H.264 vs H.265 vs VP9. How to Choose the Right Codec in 2025?
In this blog, we’ll compare H.264 vs H.265 vs VP9 to help you understand the strengths, weaknesses, and practical uses of each codec. You’ll learn how they differ in encoding quality, CPU consumption, browser support, licensing, bandwidth savings, and supported streaming protocols. We’ll also cover the latest trends, including LCEVC and AV1. If you’d rather… Continue reading H.264 vs H.265 vs VP9. How to Choose the Right Codec in 2025?
In this blog, we’ll compare H.264 vs H.265 vs VP9 to help you understand the strengths, weaknesses, and practical uses of each codec. You’ll learn how they differ in encoding quality, CPU consumption, browser support, licensing, bandwidth savings, and supported streaming protocols. We’ll also cover the latest trends, including LCEVC and AV1. If you’d rather skip ahead to the How to choose section, check the table of contents below.
What is a Video Codec?
A video codec is a software or hardware process that compresses or decompresses digital video. Video codecs are employed to reduce the size of video media to take-up less storage when archived and lower bitrates to stream; both yielding cost savings. When you watch a video online, the codec compresses it for sending and then decompresses it for viewing. Codecs are used in streaming, video calls, and everyday video playback.
What is H.264?
H.264 also called MPEG-4 AVC or Advanced Video Coding – is a block oriented motion compensation-based video compression codec. It is a standard capable of providing good video quality at substantially lower bit rates than previous standards. It can be implemented in a wide variety of networks and systems and is usable with many protocols. Read more in the streaming glossary of our documentation.
History
AVC code was also developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) as an improvement over previous standards with an aim to deliver efficient compression and high-quality video content over the internet. It was used by 91% of video industry developers as of September 2019.
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