Editing & Post-Production
H.265
Also called: HEVC, x265
H.265, also called HEVC, is what phones and drones reach for when you record 4K or HDR. Compared with H.264 it holds similar quality at around half the data rate, which is why the files are smaller than the resolution suggests. The catch is decoding cost. It is far heavier to play back and scrub than H.264, so timeline performance on an older machine collapses, and the usual fix is transcoding to an editing codec such as ProRes or DNxHR before you start cutting. Licensing is messier too, split across several patent pools, which is part of why AV1 has been picking up ground for delivery.