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Definition
H.264 (also called AVC — Advanced Video Coding) is the most widely used video codec in the world. It powers the majority of web video, Blu-ray discs, streaming services, and video conferencing. H.264 offers a good balance of compression efficiency, quality, and universal hardware support.
H.264 was standardized in 2003 by the ITU-T and ISO/IEC and quickly became the dominant video codec. Its success stems from broad hardware decoder support — virtually every smartphone, computer, smart TV, and streaming device can decode H.264 in hardware, enabling efficient playback without draining batteries or CPUs.
The codec uses inter-frame prediction (referencing previous and future frames to encode differences), intra-frame compression, variable block sizes (4x4 to 16x16 macroblocks), and context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC). These techniques achieve excellent compression at reasonable encoding speeds.
While newer codecs like H.265 and AV1 achieve 30-50% better compression than H.264, they require more processing power to encode and decode. H.264 remains the default choice for web video, live streaming, and any scenario where maximum device compatibility is needed. The MP4 container with H.264 video and AAC audio is the most universally supported video format.