A codec just a coder/encoder combined with a decoder. What’s the relationship between them? Actually, a coder and an encoder are the same thing. Maybe you’ve also heard about codecs, coders, encoders, and decoders, and you’re totally lost. Here’s a definition: “Codec is a small piece of program that plugs into your computer’s operating system and allows the software installed on your computer to perform the “decoding” for the video that has been ‘coded’ with the codec you installed.” So how can you play an AVI file?īefore moving to the main point, let’s talk about codecs. But sometimes you download an AVI file and it won’t play. Therefore, if you don't have the same codec that was used to make the AVI video, you won't be able to play it.AVI files are great because they always offer great quality video. Encoding and decoding is performed using a 'codec.' A codec, which is actually an abbreviation for 'Coder / Decoder,' is a small program that allows your media software to pack and unpack video files.Basically, the data was compressed a certain way, and your computer needs to unpack it in the exact same way for it to be usable. To play back a video file, your media player software will have to decode the data using the same algorithm used to encode it.This means that it will be compressed using a certain algorithm to reduce it to a manageable size.

When raw video data is saved into a computer file, it needs to be encoded.

The first step to understanding why AVI files can be so fussy is to understand what encoding and decoding are.

It simply 'contains' the data in a shell that will be familiar to the user and to your software. AVI is what's called a 'container format,' which means it doesn't specify how the video and audio contained within it was encoded. Familiarize yourself with how the AVI file format works.

How to open avi files windows 10