Compare Audio Video Interleave and Apple QuickTime Movie formats — understand the key differences and when to use each
Audio Video Interleave
AVI (Audio Video Interleave) is a multimedia container format introduced by Microsoft in 1992 as part of Windows 3.1. AVI stores interleaved audio and video data and supports a wide range of codecs including DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, and uncompressed video. While AVI is one of the oldest video formats still in use, it has several limitations: no native support for modern codecs (H.265), subtitles require external files, and streaming capabilities are limited. AVI files tend to be larger than MP4 or MKV equivalents. However, AVI remains widely supported by media players and video editing software. Many legacy video cameras and older devices output AVI files. Converting AVI to MP4 typically reduces file size while maintaining quality and improving compatibility with modern devices.
Apple QuickTime Movie
MOV is Apple's QuickTime multimedia container format, developed alongside the QuickTime framework. MOV supports high-quality video codecs including ProRes (422, 4444), H.264, HEVC, and Apple's ProRes RAW, making it the industry standard for professional video editing on macOS and iOS. MOV files from iPhone record in HEVC (H.265) for efficient storage, while professional cameras output ProRes for maximum editing flexibility. The format supports multiple video and audio tracks, timecode, metadata, and chapter markers. MOV is natively supported by Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Adobe Premiere, and DaVinci Resolve. While MOV files may have limited playback support on non-Apple devices, they're essential in professional video workflows. Converting MOV to MP4 provides universal compatibility.
| Feature | AVI | MOV |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Audio Video Interleave | Apple QuickTime Movie |
| File Extension | .avi | .mov |
| Category | video | video |
| Free to Convert | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Browser Support | ✓ All Browsers | ✓ All Browsers |
| Convert to Each Other | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
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最大文件大小：2GB