"Free software for video is currently in sad shape. The only two
widely distributed free video editing programs, Kino and Cinelerra,
are nowhere near as capable as competing commercial software.
Hardly any professional video producers use either one. But most
people aren't as concerned with the software used to make video as
with the software they need to play it, especially in their Web
browsers, and on this side of the video equation it looks like
things are going to get a lot better for free software enthusiasts
in 2008.
"The two most prominent video codecs currently available under
free software licenses are Xvid and Ogg Theora. In a technical
sense, Xvid is clearly the better of the two..."