How to use the MP4 to AVI converter
- Add the MP4 clips you want to play on the older device.
- Choose High for a TV screen or Balanced for a small display.
- If the device is picky about size, set 480p under More settings, then convert and copy the files across.
What goes inside the AVI
The picture is encoded as MPEG-4 Part 2 with the xvid tag, the codec family behind the DivX and Xvid logos, and the sound becomes 160 kbps MP3. Those devices generally cannot play H.264 in an AVI even though the container permits it, so copying the MP4 picture would not help.
MPEG-4 Part 2 is an older, less efficient codec. Expect the AVI to be noticeably bigger than the MP4 at similar quality; a test clip came out around three times larger at Balanced.
Getting it to play
Plenty of standalone DivX players top out at standard definition, 720×576 or 720×480. If HD files are rejected or stutter, convert again at 480p.
Try one converted clip on the stick or card first, and only then do the rest. If the player does not list the file at all, a shorter name without accents sometimes fixes it.
Batches for a USB stick
A season of episodes or a folder of holiday clips can be queued together. Each AVI keeps the base name of its MP4, and the ZIP button bundles them for copying to the stick in one go.
The soundtrack in every file is written as 160 kbps MP3, a bitrate that older players decode without trouble.
Questions
Is the conversion slow?
MPEG-4 Part 2 is light to encode, so even on the WebAssembly ffmpeg route it usually runs faster than the clip’s own length.
Will Windows play the AVI?
Yes. Windows 10 and 11 ship with an MPEG-4 Part 2 decoder.
Can the AVI keep H.264 instead?
No. This page always writes Xvid-compatible video, since H.264 inside AVI is precisely what older players fail on.
Does the MP4 get uploaded?
No. ffmpeg runs as WebAssembly inside this tab, so the clip is re-encoded on your own computer. The engine itself, about 31 MB, is fetched once from jsDelivr and then cached.