Limited Compatibility of H.265
The H.265 codec (also known as HEVC, High Efficiency Video Coding) is an improved version of H.264 (AVC), offering higher compression while maintaining similar or even superior image quality compared to H.264. However, it has some disadvantages in terms of compatibility that are worth highlighting.
- Older hardware and devices: Many older devices, such as Blu-ray players, older TVs, or smartphones without dedicated hardware to decode H.265, may struggle to play content encoded with this codec. H.264 remains the most compatible codec, widely supported across almost all devices and platforms.
- Playback and editing software: While modern players and some editing platforms support H.265, compatibility is not as widespread as with H.264. Some older software programs may not be able to decode or work with H.265 files without additional codecs being installed.
- Licensing and patents: H.265 is subject to a more stringent licensing system compared to H.264, leading some services and devices to avoid implementing it due to the cost of the licenses. This contributes to slower adoption.
Why H.265 is Better for Compression
H.265 offers a significant improvement in compression efficiency. Here's why it's better for compression and quality:
- Higher compression efficiency: H.265 can reduce the size of a video file by up to 50% compared to H.264 while maintaining the same image quality. This is achieved through advancements in data processing and motion prediction algorithms, as well as intra-frame compression.
- Better quality with less data: H.265 uses advanced compression techniques, such as larger blocks for motion prediction and greater color prediction accuracy, allowing more visual detail to be preserved in the compressed file. This is especially noticeable at higher resolutions, such as 4K, where the quality difference between H.264 and H.265 becomes even more significant.
- Improved handling of high resolutions: H.265 is particularly efficient when dealing with higher resolution videos, such as 4K or 8K, making it ideal for streaming high-definition content with a reduced file size.
H.265 Supported Apps and Devices
Here is a list of applications and devices that support H.265 (HEVC) for video editing, playback, and streaming:
PC Video Editing Apps:
- Adobe After Effects (Windows & macOS)
- Adobe Premiere Pro (Windows & macOS)
- Avid Media Composer (Windows & macOS)
- CapCut (Windows & macOS)
- DaVinci Resolve (Windows & macOS)
- Final Cut Pro (macOS)
- HitFilm Express (Windows & macOS)
- iMovie (macOS)
- Lightworks (Windows & macOS)
- MiniTool MovieMaker (Windows)
- Pinnacle Studio (Windows)
- Shotcut (Windows & macOS & Linux)
- Sony Vegas (Windows)
- VideoPad Video Editor (Windows & macOS)
Mobile Video Editing Apps:
- Adobe Premiere Rush (iOS & Android)
- Kinemaster (iOS & Android)
- PowerDirector (iOS & Android)
- LumaFusion (iOS)
- iMovie (iOS)
- FilmoraGo (iOS & Android)
- InShot (iOS & Android)
- VideoShow (iOS & Android)
PC Video Players:
- VLC Media Player (Windows & macOS & Linux)
- MPC-HC (Windows)
- PotPlayer (Windows)
- Windows Media Player (Windows 10/11)
- QuickTime Player (macOS)
- KMPlayer (Windows & macOS)
- GOM Player (Windows & macOS)
- DivX Player (Windows & macOS)
Mobile Video Players:
- VLC for Mobile (iOS & Android)
- MX Player (Android)
- Kodi (iOS & Android)
- iOS Native Video Player (iPhone & iPad)
- GOM Player (iOS & Android)
- PotPlayer (Android)
- XPlayer (Android)
Supported Devices:
- Windows PCs (Windows 10/11) - HEVC support depends on hardware, with modern PCs and dedicated graphics cards offering smooth playback and editing.
- macOS (MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro) - Native support for HEVC since macOS High Sierra. Apple Silicon chips (M1, M2) enhance performance.
- Intel & AMD PCs (with hardware acceleration) - Many modern Intel and AMD processors with hardware acceleration support HEVC decoding and encoding.
- NVIDIA & AMD Graphics Cards - NVIDIA GTX 900 series and AMD RX 400 series or newer support HEVC decoding and encoding.
- iPhone & iPad (iOS 11+) - iPhones from iPhone 7 and newer, and iPads from Air 2 support HEVC with hardware decoding on newer models.
- Android Devices (Lollipop 5.0+) - Most Android devices with Snapdragon 800-series or Exynos chips support HEVC decoding.
- Samsung Galaxy Devices - Recent models (Galaxy S6 and newer) support HEVC for both playback and recording.
- Google Pixel Devices - Pixel 2 and newer support HEVC with hardware-based decoding.
- Huawei & Xiaomi Devices - Newer models from Huawei and Xiaomi with Kirin and Snapdragon processors support HEVC.
- Samsung Galaxy Tab (2017 models and newer) - Galaxy Tab devices from 2017 onward support HEVC for playback and editing.