Join video clips without re-encoding?

Factual Questions
1

I guess it’s impossible, right?

Think in terms of MP4… ie… DIVX or XVID.

Also, is it possible to overlay text without losing quality?
Thanks

2

You can join AVIs with VirtualDub’s direct stream copy mode, as long as the video streams are compatible (same codec, resolution, etc.).

Overlaying text requires a reencode if you want the text “burned in” to the video, and that means losing quality. However, you might be able to use external subtitle files (.srt, .sub, etc.) to achieve your goal without reencoding the video. If you have VobSub installed, it’ll automatically look for a subtitle file and overlay it when you play an AVI file. Some set-top DivX players can also use external subtitles.