Video format conversion help

My friend imported video footage from two separate ''action'' cameras onto his mac book. The files are labeled as .avi files. I plan to edit the videos in PE4 to create a movie. I've transferred the files to my PC, but they only play on VLC media player. Other media players only play the audio portion.

I tried importing the files into PE4 and again...only audio. I believe what I need to do is to download video conversion software and convert to a usable format (although I thought .avi was usable).

I don't want to compromise video quality. Can someone suggest a good ''free'' video conversion program? Are there better programs for a nominal fee?

Thanks.Video format conversion help
I'm not sure how he converted those files to AVIs, tm (Macs don't use AVI natively), but my guess is that they're not DV codec AVIs. More likely Cinepak AVIs.

To see, open the videos in Windows Media Player and go to File/Properties. You'll see the codecs displayed there.

From there, you could look for a converter -- or, even better, you could ask your friend to output DV-AVIs instead. He should have that ability if he's using Final Cut or even Quicktime Pro to output those AVIs.Video format conversion help
When I opened in Windows Media Player I wasn't able to see codec information. I opened in VLC media player and found that the video codec is Camera 1: XVID 720x400 frame rate of 30, Camera 2: XVID 640x480 frame rate of 30.

Suggestions?
Xvid? I definitely can't recommend a converter for that! (It's a highly compressed file, pretty much only useful for viewing, not editing.)

Again I think your best strategy is to ask you Mac friend to output an AVI that uses the DV codec. It will be a lot larger (about 500 megabytes per minute), but at least you'll be able to edit it.

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