Video and Audio Coding Standards
Video and Audio Coding Standards Media coding standards decide how video and audio data are compressed, packaged, and presented. They influence file size, quality, latency, and how widely content can be played. For creators, engineers, and publishers, knowing the basics helps you reach more viewers with reliable sound and smooth images. Video coding standards Common video codecs today are H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, VP9, and AV1. H.264 is still very widely supported and performs well on many devices. HEVC and AV1 offer stronger compression, which means the same quality at lower bitrates, important for high resolutions and fast internet. Licensing matters: HEVC and some VP9 profiles require patent licensing, while AV1 is designed to be royalty-free. Hardware decoding follows demand: most phones and laptops handle H.264 well; AV1 is becoming standard on newer devices, and HEVC is common on 4K sets. Profiles and levels guide what resolution and bitrate are allowed; for web and mobile, baseline to main profiles often suffice, while high profiles fit advanced content. Containers such as MP4 and MKV wrap video with audio and subtitles; WebM is a web-focused option, typically paired with VP9 or AV1 for online playback. ...