How To Play Avi Files

Anyone interested in video and audio playback on a computer will need to know how to play Avi files. Avi files are compressed streams of video and audio; the quality is lower due to compression, but the file size is quite small. Avi files are found everywhere, from video cameras to files on the internet, so knowing how to play Avi files will save you quite a bit of hassle.

To play Avi files, you will need:

• A video player, such as Windows Media Player or VLC
• The correct codecs for Avi playback.

1. Opening Avi files with Windows Media Player. Pretty much every copy of Windows comes with Windows Media Player. While it is adequate, it will not play back all forms of Avi files without the proper codec. There are many different types of codecs that will work; a good batch to download would be the XVID codecs from http://www.xvid.org. The codecs come in an .exe file, so just run the .exe and they will install automatically. Once these codecs are correctly installed, you can either open an Avi file by going to the file menu in WMP, clicking open, then clicking on the Avi you want to view, or simple click on the actual Avi file itself.
2. Using VLC. VLC is an open source video playback program that can be found at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/. While some of you may not want to install new video players, VLC may be worth it. VLC does not require the use of codecs; it can play Avi files off of a fresh install. You can easily set VLC to be your default media player during installation. If you do this, clicking on your Avi files will automatically open them in VLC. If you choose not to do this, you can go to the file menu in the VLC program, click open and find the Avi file you wish to play.