AVI is far better than MP4. Video content in AVI boasts better quality. This can be proven by viewing AVI files using most digital video players.

 Unlike MP4, AVI isn’t readily supported by DVD players. Nevertheless, video content in MP4 is grainy at larger viewing resolutions, again making AVI a better choice.

MP4 format is Apple’s version of video encoding. This has only existed in the media world since 2000/2001, and it is included free with many systems. HD TV has used MP4 to broadcast its signals in order to make the transmissions easier and relatively inexpensive.

AVI, like MP4, is what you would call a “container” format. The nickname applies quite well to AVI because within this particular file format, you can encode both audio and video streams. These include other video stream formats such as MPEG4, MPEG version 2, and DIVX.

MP3s and audio MP4 work the same way by compressing large chunks of video into a smaller or more portable file. This makes the file much easier to work with. These files are compressed into smaller ones without loss of quality. The MP4 players that are used to view the MP4 format are fairly simple. The file is viewed in DVD quality. This also allows the fast and seamless streaming of video possible.

AVI doesn’t specify how it should be encoded. With this, you can encode the video streams of varying formats to AVI in order to be viewed across a wide array of players. Common formats nestled inside the AVI container include ASF, M-JPEG, and DivX. However, AVI files need the proper codec in order to be viewed.

You can also encode AVI files with user-defined passwords. This makes the format ideal for those who sell private content. However, the biggest annoyance of the AVI format is the fact that codecs are required to play the content. This means you have to download something else in order to view such AVI files unless you already have the appropriate codecs installed.