--- title: "What Is H.265 (HEVC)? Definition and Streaming Use" description: "H.265, or HEVC, compresses video roughly 40% to 50% better than H.264 and is the standard codec for 4K and HDR. See its support and trade-offs." url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/h265" markdown_url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/h265.md" category: "Streaming technology" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # What is H.265? H.265, also called HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), is the successor to H.264. It delivers the same picture quality at roughly 40% to 50% lower bitrate and is the standard codec for 4K and HDR streaming. ## What H.265 improves H.264 divides each frame into blocks of at most 16 by 16 pixels. H.265 uses flexible blocks up to 64 by 64, along with better prediction of motion and detail. Large uniform areas, common in high-resolution video, compress far more efficiently, which is why the gain is greatest at 4K. ## Where it plays Because browser support is uneven, services pair H.265 with an H.264 version that plays anywhere. - Smart TVs and streaming devices: almost universal on 4K models - Apple devices: supported in hardware for years, including in Safari - Android: supported on most modern phones and on Android TV - Desktop browsers: depends on the browser, operating system and hardware ## The trade-offs - Encoding takes several times the computing effort of H.264, so it costs more - A second set of renditions means more storage - Patent licensing is more complicated than for H.264, with several licensing groups - Older devices cannot play it at all ## When to use it Use H.265 for 4K and HDR, where it is effectively required, and for popular titles on television devices, where halving the bitrate makes a visible difference to the delivery bill. For a small catalog in HD, H.264 alone is often the more economical choice. ## H.265 on RentAnOTT RentAnOTT encodes and delivers up to 4K on the Growth and Scale tiers, with encoding billed per minute at a higher rate for 4K. The bitrate calculator compares bitrates by codec. [Try the bitrate calculator](https://www.rentanott.com/tools/video-bitrate-calculator). ## Related terms - [H.264](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/h264) — H.264, also called AVC (Advanced Video Coding), is the most widely supported video compression standard. Finalized in 2003, it plays on practically every phone, computer, television and browser in use, which makes it the baseline codec for streaming. - [AV1](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/av1) — AV1 (AOMedia Video 1) is an open, royalty-free video codec released in 2018 by the Alliance for Open Media, a group that includes major browser, chip and streaming companies. It compresses roughly 30% more efficiently than H.265 and about 50% more than H.264. - [Codec](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/codec) — A codec is the algorithm used to compress video or audio for storage and delivery and to decompress it for playback. The name combines coder and decoder. The choice of codec determines how small a file is at a given quality and which devices can play it. - [4K streaming](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/4k-streaming) — 4K streaming is delivering video at a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels, also called Ultra HD or UHD, which is four times the pixel count of Full HD. It is usually offered together with HDR and reserved for a premium tier. - [Video encoding](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-encoding) — Video encoding is compressing video with a codec, such as H.264, H.265 or AV1, so that it is small enough to store and stream. It removes detail the eye will not miss and describes each frame by how it differs from its neighbors. - [Bitrate](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/bitrate) — Bitrate is the amount of data used to represent one second of video or audio, measured in kilobits or megabits per second (kbps or Mbps). A higher bitrate carries more detail and produces larger files and higher delivery costs. - [Egress cost](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/egress-cost) — Egress cost is the charge for data leaving a cloud provider's or CDN's network, billed per gigabyte transferred. For a streaming service it is the cost of delivering video to viewers, and it is usually the largest variable cost of the service. - [Transcoding](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/transcoding) — Transcoding is converting a video from one encoded format into another. On a streaming platform it means taking an uploaded file or a live feed and producing the several resolutions and bitrates needed for adaptive playback on every device. ## Further reading - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing) - [2K video resolution explained](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/2k-video-resolution) - [Streaming bandwidth cost calculator](https://www.rentanott.com/tools/streaming-bandwidth-cost-calculator) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is H.265 the same as HEVC? Yes. H.265 is the ITU's name and HEVC, High Efficiency Video Coding, is the ISO name for the same standard. ### Is H.265 better than H.264? It is more efficient: the same quality at about half the bitrate. H.264 is still better supported, so the two are normally used together. ### Do I need H.265 for 4K? In practice, yes. 4K in H.264 needs bitrates too high for most connections, and HDR formats are built on newer codecs. All 163 terms: [Streaming and OTT glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary). ## Book a demo Tell RentAnOTT what you are launching. The team walks through the platform and maps the path to go-live around your catalog, markets and revenue model. Book a demo: https://www.rentanott.com/contact ## More from RentAnOTT - [Home](https://www.rentanott.com/index.md) — What RentAnOTT is, what every plan includes, and how launch works - [Features](https://www.rentanott.com/features.md) — Every core feature and optional add-on - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing.md) — Platform tiers, apps, add-ons, usage rates and example bills in INR and USD - [Free tools](https://www.rentanott.com/tools.md) — OTT app builder and calculators for streaming revenue, bandwidth, bitrate and pricing - [Insights](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs.md) — All streaming business articles - [Glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary.md) — Definitions of streaming and OTT terms - [Book a demo](https://www.rentanott.com/contact.md) — Talk to RentAnOTT about your launch Full site in one file: https://www.rentanott.com/llms-full.txt