Video Compression Options – 264 vs 265
TechVision USA gets a lot of CCTV questions, and one of the topics we get questioned on often is that of which video compression options to use. The options that we are referring to specifically are the video compression codecs h264 and h265. Most of the questions surrounding these options have to do with if one or the other is better, and which to use in a given situation. It helps first, however, to get an understanding of what compression codecs even are, what role these codecs (h264 and h265) play in CCTV, and what benefits they have.
Video Compression is done when a Software and hardware system in a computer utilizes an algorithm to create filesize out of a video that would be far smaller than if there were no compression. The goal is for this to be accomplished without a substantial- if any- loss in quality. This is done using a combination of prediction and smart coding. For a while, and even currently still H264 has been a fantastic compression method and is still widely the most popular. This is because H264 offers very good compression, with minimal loss in quality, and doesn’t tax an encoding system too hard.
However, as more and more devices are constantly streaming data over the web, and the quality of our video content becomes higher and higher in resolution, solutions beyond h264 are needed to maintain, or achieve even lower file sizes.
That’s where h265 comes into play. H265 is the newer iteration of video compression. It is able to achieve file size that are approximately 64% smaller at 4k, and 57% smaller at 1080p than the h264 counterpart. However, this comes at the cost of more processing power- h265 requires substantially more computing power to pull off without issue. Its also important to recognize that while many of the popular media players available are capable of h264 file playback natively and smoothly – many do not support h265 by default.
Fortunately, h265 is becoming more and more common, leading to more support- often by downloading and installing an h265 codec which can be used by a media player to decode and playback h265 compressed files. Many more players nowadays are supporting h265 natively. In fact, our in-house media player called the Elite Smart Player has support for both h265 and DAV file playback natively- without the need for installing any additional codecs or software. For more info on which technologies we carry that support h264 and h265, call our Sales Pros at 561.288-1541.
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