# AVI files

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avi-files/50801>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 19, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avi-files/50801 "2001-01-19T03:16:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![djf750](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@djf750](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/djf750)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avi-files/50801/1 "2001-01-19T03:16:40Z")

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i copied an .AVI file onto a zip disk and put it on another computer, but it wouldnt play because of something with the codec and “no suitable decompressor”  
can anyone tell me how to be able to play this file? thanks

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**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avi-files/50801/2 "2001-01-19T04:37:37Z")

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A codec is a “COmpression-DECompression algorithm.”

You need to get the codec for this file and install it on your computer. The error message should say in it somewhere what codec you need.

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**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avi-files/50801/3 "2001-01-19T04:44:55Z")

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Sometimes the error message won’t tell you what codec to use, so you may have to load the file as best you can, and check out its properties.

Then go to [Google.com](http://Google.com) and search for that particular codec (they all have distinctive names or codes) and somewhere you should find a way to download that particular file.

This kind of problem with files is on the increase as more codec get made, and people randomly use whatever one they like with no consideration for the viewer.

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avi-files/50801/4 "2001-01-19T04:59:27Z")

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I’d suggest trying the DivX codec first. It’s good odds that a random avi file nowadays will use that one.

Here’s the link: [http://divx.ctw.cc/](http://divx.ctw.cc/)

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**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avi-files/50801/5 "2001-01-19T05:22:21Z")

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If you right-click on the file and see under “Properties” it may say what kind of encoding it uses.

Upgrading the Media Player to the latest version might be all you need to do. You can do it from the “Windows Update” feature.

Also, some AVI files are actually QuickTime files. If you install the latest version of QuickTime it should install the correct CODEC as well, and then the file will play in Windows Media Player. My digital camera (Canon G1) produces “.AVI” QuickTime files.