Before we determine if it is "better," a quick refresher is required. Xvid is a MPEG-4 Part 2 Advanced Simple Profile (ASP) codec. Born as open-source software in 2001, it was the direct competitor to the commercial DivX codec. For nearly a decade, it was the gold standard for "scene releases" on the internet.
: Distributed under the GNU GPL, Xvid is free to use and integrate into any project without the licensing fees associated with proprietary codecs like H.265. Comparison: Xvid vs. Modern Alternatives (2024) XVID files: How to open and use them - Codec - Adobe i xvid video codec 2024 better
Modern codecs prioritize file size. They use complex algorithms to drop data the human eye "shouldn't" see. However, in 2024, storage is cheap (a 14TB hard drive is under $200). The priority has shifted from storage to preservation . Before we determine if it is "better," a
Pro tip: If someone insists Xvid is “better” today for general video, politely suggest they compare a 1 GB Xvid file vs a 500 MB H.264 file at the same resolution. The difference is clear. For nearly a decade, it was the gold