Benchmarks: H.264 VS. H.265 (Image Quality & Size)

By | July 26, 2013


Benchmarks: H.264 VS. H.265 (Image Quality & Size)Lower image quality in a smaller package.

Earlier this year, we posted a handpicked benchmark from Google’s conference, which displayed the advantages of VP9 versus H.264.

Now, the guys at ExtremeTech decided to compare H.265 to H.264 and see what the next generation video is all about. Not only that, but they were kind enough to provide with original PNG images (instead of JPG files that were posted in the article) and here are the results:

Benchmarks: H.264 VS. H.265 (Image Quality Size)

Now, this is where things get interesting: while H.264 provides a sharper image, it does so in a pretty insefficeint manner when compared to H.265.

Benchmarks: H.264 VS. H.265 (Image Quality Size)

In fact, as you can see in the graph above, H.265 is able to achieve similar results (quality vise) in a much smaller package.

So does that mean that we will start seeing lower quality videos in the long run? For streaming, probably but when it comes to encoding videos using your own PC, you could simply pump up the H.265 quality and have H.264 like images in a similar sized package.

Benchmarks: H.264 VS. H.265 (Image Quality & Size)

An extreme case of 8 bit vs. 10 bit

Benchmarks: H.264 VS. H.265 (Image Quality & Size)

10 bit vs. 8 bit in a video

In addition to that, H.265 is much more than just compression, it supports a wider color gamut (10 bit vs. 8 bit), super high resolutions and more.

So what’s next for the video encoders? A battle for survival between VP9 and H.265 and we can’t wait to see how one compares to another in the near future. And if you are interested in a much more detailed analysis, check the original source.

[Dice Picture Source: Ronm Art Blog]


About (Author Profile)


Vygantas is a former web designer whose projects are used by companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and departed Westood Studios. Being passionate about software, Vygantas began his journalism career back in 2007 when he founded FavBrowser.com. Having said that, he is also an adrenaline junkie who enjoys good books, fitness activities and Forex trading.

Comments (5)

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  1. Conroy says:

    looks just the same

  2. anyád apád says:

    10bit is already present in h264 (usually called Hi10p), though I do not know if it is possible to steam in 10bit (what is most likely, but I do not want to claim it as a fact without knowing).

  3. Tiago Sá says:

    Death to all royalty encumbered codecs!