCC: WVC1) to encode WMV HD videos.

A number of WMV9-encoded high definition movie titles have been made commercially available on DVD-ROM discs, either as standalone discs or supplements to the regular DVD-Video titles. The technology was considered a stepping stone to true high definition optical disc formats (HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc) and Microsoft never intended the discs to be played on anything but personal computers. Most commercially sold WMV HD titles are copy protected using Microsoft Windows Media DRM technology. The licensing terms of DRM protected titles are determined by the content providers and not Microsoft Corporation. The soundtracks are commonly encoded using the Windows Media Audio Professional codec, often featuring 5.1 or 7.1 multichannel sound. The video and audio streams are encapsulated in Advanced Systems Format files.

System Requirements

Minimum Configuration

To play 720/24p video with stereo sound:

• Windows XP
• Windows Media Player 9 Series
• 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 processor or equivalent
• 384 MB of RAM
• 64 MB video card
• 1024 x 768 screen resolution (4:3 content) or 1280 x 720 (16:9 content)
• 16-bit sound card

Compatibility

• WMV HD has been touted for its ease of use, since functionality to convert to WMV HD has been built into Windows Movie Maker, it has allowed people to convert their home videos to WMV HD as well as commercial releases they may have received. The file system will work on a PC with the settings listed below, as well as a Xbox 360, at 1080p/1080i.

The future

WMV HD is just one of many HD-raw formats. Others include NeroDigital HD, DivX-HD, and XVHD as codec formats. There are also media formats that use a single or selection of files on a disc (without folders and trees) including WMV Disc, HVD and the abandoned JavaDisc format among others. All have their own fan-base and no single format has pushed out to the front.

Recommended configuration

To play 1080/24p video with 5.1 surround sound

• Windows XP
• Windows Media Player 9
• DirectX 9.0
• 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor or equivalent
• 512 MB of RAM
• 128 MB video card
• 1440 x 1080 screen resolution (4:3 content) or 1920 x 1080 (16:9 content)
• 24-bit 96 kHz multichannel sound card
• 5.1 surround sound speaker systems

Encoders

Windows Media Video HD can be encoded with a variety of programs such as Windows Media Encoder, Windows Movie Maker, and Microsoft Expression Encoder. When encoding, it has been recommended by these programs that you use the original file for best results, at times re-encoding an already coded movie can lead to sub par results.

WMV HD demos

• WMV HD Content Showcase A number of WMV encoded high-definition movie trailers are available for free download on Microsoft's website. DRM protected titles might require an Internet connection for license download and verification.

Movies on WMV HD DVD-ROM

• Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
• One Last Thing...
• Standing in the Shadows of Motown
• Step Into Liquid (bonus disc)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Extreme Edition (Disc 2; theatrical version)
• Total Recall (released in Denmark, Germany and Norway) http://www.filmweb.no/smn/dvd/article45261.ece
• The War Within
• Pirates (Third Disc)
• Immortal ad Vitam (3 discs edition)
• Deep Red (Italian Medusa 2 discs edition)

and more

See also

DivX HD- The Main competitor to WMV HD

External links

• WMVHD.com
• WMV HD Database: A informative site about WMV HD, and technologies surronding it

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