What Is the Xvid Format?
Xvid is not a format, but a codec used with the MPEG-4 video format. Like all video codecs, it is used to compress digital video to a more practical file size while not sacrificing picture quality. Xvid is free, open-source software that anyone can download, modify or distribute.
Other People Are Reading
-
History
-
In 2001 the developers of the popular video codec DivX began development on a open source version of the codec called OpenDivX. Development ceased on the project later that year but advances made during that time led to the development of Xvid by independent programmers later that year. Today Xvid has no ties to DivX, and is compiled completely with original code and not a DivX-derived one.
Uses
-
Xvid is seen as the direct competitor to DivX, and given the origins of Xvid the two programs are very similar. They both compress digital video with little degradation in picture quality and both use the MPEG-4 compression standard. Their main difference is in their availability and usage rights. Both codecs are free to download for the use of playing video files encoded with either codec, but users wanting to encode their own video files using DivX must buy the encoding program. Xvid, on the other hand, is completely free no matter what it is being used for.
-
Availability
-
When a person uses a specific codec to compress a video file, anyone who wants to watch that video file later on must also have that codec installed on his computer. Codecs like Xvid can usually be downloaded from a variety of sites, either alone or in packs that include many of the more popular codecs.With the Xvid codec installed, most media players can play video files compressed with Xvid.
Compatibility
-
Xvid is widely compatible with almost every operating system available today, including most version of Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Many new standalone DVD players can also play Xvid encoded files that have been burned to recordable DVDs as well. Video game systems like the Xbox 360 and the PS3 also support Xvid-encoded files.
Xvid vs Divx
-
Picture quality is largely subjective, but some industry professionals believe that Xvid offers superior video compression and picture quality compared to Divx. A direct side-by-side comparison of DivX and Xvid by the website Gromkov's Software claimed that Xvid offered DVD quality at CD-sized files, while DivX's quality was below DVD standards. In their comparison, Xvid-encoded videos had better contrast ratios, sharper images and smoother edges when compared to DivX-encoded files of the same size
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit compact disc image by Steve Lovegrove from Fotolia.com
