ELI5: difference between h265 and h264

What is H.264 and H.265?

These are two different languages that computers use to write down video information, kind of like how you can write a story in different ways [1][4]. H.264 is the older way of doing it, and H.265 is the newer, smarter way [4].

Why is H.265 better?

H.265 is like a more efficient backpack for your videos—it can fit the same movie into a smaller space without losing the important details [3][4]. This means your video files take up way less room on your phone or computer [5].

Will the video look different?

When you actually watch the video, both H.264 and H.265 look almost identical to your eyes [1]. The main difference is how much space they take up, not how pretty they look [1][3].

What's the catch with H.265?

The problem is that older TVs and devices don't understand H.265 as well as they understand H.264 [3]. So if you want your video to work on everything, H.264 is still the safer choice [3].