AVI is the acronym for Audio Video Interleave, sometimes rendered Audio Video Interleaved, a digital multimedia container format that Microsoft introduced in 1992. It is supported by Windows Media Player 7, Windows Media Player for Windows XP, and Windows Media Players 9–11. AVI is a special case of RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format), and — according to Microsoft — in 2008, it was the most common audio and video data format used on a computer. Since it is a container, it is capable of storing audio or video content compressed with a variety of codecs. An AVI converter is a tool used either to convert a file to AVI from another format, or to convert a file from AVI to a different format, or both.
The name “Audio Video Interleave” comes from the relationship between the audio and video in this format. In fact, the waveform audio and digital video frames are interleaved. The result is audio with 8-bit samples at 11,025 Hz and video at 15 fps (frames per second) at 160x120x8 resolution.
To choose the best AVI converterm you need to know one thing and decide several things. The first thing you need to know is that converter software is specified by operating system. There may be several versions of the operating system grouped together, or the converter may work for only one. Therefore, you should consider which computer or computers you may wish to use the converter with, know their operating systems, and select with that in mind.
Depending on how often you plan to use your AVI converter, how much you feel like you need support, which features you need, and how much you trust free downloads on the Internet, you can either choose a free AVI converter or purchase one. If you look for a free one, you may wish to go to a reputable technology site that verifies virus-free downloads. You should also know that an AVI converter may be advertised as “free,” but the free download may only be a trial version. If this is the case, make sure to check the limitations on the trial software, which can vary from one product to another.
Another thing to consider is the file types you want to convert from and/or to. Whatever they are, be sure that the software you are considering includes them in order to procure the best AVI converter for your purposes. You may also wish to look at software for purchase even if you’re thinking about freeware simply to see what features are available. Features such as batch processing, watermarking, and adding effects may add significantly to your satisfaction with the product.