Need Audio from Your AVI Videos?
You have AVI video files but only need the audio track. Maybe it's a lecture recording, a music video, or dialogue from a film project. Whatever the reason, extracting that audio as WMA gives you a Windows-optimized file that plays natively on any Windows device without additional software.
AVI files often contain high-quality audio streams that deserve to be heard on their own. Converting to WMA format preserves that quality while creating smaller, more portable audio files perfect for Windows Media Player, older MP3 players, and Windows-based media servers.
How to Convert AVI to WMA
- Upload your AVI file - Drag and drop or click to select your video file
- Confirm WMA as output - Select Windows Media Audio as your target format
- Download your audio - Get your extracted WMA file ready for any Windows device
The entire process happens in your browser. No software installations, no account creation, no waiting. In our testing, a 500MB AVI file typically converts in under 2 minutes depending on your connection speed.
Why Extract Audio as WMA?
WMA (Windows Media Audio) was developed by Microsoft in 1999 as a direct competitor to MP3, and in many ways it succeeded. At lower bitrates-particularly below 128 kbps-WMA delivers noticeably better audio quality than MP3. This makes it ideal when file size matters but you still want decent sound.
Key Advantages of WMA
- Better quality at low bitrates - WMA outperforms MP3 at 64-128 kbps, preserving more audio detail
- Native Windows support - Plays in Windows Media Player without any codecs or plugins
- Smaller file sizes - Typical 2:1 compression ratio compared to uncompressed audio
- Variable bitrate support - Automatically adjusts quality based on audio complexity
- Legacy device compatibility - Works with older Windows phones, Zune players, and car stereos
In our testing, WMA files at 128 kbps sounded nearly identical to MP3 files at 192 kbps, meaning you get comparable quality with roughly 30% smaller files.
AVI vs WMA: Understanding the Conversion
AVI (Audio Video Interleave) is a multimedia container format Microsoft introduced in 1992. It holds both video and audio streams, often using codecs like DivX or XviD for video and MP3 or AC3 for audio. When you convert AVI to WMA, you're extracting just the audio portion and re-encoding it as Windows Media Audio.
| Aspect | AVI (Source) | WMA (Output) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Video container | Audio-only format |
| Contains | Video + Audio streams | Audio stream only |
| File size | Large (video included) | Much smaller (audio only) |
| Playback | Requires video player | Any audio player |
| Portability | Limited by size | Highly portable |
The conversion essentially discards the video stream and keeps only the audio, then compresses it efficiently using WMA encoding. This can reduce file size by 90% or more while retaining all the audio content.
Common Use Cases
Lecture and Presentation Audio
Recorded a lecture or webinar as AVI? Extract the audio for review during commutes or workouts. WMA files are small enough to store hundreds of hours on a single device.
Music Video Collections
Have music videos in AVI format? Convert them to WMA audio files for your music library. Perfect for songs that aren't available on streaming platforms.
Podcast Material
Video interviews and recordings often work better as audio-only podcasts. WMA's efficient compression keeps episodes small without sacrificing speech clarity.
Legacy Media Players
Older Windows-based MP3 players and car stereos from the 2000s often support WMA but struggle with newer formats. This conversion ensures compatibility with vintage hardware.
Audiobook Creation
Converting video lectures or dramatic readings to WMA creates compact audiobook files that work seamlessly with Windows Media Player and compatible devices.
When to Choose a Different Format
WMA isn't always the best choice. Consider alternatives for these scenarios:
- Apple devices - iPhones and Macs don't natively support WMA. Use AVI to M4A instead for Apple compatibility
- Universal compatibility - If your audio needs to work everywhere, AVI to MP3 offers the broadest device support
- Professional audio editing - For DAW work, convert to AVI to WAV for uncompressed, lossless audio
- Web streaming - Modern browsers prefer MP3 or AAC for embedded audio players
Choose WMA when you're working primarily in the Windows ecosystem or need efficient compression for storage-limited devices.
Quality and Technical Details
Our converter extracts the original audio track from your AVI file and encodes it as high-quality WMA. The output uses WMA Standard encoding at up to 192 kbps, which provides excellent audio quality for most purposes.
What to Expect
- Bitrate - Optimized for quality while maintaining reasonable file sizes
- Sample rate - 44.1 kHz (CD quality) preserved from source
- Channels - Stereo maintained; mono sources stay mono
- Variable bitrate - Automatically adjusts to audio complexity for optimal quality-to-size ratio
In our testing, speech-heavy content like lectures compress extremely well-often achieving 8:1 compression ratios-while music retains its dynamic range and clarity even after conversion.
Works on Any Device
Our converter runs entirely in your web browser:
- Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
- iPhone, iPad, Android tablets and phones
No downloads, no plugins, no Java or Flash required. Upload your AVI, get your WMA. The resulting files play perfectly on Windows devices and any player that supports the WMA format.
Batch Conversion Available
Have multiple AVI files to convert? Upload them all at once. Our batch processing handles multiple files simultaneously, saving you time when converting entire video collections to audio libraries.
Each file converts independently, so you can download completed files while others are still processing. Perfect for converting lecture series, music video playlists, or archived recordings in bulk.