the quality and size really depends on how the video files are encoded. both formats can be encoded at high quality, or low quality. AVIs are often uncompressed, but can be with codecs such as DivX and the popular DV stream used in miniDV tapes. Whereas mpeg4 (all mpeg formats actually) are all compressed. DVDs use mpeg 2, and the next generation hd-dvds will probably use mpeg4, due to more flexibility. As for which one is better, that really depends on what you want to do with it.
i c ic, thanks...one more thing though. can mpeg4's be divxed?? what would happen if they are divx'd? would it just be an AVI? and why isn't there a single conversion guide for mpeg4's, such as learning how to convert mpeg4 -> (s)vcd, mpeg4 -> AVI, and re-encoding mpeg4 to a lower bit-rate??
avi -> uncompressed = could be referred to the old one, 1.0. the new one, 2.0 is opendml which acts as a container,
which doesn't compress the video or audio. container = means it holds things.
divx, xvid, 3ivx is mpeg4 asp type of compression.
there is another mpeg 4 which is the container.
if you're familiar with mpeg1/2 it uses mpeg container to hold them.
few of the current dvd editing programs recognize mpeg-4. will this change in the future? i've got a bunch of home move dvd's converted from vhs, and would like to convert to either mpeg1 or mpeg2 so I can edit. the Nero ultra edition converts the dvd to mpeg4. any suggestions?
