Editing Advanced Video Coding (section)

{{Short description|Widely used standard for video compression}}
{{Redirect-confused|AVC1|AV1|VC-1}}
{{Lead too long|date=May 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}

{{Infobox technology standard
| title = Advanced Video Coding / H.264 / MPEG-4 Part 10
| long_name = Advanced video coding for generic audiovisual services
| status = In force
| year_started = {{Start date and age|2003|p=y}}
| first_published = {{Start date|2004|08|17|df=y}}
| version = 15.0
| version_date = {{Start date|2024|08|13|df=y}}
| organization = [[ITU-T]], [[ISO]], [[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]]
| committee = [[ITU-T Study Group 16|SG16]] ([[VCEG]]), [[MPEG]]
| base_standards = [[H.261]], [[H.262]] (aka [[MPEG-2 Video]]), [[H.263]], [[ISO/IEC 14496-2]] (aka MPEG-4 Part 2)
| related_standards = [[H.265]] (aka HEVC), [[H.266]] (aka VVC)
| predecessor       = [[H.263]]
| successor         = [[H.265]]
| abbreviation = 
| domain = [[Video compression]]
| license = [[MPEG LA]]<ref>{{cite tech report |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |series=Sustainability of Digital Formats |type=Full draft |title=MPEG-4, Advanced Video Coding (Part 10) (H.264) |date=5 December 2011 |url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000081.shtml |access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.264}}
}}

[[File:H.264 block diagram with quality score.jpg|thumb|Block diagram of video coding layer of H.264 encoder with perceptual quality score]]

'''Advanced Video Coding''' ('''AVC'''), also referred to as '''H.264''' or '''MPEG-4 Part 10''', is a [[video compression standard]] based on block-oriented, [[motion compensation|motion-compensated]] coding.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.264|title=H.264 : Advanced video coding for generic audiovisual services|website=www.itu.int|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031100750/https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.264|archive-date=2019-10-31|access-date=2019-11-22}}</ref> It is by far the most commonly used format for the recording, compression, and distribution of video content, used by 84-86% of video industry developers {{as of|November 2023|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bitmovin.com/downloads/bitmovin-7th-video-developer-report-2023-2024.pdf|title=Video Developer Report 2023/2024 |website=[[Bitmovin]] |date=November 2023}}</ref> It supports a maximum resolution of [[8K resolution|8K UHD]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mysterybox.us/blog/2017/2/21/delivering-8k-using-avch264|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325084239/https://www.mysterybox.us/blog/2017/2/21/delivering-8k-using-avch264 | archive-date=March 25, 2021|title=Delivering 8K using AVC/H.264|work=Mystery Box|access-date=2017-08-23|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Wang" />

The intent of the H.264/AVC project was to create a standard capable of providing good video quality at substantially lower [[bit rate]]s than previous standards (i.e., half or less the bit rate of [[H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2|MPEG-2]], [[H.263]], or [[MPEG-4 Part 2]]), without increasing the complexity of design so much that it would be impractical or excessively expensive to implement. This was achieved with features such as a reduced-complexity integer [[discrete cosine transform]] (integer DCT),<ref name="apple"/> variable block-size segmentation, and multi-picture [[inter frame|inter-picture prediction]]. An additional goal was to provide enough flexibility to allow the standard to be applied to a wide variety of applications on a wide variety of networks and systems, including low and high bit rates, low and high resolution video, [[Broadcasting|broadcast]], [[DVD]] storage, [[Real-time Transport Protocol|RTP]]/[[Internet Protocol|IP]] packet networks, and [[ITU-T]] multimedia [[telephony]] systems. The H.264 standard can be viewed as a "family of standards" composed of a number of different profiles, although its "High profile" is by far the most commonly used format. A specific decoder decodes at least one, but not necessarily all profiles. The standard describes the format of the encoded data and how the data is decoded, but it does not specify algorithms for encoding—that is left open as a matter for encoder designers to select for themselves, and a wide variety of encoding schemes have been developed. H.264 is typically used for [[lossy compression]], although it is also possible to create truly [[lossless compression|lossless-coded]] regions within lossy-coded pictures or to support rare use cases for which the entire encoding is lossless.

H.264 was standardized by the [[ITU-T]] [[Video Coding Experts Group]] (VCEG) of [[ITU-T Study Group 16|Study Group 16]] together with the [[ISO/IEC JTC 1]] [[Moving Picture Experts Group]] (MPEG). The project partnership effort is known as the Joint Video Team (JVT). The ITU-T H.264 standard and the ISO/IEC [[MPEG-4]]&nbsp;AVC standard (formally, ISO/IEC&nbsp;14496-10&nbsp;– MPEG-4 Part 10, Advanced Video Coding) are jointly maintained so that they have identical technical content. The final drafting work on the first version of the standard was completed in May 2003, and various extensions of its capabilities have been added in subsequent editions. [[High Efficiency Video Coding]] (HEVC), a.k.a. H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2 is a successor to H.264/MPEG-4&nbsp;AVC developed by the same organizations, while earlier standards are still in common use.

H.264 is perhaps best known as being the most commonly used video encoding format on [[Blu-ray Disc]]s. It is also widely used by streaming Internet sources, such as videos from [[Netflix]], [[Hulu]], [[Amazon Prime Video]], [[Vimeo]], [[YouTube]], and the [[iTunes Store]], Web software such as the [[Adobe Flash Player]] and [[Microsoft Silverlight]], and also various [[HDTV]] broadcasts over terrestrial ([[Advanced Television Systems Committee standards|ATSC]], [[ISDB-T]], [[DVB-T]] or [[DVB-T2]]), cable ([[DVB-C]]), and satellite ([[DVB-S]] and [[DVB-S2]]) systems.

H.264 is restricted by [[patent]]s owned by various parties. A license covering most (but not all{{cn|date=February 2024}}) patents essential to H.264 is administered by a [[patent pool]] formerly administered by [[MPEG LA]]. Via Licensing Corp acquired MPEG LA in April 2023 and formed a new patent pool administration company called [[Via-LA|Via Licensing Alliance]].<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=158547 |title=Via LA's Heath Hoglund Talks MPEG LA/Via Licensing Patent Pool Merger |first=Jan |last=Ozer |date=2023-05-08 |publisher=StreamingMedia.com}}</ref>  The commercial use of patented H.264 technologies requires the payment of royalties to Via and other patent owners. MPEG LA has allowed the free use of H.264 technologies for streaming Internet video that is free to end users, and [[Cisco]] paid royalties to MPEG LA on behalf of the users of binaries for its [[Open-source software|open source]] H.264 encoder [[openH264]].