AVI to XviD Converter

Convert AVI to Xvid: When and Why You'd Do This

Re-encode an AVI to the Xvid codec so it plays on older DivX-Certified DVD players, car head units, and set-top boxes that list "Xvid" or "DivX" support but choke on H.264. This tutorial covers the settings that actually decide legacy-hardware compatibility — resolution, bitrate, and audio — plus the honest question most guides skip: whether you need to convert at all. One thing to be clear about up front: Xvid is a codec, not a container. The output here is Xvid (MPEG-4 Part 2 ASP) video with MP3 audio wrapped in an AVI file, produced by a genuine re-encode rather than a remux. If your playback target is a phone, browser, or recent TV, use AVI to MP4 instead.

How to Convert AVI to Xvid

1. Upload Your AVI File: Drag and drop your AVI onto the page or click "+ Add Files" to pick one or several — every file in a batch gets the same Xvid settings.
2. Choose a Quality Preset or File-Size Target: Leave Quality Preset on Very High (Recommended) for a clean legacy-hardware encode, or switch to Specific file size to fill a 700 MB CD-R or a DVD-5. Use Constant Bitrate when you want predictable per-minute size.
3. Set Video Resolution and Trim (Optional): Under Video resolution, keep the original size or downscale to standard definition; use Trim → Time Range to drop disc intros or trailers before encoding.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and grab each Xvid AVI individually or as a ZIP. No sign-up, no watermark.

Walk-through: Settings That Keep Old Players Happy

The whole point of an Xvid file is a standalone player that predates H.264, and those players are fussy. Three settings decide whether the disc or USB stick actually plays:

• Resolution — stay at or below SD. DVD-era chipsets top out at 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480 (NTSC). Leave standard-definition sources alone and downscale anything above 720p; a 1080p Xvid file will often show a black screen or an "unsupported" message on hardware that could have played the same clip at SD.
• Bitrate — keep it modest. Hold the video bitrate to roughly 1,000-2,000 kbps. That keeps the decode load inside what a 2000s chipset can manage and keeps a feature-length file under the classic AVI size limits.
• Audio — MP3 stereo is safest. The default audio codec here is MP3, which DivX-Certified gear reads most reliably inside AVI. AC3 is available where you need 5.1 surround, but AAC, Opus, and FLAC are not what most hardware Xvid decoders expect in an AVI file.

A straightforward encode — which is what this tool produces by default — also avoids the advanced Advanced Simple Profile tricks (Quarter-Pixel and Global Motion Compensation) that many certified decoders can't handle, so there's nothing extra to switch off.

Xvid vs DivX vs H.264 — What You're Actually Choosing

Xvid and DivX are two implementations of the same codec family — MPEG-4 Part 2, Advanced Simple Profile — so a DivX-Certified player usually reads both. H.264 is a newer, more efficient codec that older certified hardware often can't decode at all. Here is how the three compare.

If your player checks specifically for the DivX label rather than Xvid, AVI to DivX outputs the same MPEG-4 ASP family under the DivX codec name.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

• "Unsupported file" or a black screen on the player — the resolution is above 720x576. Re-encode with Video resolution set to an SD size.
• Plays on the computer but not the DVD player — the file likely uses advanced ASP features or too high a bitrate; a plain SD encode under 2,000 kbps almost always fixes it.
• No sound on the standalone player — the audio isn't MP3. Re-run with the default MP3 audio (or AC3 for surround) instead of AAC or Opus.
• Player stops partway through a long movie — the file crossed the classic 2 GB AVI ceiling; lower the bitrate or split the movie into two files.
• File plays but stutters — the bitrate is too high for the chipset; drop it toward 1,000-1,500 kbps.

When This Doesn't Work

Some hardware only accepts the DivX codec name or a DivX-registered file, and no plain Xvid AVI will satisfy it — for those units, output to the DivX codec instead. If the source is DRM-protected or corrupted, no re-encode will recover it. And if your only goal is modern playback on a phone, browser, smart TV, or games console, skip Xvid entirely: converting AVI to MP4 gives you a smaller file at equal quality that plays nearly everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is converting AVI to Xvid pointless if my AVI already contains Xvid?

Often, yes — so check first. AVI is only a container; the video inside might already be Xvid, DivX, or plain MPEG-4 ASP, in which case re-encoding just adds a lossy generation for no gain. Re-encode only to change something the file can't satisfy as-is: drop the resolution to 720x576 for a standalone player, lower the bitrate under ~2,000 kbps, or produce a plain profile without QPel/GMC that old decoders accept. If the file already plays on your target device, leave it alone.

What's the difference between Xvid and DivX, and do I need one specifically?

They're two implementations of the same MPEG-4 Part 2 (ASP) standard: DivX is proprietary (DivX, LLC), while Xvid is open-source under the GPL and grew out of the OpenDivX project in 2001. In practice a DivX-Certified player reads both, so Xvid is the royalty-free way to reach that hardware. The exception is gear that checks specifically for the DivX codec name or a DivX-registered file — for that, use AVI to DivX.

What plays Xvid AVI files?

In software, VLC, MPC-HC, and most desktop players decode Xvid out of the box. The reason to make an Xvid file is hardware: standalone DVD and Blu-ray players, car head units (Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, Alpine), and set-top boxes from roughly 2003-2012 that carry a "DivX Certified" or "Xvid" badge read Xvid-in-AVI off a USB stick or data disc — the same units that often refuse H.264 MP4.

Will the audio from my AVI survive the conversion?

Yes. By default the audio is re-encoded to MP3, the pairing DivX-Certified hardware most reliably plays inside AVI. AC3 is available where the source carries 5.1 surround. Formats like AAC, Opus, and FLAC aren't what most hardware Xvid decoders expect inside an AVI — if you need those, output to MKV instead.

What resolution and bitrate keep an Xvid file compatible with old DVD players?

Keep the resolution at or below 720x576 (PAL) / 720x480 (NTSC) and hold the video bitrate under about 2,000 kbps; many of these chipsets also can't decode Quarter-Pixel or Global Motion Compensation, so a plain encode is safer than a maximally-optimized one. In our testing, a 60-minute standard-definition source at 1,000 kbps video plus 128 kbps MP3 audio produced a roughly 500 MB Xvid AVI — comfortably inside a 700 MB CD-R.

Why would I use Xvid instead of just converting to MP4?

For any device made since about 2010, you shouldn't — H.264 in MP4 is smaller at equal quality and plays nearly everywhere, so AVI to MP4 is the better pick. Choose Xvid in one situation: your playback target is older hardware that lists DivX/Xvid support and either refuses or stutters on H.264. If you're unsure, try a short MP4 first and fall back to Xvid AVI only if it fails.

Is Xvid still legal to use without licensing fees?

Yes, and it's now unambiguous everywhere. Xvid ships under the GPL, the US MPEG-4 Visual patents lapsed in November 2023, and on July 19, 2026 the last remaining patent — a Brazilian one — expired, so MPEG-4 Part 2, the standard behind both Xvid and DivX, is royalty-free in every country. For an encoder operator that means no licensing obligation, one of the few practical edges these codecs keep over the still-licensed H.264 patent pool.

How are my files handled, and how long do you keep them?

Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically a few hours after conversion. There's no sign-up, no watermark, and your files are never shared or made public. To shrink an existing Xvid AVI without changing the codec, use Compress AVI; to go the other way for modern playback, see Xvid to MP4.