HEVC / H.265

Explanation

HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), also called H.265, is a video compression standard finalized in 2013 that roughly doubles the compression efficiency of its predecessor H.264/AVC. At the same visual quality, HEVC requires approximately half the bitrate, making it well-suited for 4K UHD streaming. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+ use HEVC for 4K HDR content delivery. Hardware decoding support is broad on devices released after 2015 — modern smartphones, streaming sticks, and smart TVs all decode HEVC efficiently. HEVC's main commercial disadvantage is licensing: unlike AV1, HEVC is patent-encumbered, requiring royalty payments to a fragmented pool of patent holders (HEVC Advance, MPEG LA, Velos Media). This royalty structure was a primary motivation for the industry forming the AOM to develop AV1 as a royalty-free alternative.