AVI files have been the standard video format used by Windows for quite some time.  It is now superceded by the new Windows Media 9 format (WMV).  However, there are good reasons to continue to support and use AVI.  The AVI format is flexible, supporting any width and height resolution and various source formats including RGB and ARGB.  Like, MPEG files, it is necessary to have the required codecs and filters installed to playback an AVI.  Typically, the codecs will be automatically installed with Windows XP.  SongShow Plus, however, does provide a colorspace filter that is necessary for certain codecs, like Intel Indeo.  The major drawback to an AVI file is that its compression is typically not as good as an MPEG file's compression.

(MI005)