FLV and AVI explained
FLV was the container behind Flash video, which dominated online video until browsers removed Flash support entirely at the end of 2020. Nothing plays FLV natively today.
AVI is a Microsoft container from 1992. It predates modern video compression and lacks features taken for granted today, such as proper support for variable frame rates and modern codec metadata.
- Where FLV files come from
- Video downloaded or archived from the web before roughly 2015.
- Where AVI is used
- Old camcorders, legacy Windows software and archived downloads.