Why AVC Just Wont Die

H.264 (also known as Advanced Video Coding or AVC) remains the undisputed leader despite newer contenders like H.265/HEVC, VP9, and AV1. This nearly two-decade-old technology continues to dominate the streaming landscape for several compelling reasons that continue to make it the go-to choice for real-time applications.

Many new challengers have arrived in 2013: H.264 and VP9, and AVI in 2018:

Feature	H.264 (AVC)	H.265 (HEVC)	VP9	AV1
Release Year	2003	2013	2013	2018
Compression Efficiency	Baseline	~50% better	~40% better	~50-60% better
Hardware Support	Universal	Growing	Limited	Emerging
Encoding Speed	Very Fast	10-20x slower	10-20x slower	2500-3000x slower
Browser Support	All major browsers	Partial	Most browsers	Growing
Mobile Support	All devices	Most newer devices	Most Android, iOS 14+	Limited
WebRTC Support	Full	Limited	Full	Minimal
Licensing	Patent pool (Cisco provides)	Multiple patent pools	Royalty-free	Royalty-free

Universal Compatibility

H.264’s most significant advantage is its ubiquitous support across virtually every device and platform. From smartphones to smart TVs, gaming consoles to web browsers, H.264 enjoys near-universal adoption. This widespread compatibility means content creators can be confident their streams will reach viewers regardless of their chosen device.

Thanks to Cisco’s game-changing move in 2013 when they open-sourced their H.264 implementation and released it as a free binary download, the codec overcame its patent licensing hurdles. This strategic decision dramatically accelerated H.264’s adoption across the tech ecosystem, cementing its position as the industry standard.

Hardware Acceleration Everywhere

One of AVC’s most compelling advantages is its extensive hardware support. Nearly every modern device includes dedicated H.264 encoding and decoding circuitry that significantly reduces CPU usage, power consumption, and heat generation.

This hardware acceleration is particularly crucial for mobile devices, where battery life and thermal management are primary concerns. The dedicated silicon means even modest smartphones can efficiently process high-definition H.264 streams without draining the battery or causing devices to overheat.

Optimized for Real-Time Performance

While newer codecs like H.265 and VP9 offer better compression efficiency, they come with substantial performance penalties. For applications requiring sub-250 millisecond latency, AVC’s superior encoding speed makes it the clear winner.

As testing by Ronald S. Bultje at GNOME foundation shows: when hardware encoding isn’t available, both VP9 and H.265 encoding processes are 10-20 times slower than H.264. This performance gap becomes a critical liability in real-time streaming scenarios where every  millisecond counts. The additional processing time required for these newer codecs directly translates to increased latency, undermining the interactive experience.

Practical Bandwidth Considerations

While H.265 and VP9 can reduce bandwidth requirements by approximately 50% compared to H.264, this advantage is less critical in today’s connectivity landscape. With global average upload speeds for fixed broadband connections at 42.63 Mbps, most locations can comfortably support 4K streaming even with H.264’s higher bitrate requirements.

Even mobile connections, averaging 10.93 Mbps globally, can typically handle 1080p H.264 streams without issue. For situations with bandwidth constraints, adaptive bitrate (ABR) techniques and transcoding can deliver appropriate quality levels based on available bandwidth.

WebRTC Support

For real-time streaming applications, WebRTC has become the standard protocol, and H.264 enjoys mandatory support across this ecosystem. This integration means developers can leverage WebRTC’s sub-250 millisecond latency capabilities while utilizing H.264’s compatibility advantages.

By contrast, H.265 (HEVC) lacks standardized support in WebRTC implementations, creating significant interoperability challenges. Without consistent support across the WebRTC landscape, achieving real-time latency with newer codecs becomes problematic. That said, Chrome recently added h.265 support for WebRTC behind a developer flag. It does have it’s limitations though. H.265 is only supported for devices with hardware decoding/encoding support for the protocol. While this is a major limitation, we believe even limited support for HEVC is a major step forward, and we look forward to using it in future releases of Chrome.  

The Future Landscape

While AV1 promises substantial improvements in compression efficiency and quality, it currently faces many obstacles for real-time applications. As we’ve documented, AV1 software based encoding is approximately 2,500-3,000 times slower (according to Graphics and Media lab study) than competing codecs, making it entirely impractical for live streaming at present.

Hardware support for AV1 is improving with companies like AMD, Intel, Apple, and NVIDIA incorporating AV1 decoding and encoding capabilities into their latest chips. YouTube has also begun utilizing AV1 for certain content. However, these developments remain in early stages and will take time to reach widespread adoption.

H.265 might see increased adoption thanks to Apple’s implementation of 3D-HEVC in the Vision Pro and iPhone 15 Pro’s spatial video capabilities. This move could potentially accelerate HEVC adoption as other manufacturers follow suit to remain competitive. However, the patent licensing complexities surrounding HEVC continue to limit its broader acceptance.

Conclusion

For real-time, interactive streaming applications, H.264 remains the optimal choice due to its unmatched combination of compatibility, performance, and hardware support. While newer codecs offer many advantages in compression efficiency, the practical requirements of real-time streaming make AVC the undisputed king of the codec landscape.

As bandwidth becomes increasingly plentiful and hardware acceleration for newer codecs more widespread, the balance will eventually shift. For now, however, H.264 continues to deliver the best real-world performance for sub-250 millisecond streaming applications across the widest range of devices and platforms.

When building streaming applications that require broad compatibility, low latency, and reliable performance, H.264 remains the codec of choice for developers who need solutions that work today rather than promises for tomorrow.

To learn more about how Red5 can support your real time streaming needs contact us here.