AVI File Format Specification
| File format | .AVI |
| Full form | Audio Video Interleave |
| Developed By | Microsoft |
| Supported OS | Microsoft Windows, MAC OS X |
| Type | Container for Video and Audio |
What do you understand by AVI file format?
AVI File format stands for (Audio video Interleave). It was originally only supported on windows platforms but is now also supported on the Mac Platform. It files are often used for short video clips that aren’t streamed. Its file format originated at the Microsoft Corporation and conceptually is a very flexible and simple structure for the storage and display video data and reproduction of sound from audio information. AVI is a special type of the Microsoft RIFF format(Re-Source Interchange File Format). Audio video Interleave is capable of encoding video data in a lossless form. AVI format is used today mainly in local video editing because it allows the frame accurate synchronization of Audio and Video information. It file may contain multiple independent, compressed and uncompressed video data.
AVI format is part of what is known as the Resource interchange file format(RIFF) and is used for multimedia devices such as CDROM’s and web cameras. RIFF is a binary file framework within each existing and different file format may be embedded and nested as data structures (chunks ) with no fixed position in the file.
Header format of AVI file
AVI format contains a 56-byte header. The structure of AVI format is very normal. In this file contains two parts, a header followed by chunks of information. It contains metadata of the file such as file size, frame rates and similar characteristics whereas chunks store actual video and audio information.
| Size | Description | offset |
| 4 | size of AVI data chunk in time scale units | 52 |
| 4 | starting time, typically 0 | 48 |
| 4 | data rate (frame rate = data rate / time scale) | 44 |
| 4 | time scale, typically 30 | 40 |
| 4 | height of video image in pixels | 36 |
| 4 | width of video image in pixels | 32 |
| 4 | suggested playback buffer size in bytes | 28 |
| 4 | number of data streams (1 or 2) | 24 |
| 4 | number of preview frames | 20 |
| 4 | number of video frames | 16 |
| 4 | parameter flags | 12 |
| 4 | padding multiple size, typically 2048 | 8 |
| 4 | data rate of AVI data | 4 |
| 4 | time delay between frames in microseconds | 0 |
List of application that open AVI file
- VLC Media Player
- Winamp player
- Microsoft Windows Media Player
- Microsoft Windows Video
- Cyberlink PowerDirector 15 Ultra
Structure of Audio video Interleave File
Basically, AVI files support multiple streaming audio and video. It file contains 3 parts such as RIFF: Index, block(chunks), File header.
- Index: It is the offset of the data chunks within the file.
- Header: It contains metadata about the video file(such as frame rate, width and height.
- Chunks: It carry audio /visual data inside the chunks in virtually any compression scheme. Including (Time, Motion JPEG, Editable MPEG etc)
How to open AVI file in windows OS?
- STEP1: Select the AVI file, Right click the AVI.
- STEP2: Now, choose Open with option & select default program .
- STEP3: If default program option not available, then choose Microsoft Windows Media Player, VLC media player in the list of the program.
- STEP4: Click Ok.
Note: If AVI supported software is not available on your PC, so you need to download from the internet and install it.
How to open AVI file in MAC OS X?
- STEP1: Select the AVI file, Right click the AVI.
- STEP2: Now, choose Open with option & select default program .
- STEP3: If default program option not available, then choose VLC Player, Eltima in the list of the program.
- STEP4: Click Ok.
Benefits of AVI File
- This file format is the most widely used video format for promos, advertisement, and short movies etc.
- It does not require any particular hardware device of the software application for the file to run.
- This file format compatible with DV standard, DV AVI standard can be compressed unlike other video and audio formats.
- This file format has exceptionally high-quality audio fidelity.
- It supports 256 colors and RLE compression.
Features of AVI (Audio video Interleave File)
- The Video compression to boost the quality of your video sequences and reduce the sizes.
- It Playback from hard disk or CD- ROM.
- Quick Loading and playing, the reasons only a few frames of video and a portion of audio are accessed at a time.
Reasons of AVI file corruption
- AVI file was corrupted/ not saved due to the program crashing or hanging.
- Due to system failure, AVI file may be crashed.
- Due to the conversion of AVI video to another format such as MOV, MKV, FLV, MP4 etc.
- Due to suddenly power surge while opening, playing, transferring or editing your AVI files lead to corruption.
Conclusion
In this article describe the concept AVI file format. This format developed by Microsoft corporation. Also describe its ways to open AVI file, advantages of AVI file. AVI is a special type of the Microsoft RIFF format. This file format is capable of encoding video data in a lossless form.