A codec is software that is used to generate and play back the AVI movie file. When exporting a BB FlashBack movie file to AVI format, you need to select a codec.
However, you need to be aware that because the codec may also be necessary to play back the movie, a PC may be unable to play back the exported AVI file if it does not have the codec you selected during the export process.
Windows default codecs
Windows comes with a small number of codecs installed by default: Indeo 3,4 or 5, Cinepak and Microsoft Video 1. If you choose one of these you can be fairly sure that the AVI will play back correctly on most Windows PCs.
Of these default codecs, we have found that "Microsoft Video 1" gives the best balance of picture quality and file size.
Note: some movie players experience problems playing back AVIs created with the Microsoft Video 1 codec - use Windows Media Player to play them back correctly.
Third party codecs
You can install other codecs on your PC, as well as these defaults. Some may already have been installed as part of an application. These third party codecs can give much better results than the default Windows codecs.
However, be aware that if you use a non-Windows default codec, you need to ensure that the AVI plays back on PCs other than the one you used to export it.
If you want to use a non-Windows default codec, our tests have found that, in many cases, XVid gives the best quality and filesize. It can be downloaded from www.divxmovies.com.
Note: for a PC to play XVid movies in Windows Media Player (the default movie player on many PCs), the XVid codec will need to be installed first.
There are hundreds of third party codecs. As well as the default Windows codecs, we've tested BB FlashBack with these: DivX5, 3ivx D4 v4.5, Xvid, VP70, VP31, Microsoft MPEG4 v1-3, ffdshow (encoding Xvid).
There is a known issue with DivX v6 and ffdshow (encoding MPG4) - BB FlashBack cannot export using either of these.
How do I choose the best codec?
This will depend on what you are exporting, and what your priorities are: do you want the best picture quality, or the smallest files, or for your AVI to playback on as many Windows PCs as possible? Different codecs will give varying quality and file size when exporting different movies. You'll need to try it out and see the results.
Note: remember that BB FlashBack also exports to Windows Media Video format. This format can give better quality results than exporting to AVI, and also play back on the large majority of Windows PCs. See Exporting to Windows Media Video for details.
Known Problems
Certain codecs