WMV Converter Console (left image), HFP Files (upper right image), Single WMV file with HFP content included (lower right image)

A Clear Skies’ customer recently asked why the WMV created by the “Recording Converter for Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007″ which you can download here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA101215971033.aspx was so big.  This was my reply:

I can see why you might be confused with differences in WMV file sizes.  First, all recordings are available in HFP (High-Fidelity Presentation) format and WMV format, directly from the Live Meeting recording page.  If you are logged in as an organizer in Live Meeting and have download recordings enabled, both formats will be available to you.  However, to see the WMV format as an option, you must be logged in using Internet Explorer browser.

Secondly, this WMV version is smaller because it only captures a flat image of the slides (and does not include builds and animations).  Although it also captures application sharing, it does not capture presenter video, multimedia video, or survey links (if applicable).

And lastly, the “WMV converter” that you used takes the HFP file which includes all the builds and animations, plus presenter video, multimedia video and survey links and converts it into a WMV file with everything still intact.

In general, file sizes increase in size with duration, application sharing, video, and presenter video used.  If you are not using rich multimedia and you can break out your builds into separate sizes, I would advise using the WMV file available from your LM download page.  It will have the smallest file that you need to host.