Can I add .avi files to iTunes without converting them?

Question

I have the appropriate codec installed to play .avi files with QuickTime, but iTunes doesn't want me to just drag and drop .avi files into my iTunes library. Can I somehow convince iTunes that it should accept .avi files?

(I now I can convert the .avi files into MPEG4 and then drop the MPEG4 into iTunes, but I would like to avoid that step.)

Answer 1

Short answer: No.

Although instead of converting to MPEG4, you can put them in a .mov container which will act as an alias and point to the original .avi file. Within Quicktime (which you said you already have installed), go to File -> Save As and select Reference Movie. The file generated can be dropped into iTunes.