What exactly is an AVI file?

[Nina]

I have finally made my first VCD which contains music videos in mpeg 1 format.

I want to make a VCD with a movie on it like a Denzel one. I noticed most movie files are in .avi extension. What does this mean exactly? Is the same format to burn music videos (mpeg) as to burn a movie in .avi?
Thanks for all your help in past - I never would have figured out how to make a VCD without all your advice!
Nina

[kinneera]

AVI stands for Audio/Video Interleave.

The mode of writing for burning VCDs is not the same as for AVIs. (AVIs are burned as a standard data disc - Mode1, rather than Mode2).

[KingJohn]

I have finally made my first VCD which contains music videos in mpeg 1 format.

I want to make a VCD with a movie on it like a Denzel one. I noticed most movie files are in .avi extension. What does this mean exactly? Is the same format to burn music videos (mpeg) as to burn a movie in .avi?
Thanks for all your help in past - I never would have figured out how to make a VCD without all your advice!
Nina

Hi again

Those Movies you see are in AVI, what's more they are in compressed AVI format. People do this to make them much smaller to download. Think of them as zip files, where you would use WinZip to unpack them into much larger files. But you dont need to unpack a compressed AVI, it automatically does this when you view it.

In the case of compressed AVI's the compression is done by what is commonly called a "Codec" most AVI's you see use the DivX codec's.

When you want to watch those AVI's on your computer, you need to install the decompresser (codec) then the movie will play as normal. The codec (compressor) is both used to compress and de-compress, in the case of a AVI whose codec is Mpeg 4 v3, you need to install the Mpeg 4 V3 codec before you can view the movie.

So now that you can see it, you will want to convert it for a VCD ?. Now that the codec is installed on your system it will work with any of the players/editors you may have.

First you download the AVI, and use "Virtual Dub" to check that there are no bad frames, then you would use TMPGenc to convert the AVI to "VCD Mpeg." (with a loaded template)

This is just a introduction, there is a bit more to it that that, but those are the basics, the next question would be, where do you get the codec's and which do you install.

Well you could start by installing "Nimo Codec pack" but each AVI you download might need a different codec, which you will need to install before you can view/edit them.

Here are a few you could download from Grokster or Kazaa
Mpeg4 Codec.exe
this gives you MPG4, MP42, and MP43

DivX4a48.exe
DivX4Windows Codec 4.0 Alpha 48

Also look out for 3.11 Alpha, But stay away from the SMR (AngelPotion) codec, nothing but trouble.

You only need to install them as and when you need them, when you download a AVI, click your right hand mouse on it and select properties, this will tell you what codec was used.

Check out ICE AGE, very funny