WMV (Windows Media Video) is Microsoft’s proprietary video file compression format.

WMV encoded files can often be identified by their extension: .wmv. For example a file named birthday-party.wmv is probably a WMV encoded video file.

WMV supports DRM which makes it a good choice for protected content. Many media players are WMV capable. Also Windows Media Player Player has built in support for WMV. Many other players including MPlayer are capable of playing WMV encoded content.