What is H.265 / HEVC?
H.265 and HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) are two names for the same video coding standard, designed to improve compression efficiency over H.264/AVC.
hvc1 and hev1 are identifiers used when HEVC is carried in ISO Base Media formats such as MP4.HEVC profiles, bit depth and chroma
| Profile example | Bit depth | Chroma |
|---|---|---|
| Main | 8-bit | 4:2:0 |
| Main 10 | 8–10-bit | 4:2:0 |
| Main 12 | 8–12-bit | 4:0:0 / 4:2:0 |
| Main 4:2:2 10/12 | Up to 10 or 12-bit | Up to 4:2:2 |
| Main 4:4:4 families | 8/10/12-bit; specialist profiles extend higher | Up to 4:4:4 |
Consumer HEVC is dominated by 8-bit and 10-bit 4:2:0. HDR10 delivery commonly uses 10-bit HEVC, while 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 profiles are more typical of production and specialist workflows.
Levels set workload limits
HEVC levels constrain picture size, sample rate and bitrate. The standard supports resolutions through 8192×4320 in commonly documented profile/level combinations, but device support is much narrower than the theoretical codec space.
Names you may see
- H.265 / HEVC: the standard.
- hvc1 / hev1: common HEVC identifiers in MP4-family files; they differ in where parameter sets are expected to be stored.
- x265: a software encoder that creates HEVC bitstreams.
- MKV / MP4 / MOV: containers that can carry HEVC.
Where HEVC fits
HEVC is widely used for 4K and HDR delivery, cameras, UHD Blu-ray and efficient local storage. AV1 may offer an attractive royalty-free alternative for some streaming uses, while H.264 remains easier on older devices.
See H.264 vs H.265 and AV1 vs H.265.