For any media content producer that is working with
audio and video content, the Microsoft free Windows Media Encoder is a
must-have tool for capturing and converting media content. Although the
Windows Media server can be used to capture and publish video files,
it’s unlikely that a content producer will want to travel around with a
media server everywhere. Instead, you can download Windows Media Encoder
and install it on Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows XP,
Windows Server 2003, or Windows 2000 Server. Either the 32-bit or 64-bit
edition can be downloaded and installed.
In addition, Windows
Media Encoder provides tools to convert files from one video format to
another, such as from AVI format to MPG format. One of the biggest
limitations of Windows Media Encoder is its inability to perform simple
edits to the media files. For this, you need to download and use
third-party tools.
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Because Microsoft does
not provide freely downloadable video-editing tools, content producers
need to look for other tools to perform basic cropping at the start or
end of a video file, or when merging video files. There are dozens of
professional video editing and content production programs available,
such as Adobe’s Premiere Pro or Ulead’s VideoStudio. There are also
hundreds of third-party shareware and freeware tools that can be
downloaded from the Internet for little or no money.
The biggest challenge
video producers face is selecting a utility that meets all their needs.
Most downloadable tools offer trial versions with trial periods that
allow you to try the software before buying it. If you don’t find the
tool you’re looking for at first, jump back on the Internet and keep
searching. Tools for every video and audio editing need seem to be
readily available.
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Understanding the Requirements for Windows Media Encoder
Windows Media Encoder runs
on Windows Vista, Windows 2000, and Windows XP desktops, as well as on
Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 systems. The basic
configuration of the system depends on the task being performed by the
Windows Media Encoder software. Microsoft recommends the system
configurations shown in Table 1.
Because Windows Media Encoder does not work on Windows Server 2008 R2
servers or Windows 7 client systems, for media encoding using this tool,
install it on an earlier release of Windows that is supported and
transfer the encoded file to a Windows Server 2008 R2 Media Server
system.
Table 1. Requirements for Windows Media Encoder
| Encoding Task | 32-Bit Recommendation | 64-Bit Recommendation |
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| Conversion of files | 500MHz processor or higher and at least 128MB of RAM or higher | 1800MHz processor or higher and at least 512MB of RAM or higher |
| Capture and broadcast of audio files | 866MHz processor or higher and at least 128MB of RAM or higher | 2000MHz processor or higher and at least 512MB of RAM or higher |
| Capture
and broadcast of audio and video files for dial-up modem and
mid-bandwidth audiences using Windows Media Audio 9 and Windows Media
Video 7 codecs | 866MHz processor or higher, 128MB of RAM, and a single stream bit rate of 100Kbs through 500Kbs | Dual 2000Mhz processor or higher, 512MB of RAM, and a single stream bit rate of 100Kbs through 500Kbs |
| Capture
and broadcast of audio and video files for dial-up modem and
mid-bandwidth audiences using Windows Media Audio and Video 9 codecs | Dual 1Ghz processor or higher, 256MB of RAM, and a single stream bit rate of 100Kbs through 500Kbs | Dual 2000Mhz processor or higher, 768MB of RAM, and a single stream bit rate of 100Kbs through 500Kbs |
| Capture and broadcast of audio and video files for high-bandwidth audiences using Windows Media Audio and Video 9 codecs | Dual 2Ghz processor or higher, 256MB of RAM, and a single stream bit rate of 500Kbs through 2Mbps | Dual 2400Mhz processor or higher, 1024MB of RAM, and a single stream bit rate of 500Kbs through 2Mbps |
Installing Windows Media Encoder
After
downloading Windows Media Encoder from the Microsoft website, the
software can be installed on any system meeting the requirements noted
in Table 36.2. The installation process is as follows:
1. | Run the wmencoder.exe file to begin the installation process.
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2. | Click Next to move past the Welcome screen.
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3. | To accept the licensing agreement, click the I Accept the Terms of the License Agreement option, and click Next.
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4. | Select
a custom installation folder, or just click Next to choose the default
folder. Then click Install to begin the installation.
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5. | Click Finish when prompted.
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After being installed,
Windows Media Encoder can be launched by selecting Start, All Programs,
Windows Media, Windows Media Encoder. Upon launching Windows Media
Encoder, you will see a New Session screen.
