H.265 vs H.264 video format comparison. What is HEVC and AVC?
H.265 (HEVC), unlike H.264 (AVC), is becoming the most widely used format for compressing video and recording 4K / 8K UHD content, not to mention HD / SD video. Upgrading 4K and 8K video challenges the current H.264 compression standard, as it can no longer encode Ultra HD video at a satisfactory bit rate than HD content.
As a result, the next-generation HEVC video compression standard gains an advantage over AVC due to better compression efficiency. This allows for a 50% reduction in bit rate, but provides the same video quality.
This post shows the differences between the two standards based on file size, bandwidth usage, bitrate, quality, and compatibility.
What is H.265 (HEVC)?
H.265 is also known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). This format is twice as efficient as H.264 when encoding. It halves the transmission speed at the same quality level as its predecessor. Designed for next-generation HDTV displays and content capture systems that have progressive frame rates and resolutions, as well as improved image quality in terms of noise levels, color spaces, and dynamic range.
What is H.264 (AVC)?
H.264 or MPEG-4 AVC is a video encoding format that is currently one of the most widely used to compress and deliver video content. AVC saves the bit rate by 50% or more compared to its predecessor MPEG-2. It has a wider range of applications covering all compressed videos, from low bit rate streaming applications (YouTube, iTunes, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram) to various HDTV broadcasts via terrestrial, cable and satellite TV. It is also widely used for Blu-ray discs, DVDs, IP networks, and digital cinema applications with virtually lossless encoding.
Comparison of video compression formats
Compression efficiency
H.265 differs from H.264 in compression efficiency. HEVC doubles the encoding efficiency of its predecessor. This means that the H.265 codec saves about 50% bit rate for the same encoding quality. Specifically, the average bit reduction for H.265 is 64% at 4K UHD, 62% at 1080p, 56% at 720p, and 52% at 480p. So if you download a movie in H.265 and play it on an Android iPhone, 50% of the mobile device memory will be saved. And the quality of the film will not suffer!
H.265 vs H.264 format comparison – compression efficiency
Broadband
H.265 also beats H.264 in terms of bandwidth usage. Because the HEVC algorithm uses efficient encoding, it promises a reduction of around 40-50% in the transmission bandwidth required to compress video (eg 720p) with the same quality. Typically, 4K H264 (AVC) streaming requires 32 Mbps of bandwidth, while 4K HEVC video is only 15 Mbps. Thus, it is possible to enjoy 4k videos smoothly even with a congested network connection.
To sum it up, let’s say avi is a heavyweight file with high quality image and audio, best suited for DVDs and home PCs.
Mp4 is a lightweight file that doesn’t require a lot of processing power to play, suitable for watching videos in a browser and on smartphones.
