AV1 to AVI Converter

How to Convert AV1 to AVI Online

1. Upload Your AV1 File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select AV1 video — typically .mkv or .webm downloads from YouTube or Vimeo, or AV1-encoded captures from OBS and modern phones. Batch conversion is supported.
2. Pick a Video Codec for the AVI Container: Default is MPEG-4 (Part 2), the broadest match for legacy AVI playback. Choose Xvid or DivX for old DVD players and set-top boxes that expect those FourCC tags, MJPEG for frame-accurate editing in legacy NLEs, HuffYUV for lossless intermediate work, or H.264 if your target software accepts H.264 inside AVI. Set quality with the Highest → Lowest preset, target a specific file size in MB, or fine-tune with the CRF slider.
3. Resize, Trim, and Pick an Audio Codec (Optional): Pick a resolution preset (4K, 1440p, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p), enter a custom width × height, or scale by percentage. Trim a section using start time + duration in HH:MM:SS.sss format. Audio defaults to MP3; AC3 and PCM are also valid AVI choices.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared.

Why Convert AV1 to AVI?

AV1 is the modern royalty-free codec from the Alliance for Open Media, designed to cut bandwidth 30-50% versus H.264 at the same quality. The catch is that AVI is a 1992 Microsoft container that predates AV1 by 26 years and has no standardized FourCC for AV1 video — AVI files in the wild contain MPEG-4, Xvid, DivX, MJPEG, or H.264 streams. Converting AV1 to AVI is therefore a real transcode (not a remux), useful for the narrow set of workflows that still require an .avi extension:

• Legacy Windows editors that only import AVI — older versions of Windows Movie Maker, VirtualDub, Pinnacle Studio, and Sony Vegas builds from before 2015 expect AVI input. AV1 in MKV/WebM won't open at all.
• Older DVD players and set-top boxes — many 2005-2015 era DVD players advertise "DivX/Xvid AVI" playback over USB and do not decode AV1 or MP4. Converting to AVI with the Xvid codec hits that compatibility target.
• Industrial and embedded systems — surveillance DVRs, kiosk software, and machine vision tools often expect AVI specifically. AV1 cannot be ingested even when the underlying CPU could decode it.
• Frame-accurate editing with intermediate codecs — wrapping content as AVI/MJPEG or AVI/HuffYUV gives editors a per-frame intra-coded stream that scrubs cleanly on a timeline, where AV1's heavy inter-frame compression makes seeking slow.
• Sharing with users on pre-AV1 hardware — recipients on pre-2022 laptops, older Smart TVs, and mid-range Android phones lack AV1 hardware decode and stutter on software decode above 1080p. AVI with MPEG-4 or Xvid plays smoothly on the same hardware.
• Archival to match existing AVI libraries — if a personal or institutional archive is already AVI/Xvid, keeping new captures in the same format simplifies indexing and avoids mixed-container playlists.

For most modern playback or sharing, AV1 to MP4 is the better target — MP4 with H.264 is more efficient and plays everywhere AVI does. Choose AVI only when the destination software or hardware specifically requires it.

AV1 vs AVI — Format Comparison

AVI Codec Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the AVI file so much larger than my AV1 source?

That's expected. AV1 is roughly 50% more efficient than MPEG-4 / Xvid (the codecs typically wrapped in AVI), so re-encoding to either older codec inflates the file at the same visual quality. For a 100 MB AV1 input, expect 180-220 MB AVI/MPEG-4 or AVI/Xvid output at comparable quality. To minimize bloat, raise the CRF, choose a lower resolution preset, or use the target file size option to cap the output.

Can I keep AV1 inside an AVI container without re-encoding?

No. AVI has no standardized FourCC for AV1 and the container does not support AV1 packetization, so a true remux is not possible — every AV1 → AVI conversion is a full transcode to MPEG-4, Xvid, DivX, MJPEG, HuffYUV, or H.264. If you want to keep the AV1 stream as-is, AV1 to MP4 supports remux (AV1-in-MP4 is standardized).

Should I pick MPEG-4, Xvid, or DivX for AVI output?

For software playback in VLC, MPC-HC, or Windows Media Player, MPEG-4 (Part 2) is the safest default. For older DVD players and set-top boxes that advertise "DivX certified" or "Xvid certified," pick the matching codec — those devices check the FourCC tag (XVID or DIVX) and refuse files that don't match, even though the underlying bitstream is nearly identical between the three.

My AV1 file is in a .mkv or .webm container — will the converter still read it?

Yes. AV1 is a video codec, not a container — it ships inside MKV (yt-dlp default), WebM (web streaming), or sometimes IVF. XConvert detects the AV1 stream regardless of wrapper and transcodes to AVI. If you only need the container changed and not the codec, see MKV to AVI.

What audio codec should I use inside AVI?

MP3 is the broadest match — every AVI-aware player from Windows 98 onward decodes MP3. AC3 is the right choice if your destination is a DVD authoring tool or set-top box that expects Dolby Digital. PCM (uncompressed) is correct for editing pipelines where audio quality must not degrade across rounds of re-encoding. Skip AAC — many legacy AVI players don't recognize it inside the AVI container.

Will the AVI file play on my old DVD player or smart TV?

If the device's spec sheet lists "DivX" or "Xvid" support over USB, yes — pick the matching codec, keep the resolution at 720×480 or 1280×720, and the bitrate under ~4 Mbps. Pre-2010 DVD players capped at 720×480 / SD often refuse 1080p AVI files even when the codec matches.

Is there a 4 GB file size limit for AVI?

Legacy AVI 1.0 is capped at 4 GB. The OpenDML AVI 2.0 extension lifts that limit and is what XConvert produces, so multi-GB output is fine for VLC, MPC-HC, and modern editors. Some pre-2005 hardware players refuse OpenDML AVI — for those targets, trim or lower the bitrate to keep output under 4 GB.

Can I trim or resize while converting?

Yes. The trim section accepts start time + duration in seconds (12.5) or HH:MM:SS.sss format (00:01:30.500) — trim first to drop unused footage and shrink output before encoding. Resolution presets cover 4K, 1440p, 1080p, 720p, 480p, and 360p, or you can enter a custom width × height or scale by percentage.

Should I convert to AVI or MP4?

MP4 unless your target software or hardware specifically requires .avi. MP4 with H.264 plays on every device made since 2010, supports modern features (chapters, subtitles, larger files), and produces smaller output than AVI/MPEG-4. See AV1 to MP4 for the more common path.