H.264 vs H.265 vs H.266

 H.264 vs H.265 vs H.266

The most popular video codec right now is the H.264 standard since almost all media devices support it. Even video platforms on the web can’t help but add support for this codec, and for good reasons. YouTube, despite having its own, is beholden to H.264, and this won’t change for years to come.

Now, we do not expect it to be the top dog forever as more competitors come on the scene in hopes to replace it. The most notable would likely be the upgraded version, H.265, also known as HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding).

There is also the H.266 codec, but it differs a great deal when compared to the others we’ve just mentioned. Worry not, however, because we are going to explain each for your deeper understanding.

1] What is H.264 codec

This codec has been around since 2009, and for quite some time, it has been the standard. The codec is also known as AVC, MPEG-4 Part 10, and VC-1.

It’s a video compression standard that is designed to playback high-quality video at a small size than RAW and previous standards. We understand the compression ratio is twice that of MPEG-2, which is quite astonishing. It promises to provide high-quality content with no quality loss when compared to other standards. H.264 is used by most modern mobiles and 2K cameras.

Basically, if your file size is 88GB, H.264 compression can bring it down to a little over 800MB. Additionally, when compared to other compression technologies, low-bit rate plays an important role. In the end, users will save time when having to download or stream video content at any time.

2] What is H.265/HEVC codec

As you might be able to tell from the name, H.265/HEVC is the upgraded version of the previous, and it is designed to replace it at some time in the future. The new standard was released back in 2013, but only now has been getting huge support due to the rise of 4K. HEVC is promising a massive 50% bandwidth reduction compared to H.264 for the same video quality.

This will no doubt continue in the years to come as 4K televisions and monitors become more affordable. However, the big question right now, is, what makes H.265 the future?

Well, if you watch 4K content on YouTube, you should realize that it doesn’t hold a candle to the same video on a Bu-Ray disc. That is due to H.264 compression for the most part, and that is something the newer codec wants to solve.

From what we’ve come to understand, HEVC uses more efficient compression methods, therefore, the end content will showcase more detail and fewer artifacts. We all want this, which is why we cannot wait for more hardware manufacturers to support the future standard. H.265 is used by most modern mobiles and 4K cameras, and almost all new hardware now provides HEVC GPU acceleration.

Now, there is one big problem with H.265/HEVC right now. You see, it is quite slow if Hardware Acceleration is not in play. If you want to decode in HEVC, then a powerful computer is required. Intel 6th generation or newer, and AMD 6th generation or newer, are the CPUs you should consider when purchasing a computer for HEVC.

3] What is H.266 codec

In 2020, Fraunhofer HHI (together with partners like Apple, Ericsson, Intel, Huawei, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Sony) developed. The world has yet to fully accept H.265 as the new standard where video codecs are concerned, but already H.266 is being touted Fraunhofer HHI, the company behind all three codecs.

At the moment, we understand that this new codec, also known as Versatile Video Coding (VVC), won’t improve video quality over its predecessor, but is expected to reduce the size. So in a sense, it is the same as H.265, but with a smaller footprint. H.266 is promising a massive 50% bandwidth reduction compared to H.265 for the same video quality.

When the H.266 codec is adopted in the future, people from around the world may have little problems with streaming 8K content on their favourite platforms. H.266 is used by most modern mobiles and 8K cameras

H.266/VVC is supposed to support: 

• Picture resolutions from 4K to 16K as well as 360° videos
• YCbCr color spaces with 4:2:0 sampling, 10-bit
• YCbCr/RGB 4:4:4 and YCbCr 4:2:2
• Auxiliary channels (transparency, depth, etc.) 
• High dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut
• Bit depths up to 16 bits per component 
• Fixed and variable frame rates
• Progressive scanning 

H.266 codec to reduce video sizes by 50%

H.266 codec to reduce video sizes by 50% 

A new video encoding standard that reduces video file sizes by 50% is set to become usable by the end of the year, allowing high-resolution footage to be saved with smaller file sizes and to be transmitted in less time. Versatile Video Coding (h.266/VVC) is the newest block-based hybrid codec from the Joint Video Experts Team (JVET), a group comprised of MPEG and ISO/ITU members such as Bitmovin and Fraunhofer HHI, and promises to vastly improve the compression capabilities of workflows for any organization within the streaming industry, including but not limited to, OTT, VR, AR, and many other providers. As fellow members of MPEG, the Bitmovin encoding team was eager to test the capabilities of the newest codec and the potential improvements it offered over its predecessor h.265/HEVC. The ultimate goal of the project was to determine the performance parameters of the VVC codec and the subjective visual quality enhancements that ensue. While Fraunhofer HHI claimed that the VVC codec promises to improve visual quality and reduce bitrate expenditure by around 50% over HEVC, we wanted to prove the validity of the statement.

