MP4 to AVI Converter
Convert MP4 videos to AVI for hardware and software that predate MP4: DivX-certified DVD players, older TVs with a USB port, car head units, and Windows tools such as VirtualDub that work best with AVI.
Video Converter
or drop MP4, MOV, MKV … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Lower is better quality and a bigger file. 18 looks identical to the source, 23 is the default, 28 and above shows visible softening.
Frames per second. Keep the source rate unless a platform asks for a specific one; 15–20 fps is plenty for GIFs.
Only used for PowerPoint files and single still images: how long each slide or picture stays on screen.
Auto uses AAC for MP4/MOV and Opus for WebM. Copy keeps the original sound untouched when the new format supports it.
192 kbps is transparent for music; 128 kbps is enough for speech.
Width of the animation in pixels; height follows the aspect ratio. 480 px suits chats, 720 px or more gives a high-quality GIF but a much larger file.
GIF holds at most 256 colors. Fewer colors make a smaller file but cause banding on gradients and skin tones.
Mixes palette colors in a fine pattern to hide banding. Sierra gives the smoothest result; none gives the smallest file.
Whether the animation repeats endlessly or plays one time and stops.
Optional. Seconds (e.g. 75) or minutes:seconds (1:15). Leave empty to start at the beginning.
Optional. Same format as the start time. Leave empty to keep everything up to the end.
The converted file will be at or just under this size.
How to use this tool
- 1
Upload your MP4 videos
Pick up to 20 files, 95 MB or less each.
- 2
Match the player
Resolution is preset to 480p and Audio codec to MP3, the profile most older players expect. Choose Same as source under Resolution for software players and editors that handle HD.
- 3
Convert and copy to USB
Press Convert to AVI, download the files and copy them to the stick or disc. Our copies are deleted after 30 minutes.
Convert MP4 to AVI only when a specific device or program demands it. When it does, the settings below decide whether the file actually plays, so it pays to match them to the player first.
Devices and programs that still want AVI
Between roughly 2004 and 2012, DivX certification was a selling point on DVD players, portable media players and TVs. Those devices read AVI files with DivX or Xvid video and MP3 audio from a disc or USB stick. Many are still in kitchens, cars and classrooms, and their firmware will never learn MP4.
Software is the other half. VirtualDub, the long-running free frame editor, is built around AVI. Lab cameras, microscope software and older CCTV export and import tools on Windows often accept AVI and nothing else. If one of these is what you are feeding, convert; if you just want a smaller or more compatible file, MP4 already is that, and AVI to MP4 covers the far more common trip in the opposite direction.
2 GBfile size ceiling of the original AVI format from 1992
MP4
MPEG-4 video
MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) is a multimedia container standardised by ISO/MPEG and based on Apple's QuickTime format. It usually holds H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, and can also carry subtitles, chapters and metadata. It is the most compatible video format in the world, playing on phones, browsers, TVs, game consoles and social platforms. The video inside is almost always lossy, so repeated re-encoding gradually reduces quality.
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 2001 · Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)
AVI
Audio Video Interleave
AVI is a multimedia container introduced by Microsoft in 1992 as part of Video for Windows. It can hold many codecs, from uncompressed video to DivX and Xvid, which made it a common format for camcorders and downloaded films in the 2000s. It lacks modern features such as reliable variable frame rates and standard subtitle support, and files are often large. Desktop players such as VLC play AVI, but phones and browsers usually cannot.
- Compression
- Lossy or lossless
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 1992 · Microsoft
MP4 to AVI is a compatibility step backwards in time: it exists for players and programs built before MP4 spread, never because AVI is better.
Checklist before you convert MP4 to AVI for a TV or DVD player
- Look up the player's manual or spec sheet for "AVI", "DivX" or "Xvid" in the supported file list.
- Keep Resolution at 480p for a standard-definition player; HD players accept 720p.
- Leave Audio codec on MP3; many older players have no AAC decoder in AVI.
- Format the USB stick as FAT32, which old players read; it holds files up to 4 GB.
- Give files short names without accents or emoji, which some firmware cannot display.
Audio settings for AVI
MP3 at 192 kbps is the preset because MP3 audio was standard in AVI files of the DivX era and every player of that generation decodes it. Lower Audio bitrate to 128 kbps for speech, or tick Remove audio for silent footage such as a microscope or CCTV clip, which also keeps the file smaller. If you only need the soundtrack, skip the video entirely and follow how to convert MP4 to MP3.
MP4 to AVI converter FAQ
Why would anyone convert MP4 to AVI today?
Because some hardware never got an update. Many DVD players and TVs sold from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s play AVI from a USB stick but ignore MP4, and some lab, CCTV and editing programs on Windows still read AVI only.
Which video codec does the AVI use?
The Video codec menu applies to MP4, MOV, MKV and M4V, so for AVI the converter chooses the encoder itself. Older players decode only specific codecs inside AVI, so convert one short clip and test it on the device before doing a whole batch.
Why is 480p the default for MP4 to AVI?
DivX Home Theater certified players, the most common AVI hardware, are limited to standard definition: 720 × 480 for NTSC and 720 × 576 for PAL. A 1080p AVI often shows a codec or resolution error on those players.
Will converting MP4 to AVI lose quality?
Some, because the video is re-encoded, and more if you keep the 480p default for an HD source. For a TV viewed from the couch the difference is small. For software that handles HD, choose Same as source under Resolution.
Can I convert MP4 to AVI on a Mac?
Yes, in Safari or Chrome. macOS will not preview the resulting AVI in QuickTime Player, which is expected; play it in VLC or on the target device to check it.