Moving .avi video files from PC to Mac

[Jamie.]

Hey everyone, I'm currently in the process of making a film but in the next few months I will be switching computers. My current computer is a PC, but the new one will be a Mac. I will need to transfer a large amount of .avi files onto the Mac but I'm not sure what to expect.

I know that .avi files won't usually work on Mac's, so what would be the first thing to do once I tranfer the files? Do I just need a file converter? If so, could someone please link me to a good one to use.

I will need to edit all of these files in Premiere, Final Cut, After Effects...so I'm just trying to fully understand ahead of time what I need to do in order to edit and view these .avi files.

 

[spice weasel]

Once you get your Mac, install Perian, a free codec bundle that will allow QuickTime and anything that uses QuickTime play more formats. In addition, you can use VLC, which will play back just about anything.

As for transcoding, give MPEG Streamclip a try. It is also free, and is one of the most useful pieces of video software out there.

 

[Jamie.]

Thank you, very helpful.

 

[Dave Braine]

Handbrake works well for that as well.

 

[MisterMe]

...

I know that .avi files won't usually work on Mac's, ...

AVI videos usually work just fine on my Macs.