H.264

Streaming video standard

H.264 is a video compression standard, also known as AVC (Advanced Video Coding).

It reduces file sizes while maintaining visual quality, making it the dominant format for streaming video, Blu-ray discs, and video conferencing.

Most video you watch online—YouTube, Netflix, video calls—uses H.264 encoding.

The standard balances compression efficiency with broad device compatibility.

compression

MPEG-4

Multimedia compression standard

decoding · lossy · quantization · I-frame · GOP · VBR · profile · level · transcoding · artifacts

streaming

YouTube

Video-sharing website

  • NetflixSubscription streaming service
  • VimeoVideo hosting service
  • bufferProtective intermediate space

latency · bandwidth · CDN · live broadcast · OBS · embed · playback · viewer · quality settings · resolution

containers

MP4

Multimedia container format

  • MKVMultimedia container format
  • AVIVideo container format
  • TSTwo-letter secrecy stamp

wrapper · metadata · chapters · subtitles · audio track · HandBrake · QuickTime

hardware

GPU

Visual processing hardware

  • encoderFormat conversion component
  • ASICSingle-purpose microchip
  • DSPSignal manipulation technology

hardware acceleration · firmware · embedded systems · set-top box · smartphone · tablet · camera · surveillance · IP camera · drone

Categories
Opposites
codec generation/technology

H.264MPEG-1

Lossy audiovisual compression standard

MPEG-2

compression vs. raw

H.264RAW

Unaltered sensor output format

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Abstract · Rated G