Can someone tell me why this video file is so big

I have this AVI video I believe that I ripped from my camcorder a long time ago. It is 1:13 hours in length, 720x480, but it is 15GB! The quality is pretty rubbish, most likely a recording from early to mid 2000s. From the details of the file, the data rate is 29000kbps and total bitrate is around there too. Audio bitrate is 1024kbps stereo. I'm not very familiar with these video stuff so I apologize if I sound too noobish. I want to keep the video file, but not at the size that it is now. What should I do to shrink this file without making the video look even worse?

 

you can try encodehd http://www.google.com/#biw=1024&bih...qf.&bvm=bv.47008514,d.aWc&fp=87677a0f9d6475c5
and see if that will help convert the file to a smaller format.

If you have nero, you can use rencode and have it fit on a cdr, but that requires you to mess with the frame rate and down sample the audio

 

For a video with such low quality at least visually, why is the file so big?

 

Avi is uncompressed so the video will take up alot of room weather it looks good or not.

 

i actually have gameplay videos on youtube.i use a program that records them from my screen uncompressed.they take up massive amounts of memory (uncompressed)
i use windows movie maker to shrink them, might work for you.
in windows movie maker all you have to do is add the video then select save video as (high definition or for my computer) it will shrink it and save it as mp4.seriously ive had 10gb+ movies down to a few hundred mbs and not any major difference in quality.

movie maker is free from windows live and it wont hurt to try even if it isnt successful.