H.265, also known as HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding) or MPEG-H Part 2, is a video compression standard that’s revolutionising video production. Its advanced algorithms and improved coding efficiency enable the creation of high-quality videos at significantly lower bit rates than its predecessor, H.264.
H.265 is becoming increasingly popular in the industry due to its efficiency and cost-effectiveness for video production and distribution.
Compared to H.264, H.265 has the following benefits:
- Smaller file sizes: H.265 can achieve file sizes up to 50% smaller than H.264 while maintaining the same video quality. This is advantageous for video producers as it reduces storage needs, speeds up uploads and downloads, and reduces bandwidth requirements. For post-production, H.265’s smaller file sizes translate to faster rendering times and smoother editing workflows, especially on high-resolution projects.
- Improved video quality: H.265 uses advanced compression techniques that preserve details and minimise artefacts, making it the best option for recording and editing high-resolution video.
- Support for higher resolutions: H.265 is the best option for recording and editing 4K and even 8K footage because it was created expressly for high-resolution video.
- Wider colour depth: H.265 also supports a 10-bit colour depth. This provides more accurate and nuanced colour representation than the 8-bit depth of H.264.
- Enhanced future-proofing: H.265 is considered a more future-proof format compared to H.264. Its superior compression efficiency and advanced features make it well-suited for emerging trends in video production, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), 360-degree video, AI-powered video editing and analysis.
HDR video production can benefit greatly from H.265, but it has some drawbacks. Encoding and decoding H.265 videos require more processing power compared to H.264, which can lead to slower editing performance on older computers. Additionally, while H.265 is gaining wider adoption, it is not yet as universally supported as H.264, and some older editing software and devices may not be able to handle H.265 footage.
