converting an .avi file to dvix file

[mastermiaow]

First of all apologies if I have missed something in the guide - I have looked and have found something called Convert DVD to XviD with meGUI. However I am not sure if .avi file is the same thing as a DVD file. I have bought a portable hard drive media player and want to transfer my .avi file (a film) onto it and then play it. I need to convert to dvix. I have already installed two programs with no luck -divx codec and virtual dub but was told that virtual dub "requires a VFW to decompress video". I am a newbie and just want something straightforward which doesn't involve hours going round the houses

[guns1inger]

Does it need files encoded with the Divx codec, or does it need the Divx extension ?

Before you get carried away, open the avi files in g-spot or mediainfo, and look at the video codec used to encode them. Chances are in most cases it will be Divx or Xvid. If this is the case, you can probably use them without change. If not, AutoGK is probably the simplest way to convert them.

[mastermiaow]

Thanks for this. I downloaded G spot and opened the .avi file in it (in fact the film is Chopper which you will no doubt be familiar with . On the right side of the Gspot interface the codec is listed as XVID 1.0.3. On the left in "container" box there are various bits of info but on second line down it says DivX Style "packed bitstream" AVI.
Does this mean that I can transfer it over to the media playing hard drive and the hard drive will play it without my needing to convert anything?

[mats.hogberg]

It probably will play. It's not much harder than trying, is it? It will either play OK or not - you can't break anything.
If it won't play, or looks distorted in some way, run it thru AutoGK or AviReComp.
And: AVI file is not a DVD file. I could even argue there is no such thing as a DVD file, as DVD (including the special case Video DVD) is a disk format.

/Mats