Avi Vs Mpeg
- Thread starter Poverty
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- Whateversville
- Flerbizky
Avis are FAR FAR superior to mpegs... Mpegs are a standard set by the Mpeg group. It contains audio and video encoded in very specific manners whereas Avi is - basically - a container... An Avi contains an audio and a video track and a header. And the header makes all the difference. This will tell whatever device plays the Avi how the "Avi" is encoded".. With avi, your audio can be anything from 11khz, 8 bit mono to a full 5.1 DTS signal and video anything from a 320x240 pixel stamp size 12 frames pr. second POS to the latest and greatest HD-DVD signal.... Feel free to mix as you please...Poverty
Does that make any sense ?...
- 15,799
Basically, AVI itself is just a container for video and audio. Think of it like a fruit bowl. You can put any kind of fruit (audio+video) you want into it.Poverty
MPEG, on the other hand, is a standard and must be encoded a specific way. Using MPEG, you're bound to a crappy quality video encoder and poor audio. But with AVI and the option of choosing which ever encoders you want, you can get far superior quality files.
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Poverty
MPEG formats are totally standardised. The resolution, video encoding and audio encoding specifications are fixed. Standard, compliant videos must then be all the same resolution. However, since there's no standardisation of AVI files (see the fruity analogy), you can do whatever you want in terms of video codec (OGG, XVID, DIVX et al), audio codec (MP3, AC3 et al) and resolution (so you can make the video as 'big' as you want it).
You can encode files to be at the MPEG-1 standard resolution (352x240 or 352x288 depending on region) or you can make them in 1024x768, 640x480, whatever you like.
- 3,746
Say you went to the shop and you asked the shop assistant for a chocolate bar that was 58% wider and taller than the normal bar. Well, the normal bar is the MPEG-1 bar, because it's fixed in height and width, whereas what you want is the AVI bar. With the AVI bar, you can specify things like the height and width (resolution), the sugar content (the video codec) and the, erm...crunchiness (the audio codec).
- 3,746
VIPFREAKIt's really irritating all the different formats and all the damn players you have to get to try and see if half of them actually play on half of the players.
A decent codec pack and a decent player (i.e. not WMP) and you're sorted.
I still use the K-Lite Codec Pack with Media Player Classic and this is more than sufficient for almost everything you can throw at it.
- 15,799
I only have the XviD codec installed and I can play the majority of the video files. Well, granted the majority of video files are either MPEG, WMV or DivX/Xvid...VIPFREAKIt's really irritating all the different formats and all the damn players you have to get to try and see if half of them actually play on half of the players.
Install ffdshow (great Divx/XviD decoder with better post-processing and CPU usage than the original codecs) and a decent video player (such as Media Player Classic) and you'll be set. Of course, there's always those propriety formats like Intel's Indeo, but anything encoded with those usually isn't worth watching anyway. No point crippling your system with dodgy codec packs.
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- Flerbizky
My HTPC runs a little program called MediaPortal - Freeware, opensource which can be compared to the free version of Windows Media Center Edition. Does the same, only better. But it comes with it's own built in media player. IIRC, the player in Mediaportal is heavily based on Zoomplayer which is the most efficient player..VIPFREAKI didn't understand that.
This box, the one I'm typing on, my playbox, I juse use Windows Media Player which comes with Windowsupdate. Mostly because I can't be arsed to install anything else...
[Edit:] Mediaportal : http://mediaportal.sourceforge.net <- Check it - very very cool !...
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- Flerbizky
I'm certainly very very happy with mine. Just the one little detail, that I can access my TV guide remotely, and program the PC to record a show I'd otherwise miss...VIPFREAKOh so it's like Windows Media Center that comes with certain waste of money pc trying to be media hubs?I always though those were full of ****.
That, and nice menus for movies, music etc. Me likey !..
- 1,151
To me its nearly a simple case of avi files as being unprocessed from stills, nay
unencrypted even and mpeg having being encrypted by what&whom have u .
unencrypted even and mpeg having being encrypted by what&whom have u .
Poverty
(Banned)
- 3,567
Ok guys I need your help. Ive just downloaded a avi video but with this one I get a picture but no sound which I understand why some avi work fine and this one doesnt thanks to your guys explanation. I have a divx codec pack but even this isnt allowing me to have sound. How can i found out what codec I need or a good codec package I should install to get sound?
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- Flerbizky
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Flerbizky
i don't really know 
an avi can be read in terms of frames
