SVI file format (.svi)
Samsung video, a 3GP variant for old handsets.
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What is an SVI file?
In short: An SVI file (.svi) is a video file in the SVI format. SVI is a 3GP variant that Samsung used on its phones and media players, with the codecs and resolutions those devices supported. It can be converted to MP4, MOV or GIF for free in a web browser with iHateFiles, without uploading it.
Samsung's video format for its own handsets, from the mid-2000s.
SVI is a 3GP variant that Samsung used on its phones and media players, with the codecs and resolutions those devices supported. It is a manufacturer format from an era before phones settled on common standards.
What SVI is good at
- Worked on the Samsung devices it was made for
- Small files
- Structurally close to 3GP
Where SVI falls short
- Manufacturer-specific and obsolete
- Low resolution
- Very little software recognises the extension
When to use SVI
Convert SVI to MP4.
How to open a SVI file
VLC, and any player willing to look past the extension.
| Windows | VLC, after renaming it to .mp4 if the player refuses on the extension alone. |
|---|---|
| macOS | VLC. |
| Linux | VLC or mpv. |
| Phone | VLC. |
| In a browser | No browser recognises the .svi extension, though the contents are usually ordinary MPEG-4. |
The thing that usually goes wrong
Renaming .svi to .3gp often works, since that is essentially what it is.
Inside a SVI file
SVI stands for Samsung Video, and it is one of the more misleading extensions in circulation. The file is, in nearly every case, an ordinary MPEG-4 file — the same structure a .mp4 has — written by Samsung camcorders and older Samsung phones with a different extension on it.
Some devices wrote a small proprietary header before the MPEG-4 data, which is why a player will occasionally refuse one even after renaming. Most, though, will play a .svi file the moment you rename it to .mp4, and that is worth trying before anything else.
| Stands for | Samsung Video |
|---|---|
| Actual contents | MPEG-4, usually H.263 or MPEG-4 Part 2 |
| Written by | Samsung camcorders and feature phones |
| Quick test | Rename to .mp4 — it often just plays |
| Audio | Usually AAC or AMR |
| Support | Effectively VLC only, by extension |
Questions
What is a SVI file?
Samsung video, a 3GP variant for old handsets. Files use the .svi extension.
How do I open a SVI file?
SVI is not widely supported any more. The reliable route is to convert it to a current format, which this page can do in your browser without uploading it.
Can I convert SVI for free?
Yes. Every conversion here is free and unlimited, because your own device does the work rather than a server we have to pay for.
Is SVI lossless?
That depends on the codec inside the container rather than the container itself. Everything written here is re-encoded, so expect one generation of loss.