If you’re using Windows, all you have to do is double-click the file to open it in Windows Media Player.
How Do I Open an AVI File?ĪVI is a proprietary file format created by Microsoft, so if you plan on opening one outside of Windows, you’ll need a third-party application to handle playback. Additionally, this allows for playback without the use of any codecs. Solutions: either capture tapes scene-by-scene instead of all at once, or switch your capture and editing system to use Type 2 or QuickTime instead of Type 1. A lossless file will not lose quality over time, regardless of how many times you open or save the file. If youre capturing long clips in Type 1 AVI file format, and then exporting to Type 2 or Quicktime, you might see sync drift after the export that wasnt apparent in the original capture. This makes the files lossless, which results in immensely larger file sizes - approximately 2-3 GB per minute of video. The file is saved in a multimedia container format that stores audio and video using a variety of codecs, like DivX and XviD.Īn AVI file uses less compression to store files and takes up more space than many other video formats-like MPEG and MOV. AVI files also can be created without the use of compression at all. First developed in 1992 by Microsoft, AVI is the standard video format for Windows machines.