Today, compressed video data make up 80% of global Internet traffic. H.266/VVC represents the pinnacle of (at least) four generations of international standards for video coding. The previous standards H.264/Advanced Video Coding (AVC) and H.265/HEVC, which were produced with substantial contributions from Fraunhofer HHI, remain active in more than 10 billion end devices, processing over 90% of the total global volume of video bits. Both previous standards were also recognized by collectively three Emmy Engineering Awards for contributing substantially to the progress of television technology.

Through a reduction of data requirements, H.266/VVC makes video transmission in mobile networks (where data capacity is limited) more efficient. For instance, the previous standard H.265/HEVC requires ca. 10 gigabytes of data to transmit a 90-min UHD video. With this new technology, only 5 gigabytes of data are required to achieve the same quality. Because H.266/VVC was developed with ultra-high-resolution video content in mind, the new standard is particularly beneficial when streaming 4K or 8K videos on a flat screen TV. Furthermore, H.266/VVC is ideal for all types of moving images: from high-resolution 360° video panoramas to screen sharing contents.

The new H.266 standard will also allow systems or locations with poor data rates to receive larger files more quickly, so movies, for example, will buffer less and play more smoothly. Mobile devices will also be able to send higher resolution files, or longer clips, without using so much data.

Fraunhofer says that ‘H.266/VVC offers faster video transmission for equal perceptual quality,’ so we shouldn’t see the difference between files compressed by H.266 and those compressed using H.265. H.265 also halved file sizes when it was introduced, as did the H.264 standard that came before that — and which is still in use today.

The new standard requires new chips to make the most of it, and the press release states that they are already in production and that Fraunhofer will release the software to allow the standard to be used in the autumn of this year.

Another factor hindering the evolution of an 8K ecosystem is the question of cable and broadcast support. At the moment, the broadcast industry is beginning to deploy ATSC 3.0 (Advanced Television Systems Committee/ also known by the moniker Next Gen TV, establishes an IP-based broadcast transmission system), a major revision to the Advanced Television Systems Committee. ATSC 3.0 supports features like 4K broadcasting, wide color gamuts, and HDR. The standard, however, is not targeting 8K and the rollout is optional. Unlike the mandatory transition from NTSC to ATSC, ATSC 3.0 deployment is up to individual companies. There’s no mandate to include an ATSC 3.0 tuner inside a TV, for example.

Also, ATSC 3.0 contains some features that “improve” targeted advertising. So hurrah for that.

At any rate, the rollout of ATSC 3.0 is going to be the major focus for broadcasters. It’s not clear which codecs will be used — there are a number of articles diving into why H.265 adoption has been so slow compared with H.264. It’s possible that the bandwidth improvements from H.264 to H.266 might be big enough to be enticing — a video that requires 10GB of storage when encoded in H.264 would theoretically only require 2.5GB when encoded in H.266 with no (again, theoretical) loss of quality.

Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden’s view on recent developments in video compression technology

Continuous innovation in 5G networks is creating new opportunities for video-enabled services for both consumers and industries, particularly in areas such as the Internet of Things and the automotive sector. These new services are expected to rely on continued video evolution toward 8K resolutions and beyond, and on new strict requirements such as low end-to-end latency for video delivery.

This Ericsson Technology Review article explores recent developments in video compression technology and introduces Versatile Video Coding (VVC) – a significant improvement on existing video codecs that we think deserves to be widely deployed in the market. VVC has the potential both to enhance the user experience for existing video services and offer an appropriate performance level for new media services over 5G networks.

 

The advantage of H.265 Camera

H.265 / HEVC is the latest video compression standard which is based on H.264, driven by ever increasing demand for high definition and the rapid development of imaging technology, UHD becomes trend in today's television and video surveillance market. UHD standards for ultra high definition includes 4K UHD and 8K UHD. 4K UHD equals 3840 x 2160 (approximate 8.29 megapixels), while 8K UHD equals 7680x4320 (approximate 33.18 megapixels). 

In today's video surveillance applications such as parking lot, hotel, safe city, harbor, air port and elsewhere large scaled and has growing demand on detail capturing, which, at the same time, pressuring on decoding and storage. Apparently, the introduction and development of H.265 standard brings extensive possibilities and optimism to the industry by addressing problems such as shortage of bandwidth, improving transmission efficiency and delivers other benefits.

