The main difference comes not from these two formats itself, but from the types of codecs used within the files.ĪVI (Audio Video Interleave) is a video wrapper format created by Microsoft, which stores video data encoded with various codecs. Because both file elements are compressed, MP4s normally have a smaller file size than many other video formats, but still maintain relatively high quality for sharing online.What is the difference between AVI & MP4 video formats? The video part is usually compressed with MPEG-4, and the audio is usually compressed using AAC, which is the audio format associated with iTunes. MP4 videos are made up of video and audio elements that are compressed separately. MP4 is usually the preferred format for uploading videos to YouTube, Vimeo or other websites. As MP4 is a standardised format, it will normally play easily on most devices and media players, including Windows Media Player, QuickTime, and VLC. It was originally developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) but has become an ISO standard, meaning that it’s now maintained by the International Organisation for Standardization. MP4 was developed to be easily played and shared.

MP4, sometimes called MPEG4, is one of the most common video formats. AVI is one of the formats that can be used to upload videos to YouTube or Vimeo, and social media sites like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook also support AVI videos. If you are having problems playing an AVI file, you may need to convert it to another format like MP4 first, or you may be able to play it by first installing an additional codec for your media player. AVI files are compressed but to a lesser extent than some other video formats this means they tend to have higher quality video but may also have a larger file size.Īlthough MP4 is probably the most common video format and an ISO standard, AVI files are also widely supported and can be played by numerous media players, including Windows Media Player, QuickTime, VLC and MPlayer.

AVI is short for Audio Video Interleave, and like many other video formats, AVI files are container files that include both video and audio in different codecs. AVI is a common type of video file, which Microsoft developed for Windows and launched in 1992.

Av file to mp4