WHAT IS WMA?
| Full Name | Windows Media Audio |
| Format Type | Audio |
| Developed by | Microsoft |
| Description | Windows Media Audio, often referred to as WMA, is an older audio format created by Microsoft in 1999. The WMA file type provides better sound quality at lower bitrates than MP3, which results in smaller files. WMA audio tracks can be something of a headache to deal with because most media players and mobile devices no longer support playback. If you want to play WMAs on a non-Windows computer, it would be a good idea to change the file to a more common format. If you’d like to know how to open WMA files and more about the common specifications, check the table below. |
| File Extension | .wma |
| Technical Details | Each WMA file has one audio track in one of four sub-formats: WMA, WMA Voice, WMA Lossless, or WMA Pro. WMA files are usually contained in the Advanced Systems Format, which is used for storing digital audio and video data. WMA is capable of sampling rates up to 48 kHz with a maximum number of stereo audio channels. In version 9.1 of the WMA format, the encoding latency is significantly reduced due to the use of a reduced latency method. |
| Associated Programs | Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, VLC, and others |