Free online H265 to XVID converter

Older DVD players, televisions, media boxes, and editing applications may not decode H.265/HEVC video but can play Xvid in an AVI file. Converting is also useful when sharing video with legacy systems, although Xvid generally produces a larger file at comparable quality.

What the H.265 format is

H.265, also called HEVC, is a video codec designed to deliver similar visual quality at roughly half the bitrate of H.264. It is used for 4K recordings, streaming, Blu-ray and broadcast delivery, smartphone video, screen capture, and camera footage.

Phones such as recent iPhones and Android models, action cameras, security cameras, OBS Studio, Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and FFmpeg can create H.265 video. The codec is commonly stored in .mp4, .mkv, or .mov files; those extensions identify the container, not the video codec. H.265 files may use 10-bit color, HDR, high resolutions, and frame rates that older playback hardware cannot handle.

What the Xvid format is

Xvid is an implementation of the MPEG-4 Part 2 Advanced Simple Profile codec, commonly distributed in an AVI container with the .avi extension. It is supported by many older DVD players, televisions, set-top boxes, car entertainment systems, and video applications.

Xvid is useful when broad legacy compatibility matters more than compression efficiency. It normally uses 8-bit YUV 4:2:0 video and works well with standard-definition or modest-resolution material. It does not provide the compression efficiency, HDR support, or modern hardware support of H.265.

How to actually convert H.265 to Xvid

Using the built-in online converter

1. Open the H.265 file converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the source .mp4, .mkv, or .mov file.
3. Choose Xvid or AVI as the output format, then start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting file and test it on the target player before converting a large batch.

The 101convert.com converter can be used free without installing software. Upload limits, supported audio codecs, and maximum resolution can vary, so FFmpeg is preferable when those settings must be controlled precisely.

Using FFmpeg on a computer

Install an FFmpeg build that includes the libxvid encoder, then run:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v libxvid -q:v 4 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 3 output.avi

Replace input.mkv with the actual source filename. The -q:v 4 setting uses quality-based encoding; lower values increase quality and file size. -pix_fmt yuv420p improves compatibility with older Xvid hardware, while MP3 audio is commonly accepted in AVI files.

For a device that cannot decode large frames, add a scale filter, for example:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -vf "scale=1280:-2" -c:v libxvid -q:v 4 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 3 output.avi

Use -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 when the source contains multiple video or audio streams and only the first of each should be converted. AVI support for embedded subtitles, chapters, HDR metadata, and multiple streams is limited; burn subtitles into the video or keep them as a separate file when necessary.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

This conversion always re-encodes the video, so it is lossy and cannot restore detail already discarded by the H.265 source. Avoid converting a low-quality source at an unnecessarily high Xvid quality setting; it increases file size without recovering detail.

For maximum legacy compatibility, use AVI, Xvid MPEG-4 Part 2, 8-bit YUV 4:2:0, and MP3 audio. Some devices reject resolutions above 720p, variable frame rates, unusual pixel dimensions, or packed-B-frame variants, so reduce the resolution and use a constant frame rate if the target device still fails to play the result. H.265 HDR and 10-bit color will usually be converted to standard 8-bit SDR-compatible video, and the conversion may require tone mapping if the source is HDR.