In order to solve the high bandwidth problem for ultra high definition, the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) developed the H.265/High Efficiency Video Coding. Compared with current mainstream H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, the H.265 is able to double the data compression ratio, while improve video quality with low bit-rate. The H.265 supports both 4K UHD and 8K UHD resolution up to 8192x4320. In conclusion, H.265 is capable of further reducing 50% the data rate requested for high quality video coding. Bitrate is acclaimed to have approximate 40% to 50% down at 1080p while rendering superb image quality.  This enables IP camera to deliver smooth video with low bandwidth, which in turn, reducing the network bandwidth, and video storage size. Meanwhile, with the rapid development of 4G cellular mobile technology, the integration between the H.265 and 4G will have much possibilities.

HEVC/H.265 mainly features in the following aspects:

·         Higher compression efficiency, when compared with H.264/AVC. In same resolution, HEVC/H.265 has lower bitrate than H.264/HEVC.

·         Support high definition, ultra high definition video formats

·         Support frame rate of 20-60 frame per second video decoding, has same flexibility like the H.264/AVC, supports maximum 172fps.

·         Friendly network adaptation.

As leading and innovative corporate, Hisilicon and Ambarella can't resist its charm and prospect, both of them introducing the first H.265 SoC for ultra high definition IP cameras. Despite the reason that H.265 is still a new compression standard to video surveillance industry, the security camera manufacturers such as Hikvision and Dahua have already adopted H.265 in their latest product portfolio, including ultra high definition network camera, NVRs.

To start with cameras, Hikvision has a latest-released 2 megapixel H.265 low light smart camera DS-2CD5026FWD-(A)(P). As H.265 camera, the Darkfighter series ultra-low light Smart cameras are able to capture high quality colored images in dim light environment. DS-2CD5026FWD offers Full HD resolution with up to 60fps high frame rate, 120dB WDR, Auto Back Focus, P-Iris, PoE, 3D DNR and complete Smart Feature-set to meet a wide variety of applications. It supports H.265/H.264/MJPEG dual video compression, allowing over 40% lesser bandwidth use while acquiring outstanding image quality. Moreover, with its functions such as Intrusion Detection, Line Crossing Detection, Scene Change Detection, Audio Surge Detection, Audio Loss Detection, Defocus Detection, Face Detection, etc.

On video storage perspective, Dahua and Hikvision introduced a comprehensive H.265 4K NVR product lineup, which covers different demands from small to medium as well as large scaled applications. These network video recorders have capability to support up to 12 megapixel recording capability, supporting 1080p@60fps and H.265 preview and playback; 4 channel 4K resolution real time live view and playback; meanwhile, the NVR has many intelligent functions including smart video analysis, facial detection, privacy mask.

Differences H.265 and H.264

Differences between H.265 and H.264

A codec is an encoder and a decoder. An encoder compresses audio or video so it takes up less disk space. A decoder extracts audio or video information from the compressed file. Video and audio compression is a complex technical process, but the basic aim of a codec is quite straightforward:

(a) Reduce the size of the compressed media file as much as possible, but...(b) Keep the quality of the decoded audio and video as good as possible.

What is H.264?
H264 (aka MPEG-4 AVC) is currently a mainstream video compression format. It is widely used in Blu-ray discs, internet sources like videos in YouTube and iTunes Store, web software, and also HDTV broadcasts over terrestrial, cable and satellite.

What is H.265?

H.265 (also known as HEVC, short for High Efficiency Video Coding, developed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC)) is a video compression standard whose predecessor is H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. H.265 HEVC ensures to deliver video quality identical to H.264 AVC at only half the bit rate, including better compression, delicate image and bandwidth saving. It Support up to 8K, Support up to 300 fps. It is likely to implement Ultra HD, 2K, 4K for Broadcast and Online (OTT).

H.265 vs H.264: Differences between H.265 and H.264

In general, H.265 has several big advantages over H.264, including better compression, delicate image and bandwidth saving. For more detailed differences, please read H.265 vs H.264 comparison table.

4 pcs 2MP IP cameras for 1 month, stream: 4096Kbps. 
H.264 IP camera need 42G×4×30=5T=1×3T+1×2T, so need 1 pc 3T and 1pc 2T HDD. 
H.265 IP camera need 21G×4×30=2.5T, so need 1 pc 3T HDD only, save at least 1 pc 2T HDD cost.