Format Description Categories >>
Browse Alphabetical List
>> Back
Format Description Properties
• ID: fdd000060
• Short name: AVI_MJPEG
• Content categories: moving image
• Format category: file format, bitstream encoding
• Last significant update: 2004-05-03
Identification and description 
| Full name | AVI (Audio Video Interleaved), Motion JPEG Video Codec |
| Description | File format that wraps an MJPEG video bitstream with other data chunks, e.g., audio. |
| Production phase | Generally a middle-state format (often used as the video source when producing lower-resolution streaming versions). |
| Relationship to other formats | |
| Subtype of | AVI |
| Contains | MJPEG video codec |
| May contain | WAVE audio (interleaved with video) |
| May contain | MP3_CBR (constant bit rate) audio (interleaved with video) |
Local use
| LC experience or existing holdings | |
| LC preference | See AVI |
Sustainability factors
| Disclosure | See AVI and MJPEG |
| Documentation | See AVI and MJPEG |
| Adoption | AVI is widely adopted for video production and filemaking; commentator John McGowan writes, "Most PC video capture and editing systems capture video to AVI files using Motion JPEG video compression." |
| Licensing and patent claims | See AVI |
| Transparency | See MJPEG, especially the note in Description from a newsgroup writer pertaining to the difference between JPEG and MJPEG. |
| Self-documentation | See AVI and MJPEG, especially the note in Description from a newsgroup writer pertaining to the difference between JPEG and MJPEG. |
| External dependencies | See AVI |
| Technical protection considerations | See AVI |
Quality and functionality factors (video)
| Normal rendering | Good support. |
| Clarity (support for high image resolution) | Moderate to very good, given that this is a format typically used for compression and that most AVI implementations do not support interlaced video. Outcome will depend on the type and extent of compression, and the encoder used. High resolution work is limited in the Windows environment due to file size limits (2 GB with FAT 16 technology; theoretical 8 GB with later technologies). Note that use of OpenDML extensions to AVI would permit MJPEG with interlaced video and other features that increase clarity. |
| Fidelity (support for high audio resolution) | See AVI |
| Support for multiple sound channels | See AVI |
| Functionality beyond normal video rendering | See AVI |
File type signifiers
| Tag type | Value | Note |
| Filename Extension | avi | |
| Internet Media Type | See AVI | |
| Magic numbers | See AVI | |
| Microsoft FOURCC | MJPG | See the Microsoft registry. |
Notes
Format specifications
URLs
Print
Useful references
URLs
• John McGowan's AVI Overview (http://www.jmcgowan.com/avi.html)
• John McGowan's AVI Audio and Video Codecs (http://www.jmcgowan.com/avicodecs.html)
• Microsoft registry of FOURCC codes and WAVE format indicators (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwmt/html/registeredfourcccodesandwaveformats.asp). The archived 2001 version of this registry is at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/fourcc.mspx.
• Gary Kessler's File Signatures Table (http://www.garykessler.net/library/file_sigs.html).
Print
Last Updated: 03/ 7/2007
