Date First Published: 30th July 2023
Topic: Computer Systems
Subtopic: Computer Software
Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions
Difficulty: MediumDifficulty Level: 5/10
Learn about what AVI is in this article.
Stands for Audio Video Interleave. AVI is a standard file format developed in 1992 by Microsoft that can store both high-quality video and audio output in a single file. The format uses less compression than other video formats, like .MPEG and .MOV to ensure the best quality, so file sizes are usually very large. This makes it a less suitable format for sharing videos online, or streaming, and can be a problem for users with limited disk space.
The AVI format also has a size limit of 2 GB. Due to its size limitations, most users now use WMV or MP4 for their video files.
AVI files have the ".avi" file extension and the "video/avi" MIME media type.
AVI is also a widely compatible format with most media players, particularly on the Windows operating system. AVI files can be opened with different media players. Windows and MacOS come with a built-in media player, including Microsoft Windows Media Player and Apple QuickTime. AVI files can also be opened with other media players, including VLC Media Player and Adobe Premiere Pro, which are compatible with both Windows and macOS.
Since the system media player on iOS and Android does not support AVI files, a third-party app will need to be downloaded and installed to play it. If on a phone or tablet, AVI files can be played with several apps, including VLC for iOS, VLC for Android, J2 Interactive MX Player (Android), and Olimsoft OPlayer (iOS). Most web-based storage services, including Google Drive, will also allow AVI files to be played when stored there.
AVI files can also be converted to other formats. For example, VLC Media Player can convert AVI files to MP4, WEBM, TS, and ASF. There are also some web-based tools that can convert AVI files to other formats if the file size is small, like Online-Convert.com and FileZigZag.
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