WMP File Extension

What is the .WMP file type?

Historically, the .wmp filename extension was most commonly associated with the Windows Media Photo (WMP) image file format and the respective file type. Windows Media Photo (later, HD Photo) is a proprietary specification of a distinct bitmap image format developed by Microsoft as an alternative to JPEG and other widespread graphic formats. HD Photo offers superior compression ratio and image quality, retains XMP/EXIF metadata, supports several color models and a range of color depths with transparency, and allows for embedded ICC-based color correction.

Although it was common to initially use the .wmp filename extension for Windows Media Photo files, the official Microsoft specification, however, recommends using the .hdp or .wdp extensions for HD Photo files.

A .wmp (.hdp, .wdp) file is an HD Photo image. HD Photo images are supported in Windows Vista (legacy) and other Windows OS'es with .NET framework or WIC (Windows Imaging Component) installed.

Apart from that, the .wmp extension is occasionally (and erroneously) assigned to Windows Media (WM) files downloaded from various web resources. Since WM multimedia content can be served under several MIME types (mainly, "application/x-ms-wmp"), misconfigured web servers or client browsers may change the extension to .wmp. In that case, a .wmp file is simply a Windows Media file that should have the .wma or .wmv extension instead.

Confusingly enough, the .wmp extension was also once used in association with the Windows Media Audio 9 Pro 5.1 (.wmp) file type and format. Although still supported by some software by the .wmp extension, all Windows Media Audio files (incl. WMA 9 Pro 5.1) should follow the standard .wma file type.

With Final Fantasy 13 (FF13), a Sony Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 video game, the .wmp extension serves to mark video files in a proprietary container format. Such WMP files contain in-game video sequences (.bik) with audio tracks. WMP resource packs are not meant for direct playback or manipulation, although there are unofficial tools to extract video clips from .wmp files found in FF13.

Lastly, the .wmp extension also occurs in association with world map files (.wmp) that are used in legacy computer games based on the Bioware's Infinity game engine (e.g., Baldur's Gate 2, Icewind Dale, and others).

Software to open or convert WMP files

GOM Player by Gretech Corporation

 

KMPlayer by PandoraTV

 

MPC-HC

 

GOM Player by GOM & Company

 

PotPlayer by Kakao Corp.

 

Free File Viewer Pro

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