Several compression methods appear in the Video for Windows (AVI) dialog. Each compressor is designed for a specific use.
A brief explanation of the some of the more common compression formats appear below. However, other formats may also be available.
This compressor is commonly used for the capture and compression of analog video and high-quality playback from hard disk. Files can be re-compressed with little or no loss of quality.
This compressor allows play back at higher frame rates on most systems. It is widely used for compressed video on CD-ROM and on the Internet. When played back, this codec uses minimal band-width which leaves more processor power available for other tasks, making this a good choice for applications with interactive content.
Microsoft's RLE (Run Length Encoding) video compression algorithm compresses eight-bit sequences only. This method is used primarily for base level multimedia computers. Playback is also in eight bit, and isn't scalable for higher-end PCs.
Intel's digital video codec. This codec provides a wide variety of features specifically designed for multimedia applications. This is the most popular type of compression for video files in AVI format.