.avi

What does .avi mean?

The file extension .avi stands for Audio Video Interleave. It is a multimedia container format that stores both audio and video data in a single file. The AVI format was developed by Microsoft in 1992 and is widely used today for storing and playing video and audio content on various platforms.

The AVI format is based on the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) structure, which allows for the storage of multiple data streams within a single container file. In an AVI file, the audio and video data are stored in separate streams, with each stream being identified by a FourCC code. Common FourCC codes for video streams include “DIVX,” “XVID,” and “H264,” while common FourCC codes for audio streams include “PCM,” “MP3,” and “AC3.”

AVI files can be played back using various Software applications, including Windows Media player, QuickTime, and VLC Media Player. The AVI format is also supported by most web browsers, allowing for the playback of video and audio content on websites.

Applications

The AVI format is widely used in a variety of applications, including:

• Video editing: The AVI format is a popular choice for video editing software, as it supports a wide range of video and audio codecs. This makes it easy to import and export video files from different sources and to use different codecs for encoding and decoding.
• Video Streaming: The AVI format is also used for video streaming, as it can be easily streamed over the internet using HTTP or RTMP protocols. This makes it a good choice for streaming live video content or for providing on-demand video content.
• Archiving: The AVI format is a good choice for archiving video and audio content, as it is a relatively stable and well-supported format. This makes it easier to preserve and access video and audio content over long periods of time.

History

The AVI format was developed by Microsoft in 1992 as a part of the Microsoft Video for Windows (AVI) technology. The AVI format was originally designed to store video and audio data for playback on Windows-based personal computers. However, the AVI format has since been adopted by a wide range of software applications and hardware devices, and it is now one of the most widely used multimedia container formats in the world.

The AVI format has undergone several revisions over the years, with the most recent revision being AVI 2.0, which was released in 1996. AVI 2.0 added support for new video and audio codecs, as well as support for interlaced video.

The AVI format is still widely used today, although it is gradually being replaced by newer multimedia container formats, such as MP4 and WebM. However, the AVI format remains a popular choice for storing and playing video and audio content on older devices and software applications.