Audio Video Interleave (AVI) is a multimedia container format introduced by Microsoft in November 1992 as part of its Video for Windows technology. AVI files can contain both audio and video data in a single file container, allowing for synchronized playback. The AVI format is widely supported across various operating systems and media players, making it a popular choice for storing and distributing video content. However, AVI is a container format, meaning it can hold data encoded with various codecs. This flexibility can sometimes lead to compatibility issues if the required codec is not installed on the playback device. Over time, more modern container formats like MP4 and MKV have gained popularity due to their superior features and codec support, but AVI remains a common format, especially for older video files and legacy systems. It's important to note that the quality and file size of an AVI file depend heavily on the codecs used for encoding the audio and video streams within the container.