Difference Between MOV and AVI (With Table)

The file formats are the basis of all applications in the modern world. Al the applications starting from our phones to our computers, store the data in digital format at this container. Then display them as we pen. A single track can be opened in many applications, but the features will get clipped as per the format of the application, or they will not get supported there.

The AVI container file format is very popular developed by Microsoft. The MOV is also a file format developed by Apple. Here are some differences between AVI and MOV.

MOV vs AVI

The main difference between AVI and MOV is that they came from different origins. The AVI format was developed by Microsoft in the year 1992. On the other hand, MOV is the file format developed by Apple just one year before that. The AVI format is appeared nearly with that of MOV but is very popular in comparison.

The MOV is an application developed by Apple. This file format is much updated. This format can store information about the audio, video as well as texts and effects. The files here are small in size but have very high-quality audio and video effects. This appeared in the market in recent years. It is a new file format by Apple Inc.

The AVI format is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave file. This format contains all the audio and video information of a track. This information is almost supported by all devices like video players and smartphones. Microsoft improved the application and launched the WVM application with more improved features and abandoned AVI as it was not able to compete with improved devices.

Comparison Table Between MOV and AVI

Parameters of comparison

MOV

AVI

Definition

This is a multimedia file the QuickTime (.mov)that contains all the data of tracks such as audio, video, text, etc

It is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave. It is also a file format that contains data such as audio and video.

Developed by

Apple Inc.

Microsoft

File size supported

Small files are supported

Big files are supported

Quality

It is high quality as compared to AVI

The quality is poor as compared to MOV

Popularity

It is less popular due to its limited device support

It is very popular as it is supported in maximum devices.

What is MOV?

The QuickTime is a file format developed by Apple. This file format is much updated. The extension of the format is .mov. This format can store information about the audio, video as well as texts and effects. The files here are small in size but have very high-quality audio and video effects. This appeared in the market in recent years. It is a new file format by Apple Inc.

This is a multimedia file container that can store one or more track information. All video formats are not supported here. Only the videos that are supported by the QuickTime codec manager are supported here. Similarly, the audio formats that are available through Sound Manager or CoreAudio are supported. This file format is not supported on all devices.

All codecs are also not supported here. Only H.264 is supported to MOV. The coding type of MOV is Moov. As this format has so many limitations, this format supports only some specific devices. Another cause is that due o o many features, the cost of these devices also moves high. So the popularity of this format is very low as compared to the AVI format.

What is AVI?

The AVI format is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave file. This format contains all the audio and video information of a track. This information is almost supported by all devices like video players and smartphones. Microsoft improved the application and launched the WVM application with more improved features and abandoned AVI as it was not able to compete with improved devices.

The AVI files do not contain the aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is the height to width ratio of the screen. The video files many times’ get compressed. This creates a problem in the picture quality. As the syncing of the lines in the screen is not done properly.

The AVI format is updated to different other formats like MP4, WVM, etc., but the AVI is most popular due to its universal use in all available devices. 

The chapters and subtitles in AVI are third-party controlled. They do not have the facility of text storage in the format. AVI supports all video formats that are through VFW (Video for Windows). AVI also supports all audio formats through ACM (Audio Compression Manager).

Main Differences Between MOV and AVI

  1. MOV is a multimedia file the QuickTime (.mov) that contains all the data of tracks such as audio, video, text, etc. On the other hand, AVI is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave. It is also a file format that contains data such as audio and video.
  2. MOV was developed by Apple Inc., whereas the AVI was developed by Microsoft.
  3. In MOV, the small files are supported. In contrast, in AVI, the big files are supported
  4. MOV is high quality as compared to AVI. The quality is poor as compared to MOV.
  5. MOV is less popular due to its limited device support, but on the other hand, AVI is very popular as it is supported in maximum devices.

Conclusion 

We enjoy songs and videos in different applications. There is a file format for every application. For media players, the file format contains all the information for different tracks. The audio, video, etc., information is stored here. The file formats are the basis of all applications in the modern world. Al the applications starting from our phones to our computers, store the data in digital format at this container. Then display them as we pen. A single track can be opened in many applications, but the features will get clipped as per the format of the application, or they will not get supported there. So there is a need to understand these file formats AVI and MOV, to know their contribution to our life.

References

  1. https://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-GDYJ200704007.htm
  2. https://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-XDDJ200802042.htm