For practicality’s sake, almost all of the AVI files that you have would have been already compressed from their original file sizes. Unless you want to receive a whole lotta bytes of pure AVI for just a movie or something. Compressing the AVI into transferable sizes reduces the download time required to secure the file as well as minimizing the burden on your PC’s processor. There are different codecs in the internet that offers different rates of compression which wavers between quality and compression size. The size also depends on the video’s dimension, frame rate and quality.

The first type of codec is the XviD codec, which is an MPEG-4 compliant video codec that is most used today. It handles a wide range of digital video compression so well enough that it is most used by a wide audience range. High quality and high compression rates make this codec a well-used format for the movie market.

The next codec that is noted for its absurd compression rate is the MJPEG codec. MJPEG stands for the term Motion JPEG, and like its namesake, offers the best compression rate anywhere else. But the standard penalty for this is like with its awesome compression, the quality is not quite what you’d expect. There’s also a noted loss of quality that leaves it’s viewers unsatisfied. Still, a lot of editors use this because of the compression rate.

DivX also offers the same high quality compression as the first one. The most prominent feature of DivX is that it offers multiple language support as well as excellent visual quality, average speed and compression rates. The only problem with this codec is the synchronization issue. A lot of issues regarding compatibility arose because of this, which lead people to use XviD instead.

The Microsoft MPEG-4 Video codec comes packaged with the default Windows Operating System. MPEG is short for Moving Pictures Experts Group, and it’s not a lie if I say that it’s also a household word nowadays due to its popularity. Generally, MPEG-4 is your average Joe. Gives good quality compression and compatibility that is quite needed in the market. Against DivX, MPEG comes to a close second.

To find out exactly how to read avi files, visit this website about AVI files.