Convert AVI to MP4 or turn the archive into text without the video.
To convert AVI to MP4, run ffmpeg -i tape.avi -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k tape.mp4, or open the AVI in HandBrake, choose a general preset and start the encode (preset names change between releases). For a transcript the quicker route is the sound alone: ffmpeg -i tape.avi -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 64k -ac 1 tape.mp3 turns a DV capture of roughly 13 GB an hour into about 29 MB.
Old files, three routes
AVI is a container from another era. What is inside varies, which is why the route depends on what you want at the end.
A watchable MP4
ffmpeg -i tape.avi -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k tape.mp4 re-encodes into H.264, which almost every device plays. A lower CRF number means better picture and a bigger file. For DV footage, add -vf yadif to remove the comb lines of interlaced video.
HandBrake, from a window
Open the AVI with Open Source, pick a general preset from the list, set a destination name ending in .mp4 and press Start Encode. HandBrake can queue a whole folder of tapes overnight. The preset names change with releases, so pick the closest match to your source resolution.
Sound only, for the words
ffmpeg -i tape.avi -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 64k -ac 1 tape.mp3 skips the video entirely and finishes in a fraction of the time. For a folder, a short loop over *.avi does every file and keeps the names.
Then upload
The box above takes audio, MP4 and WebM up to 500 MB; larger files continue on the upload page, up to 10 hours or 5 GB. A long DV capture is too big as video either way, so the audio is the practical upload.
Where AVI archives stall
A box of digitised tapes looks like a weekend of conversion. Most of that time is spent on picture nobody needs for a transcript.
✗ Converting everything at full quality
Every tape is re-encoded to high-quality video, then each MP4 is too big to upload, and the project stalls.
- Re-encoding 30 hours of picture for text
- A 90-minute capture at about 19.5 GB
- Remuxing codecs MP4 will not hold
- Files renamed out of tape order
- Deleting the AVIs after converting
- Uploading tapes you do not hold rights to
✓ Audio for text, MP4 for viewing
The sound goes up today; the watchable MP4s can render later on their own schedule.
- One loop extracts every soundtrack
- About 43 MB for a 90-minute tape
- Names keep the tape order
- AVIs kept as the archive master
- About 3 minutes per 90-minute tape
- Packs from $4 for 300 minutes
Sample
A family history tape from the 1990s, captured as DV AVI, about an hour in.
Illustrative lines written for this page; no real family is quoted. Timestamps count from the start of the captured tape.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $4 (300 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$4/300 min
5 hours of audio — $0.80 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 300 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$18/3,000 min
50 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 3,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
Bulk pack
$32/6,000 min
100 hours of audio — $0.32 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 6,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
AVI to MP4, answered.
Can I just change the container without re-encoding?
Sometimes. ffmpeg -i in.avi -c copy out.mp4 works when the video and sound inside are codecs MP4 can hold, such as some MPEG-4 and MP3 combinations. DV and Motion JPEG AVIs usually need a full re-encode, which is why the H.264 line above is the safe default.
Can I upload the AVI as it is?
The box on this page lists audio, MP4 and WebM, so an AVI usually needs converting first. For a transcript, extracting the audio is the lightest conversion and keeps the timeline.
How big are old AVI files?
DV captures run about 13 GB an hour, so a 90-minute tape is about 19.5 GB. Xvid and DivX AVIs are far smaller, often well under 1.5 GB an hour. The audio of any of them as a 64 kbps MP3 is about 29 MB an hour.
How long does an archive take to transcribe?
About 2 minutes per audio hour, so a 90-minute tape is back in about 3 minutes and 30 hours of tapes add up to about an hour of processing. A single capture longer than 10 hours goes up as two files.
What does a tape archive cost?
A single 90-minute tape uses 90 minutes of the $4 pack of 300 minutes. The opening minutes come free for a newcomer, and pack minutes never time out.
What comes back for each tape?
A brief with thesis and takeaways, timestamped chapters, the names, numbers and dates mentioned, and a chat to search the tape by asking; speakers are named in the summary, key quotes and chapters. Export TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT or JSON. Tapes are processed on our own servers and never used for training. Work only with tapes you own or hold the rights to.
Related
Related pages
Take the sound off the tapes. The archive becomes searchable text.
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