Video Codecs: H.264, HEVC, VP9, AV1

A codec is the algorithm that compresses raw video frames into a compact stream. Choice of codec affects file size, encoding time, decoding compatibility, and royalties.

H.264 (AVC)

The universal default since 2003. Every browser, every device, every TV decodes H.264. Hardware decode is everywhere.

• Pros: Universal compatibility, fast hardware encode/decode, mature toolchain.
• Cons: Bigger files than newer codecs at same quality.
• Royalty: MPEG-LA pool, free for streaming use under most terms.
• Use when: You want maximum compatibility and don’t mind larger files.

HEVC (H.265)

About 30% better compression than H.264 at the same quality. Native decode on Apple devices since 2017, recent Android, modern Windows/Linux. Browsers added support gradually — Safari yes, Chrome yes (recently), Firefox yes (recently).

• Pros: ~30% smaller files than H.264 for same quality.
• Cons: Patent licensing was a mess for years (now mostly resolved), slower hardware adoption.
• Royalty: Multiple patent pools (MPEG-LA, HEVC Advance, Velos Media). Streaming-only use under most pools is royalty-free; check legal.
• Use when: You target modern devices and want bandwidth savings.

VP9

Google’s H.265 alternative, used by YouTube. Royalty-free, decoded by Chrome and Firefox. Safari 14+ (2020) added VP9 decode.

• Pros: Royalty-free, comparable quality to HEVC.
• Cons: Slower software encode than H.264, still some compatibility gaps on older devices.
• Use when: You want HEVC-tier compression without licensing complexity.

AV1

The next-gen codec from the Alliance for Open Media (Google, Netflix, Apple, Microsoft, etc.). About 50% better compression than H.264.

• Pros: Royalty-free, best-in-class compression.
• Cons: Encode is computationally expensive (10-100× slower than H.264 software encode); hardware encode is just emerging in 2025-26.
• Use when: You’re early adopter, willing to spend encoding time for bandwidth savings.

On AVCaption

H.264 by default for maximum compatibility. HEVC available on Premium and Enterprise. AV1 on Enterprise (slower encoding queue).

Related

• Adaptive bitrate streaming
• Transcoding vs encoding