The basis of WMV was the original Microsoft implementation of the MPEG-4 Part 2 standard. The Windows Media Video format was first released by Microsoft for standardization in 2003 following the initial release in 1999. For use on non-Windows computers, WMV files will normally need to be converted to another format such as MP-4 or. In order to play WMV files on Windows computers it normally requires the appropriate CODEC or software application such as Windows Media Player to support playback. The WMV format allows large video files to be reduced in size or compressed to better support use over the Internet or a network while maintaining quality. The Windows Media Video format, or WMV, was designed by the Microsoft Corporation to support watching movies and Internet videos on personal computers.