Last Updated: 22 Jun, 2026
TL;DR – AVI (Audio Video Interleave) is Microsoft’s first “digital video” container, born with Windows 95. It’s a simple RIFF‑based file that interleaves compressed video and audio chunks so a player can read them in lock‑step. The format is still understood by Windows Media Player and a host of open‑source tools, but it lacks modern features like HDR, 10‑bit color, and robust streaming metadata. If you ever need to dig into legacy footage, understand the chunk layout, FourCC codes, and the OpenDML extensions that lift the 2 GB ceiling – that’s the meat of AVI.
AVI Format: Should You Use AVI? - AVI vs MP4
Last Updated: 1 May, 2025
Learn about the Audio Video Interleave (AVI) format, its key features and characteristics, pros and cons, and comparison with MP4. Discover when to choose AVI over MP4.
What is AVI Format? AVI, which stands for Audio Video Interleave, is a video file format developed by Microsoft in 1992. It was designed to store both video and audio data within a single file, ensuring synchronized playback of audio and video.