Xvid

Here are the main bits you need to know about Xvid (formerly XviD): it is a video codec library, it can be used to compress and decompress files, it is offered for free. Why do you need it? The simple answer to this question is the following: you need the Xvid codec to view Xvid encoded files; your media player needs this codec to play Xvid compressed video files.

Xvid is a cross-platform program. And to be more precise, Xvid is available for Microsoft’s Windows operating system (32 and 64-bit editions) and for Linux distributions SuSE and Debian (Xvid will run on all Linux distributions, but binary packages are not maintained for all of them).

Focusing on Microsoft’s Windows OS, it must be said that installing Xvid on a PC will not take long. It is a standard process that goes like this: download an installer; run the installer; follow the instructions presented by a setup wizard. The Quick Look video that accompanies this article presents the aforementioned installation process.

As mentioned above, Xvid is a video codec. The main reason why regular users would need this codec is so they can play Xvid encoded videos. Without the necessary codecs, your media player cannot play video files and you cannot watch said videos. Without the Xvid codec, your media player cannot play Xvid encoded files and you cannot watch Xvid compressed videos.

Released under a GNU General Public License, Xvid is free software. The developers published the codec under the GNU GPL license because they believe in the Free Software movement.

Xvid is free, it is available for Windows and Linux, it is a must-have if you want to play Xvid encoded videos.