Xvid
Also known as: Xvid codec, XviD, .xvid file
Xvid is a free, open-source MPEG-4 Part 2 video codec created as an alternative to DivX. It was widely used in the 2000s to compress movies into small AVI files and is now a legacy codec replaced by H.264 for most new video.
- Free, open-source MPEG-4 Part 2 codec
- Open alternative to DivX, often in AVI files
- Largely replaced by H.264 today
Xvid vs DivX
Xvid implements the same MPEG-4 Part 2 standard as DivX, so the two produce broadly compatible files and were direct rivals. The key difference is licensing: Xvid is open source and free, which made it popular for amateur encoding and file sharing.
Like DivX, Xvid is a codec, not a file format — the video usually lives inside an AVI container, which is why the file extension you see is often .avi rather than .xvid.
Playing and converting Xvid
Old Xvid files play in VLC and most desktop media players. For phones, browsers, and modern apps, converting to MP4 with an H.264 stream is the reliable option and usually shrinks the file further.