What HEVC is used for

If your phone records 4K, your TV receives UHD channels or your security camera keeps weeks of footage on a small drive, HEVC is most likely behind it.

Updated 11 October 2026 6 sources cited

Key points

HEVC is mandatory on Ultra HD Blu-ray and for UHD terrestrial channels in Europe.
The iPhone has recorded HEVC video and HEIC photos by default since 2017; many Androids, cameras and drones too.
Streaming platforms use it for 4K and HDR on TVs, alongside AV1.
In CCTV and home servers it stores twice the hours on the same drive.

Where you find HEVC

Ultra HD Blu-rayThe 2015 specification requires HEVC Main 10 at 4K with HDR and Rec. 2020 colour. Discs carry 50 to 100 Mbps.
Digital TVDVB-T2 in Europe (including Spain's UHD channels), ATSC 3.0 in the US and Korea, and 4K satellite channels.
PhonesiPhones since iOS 11; most mid- and high-end Androids in 4K or with "save space" enabled.
HEIC photosHEIF with HEVC: half the size of a similar-quality JPEG, with 10-bit, bursts and Live Photos.
Cameras and dronesGoPro, DJI, Sony, Canon, Panasonic and Nikon offer H.265 recording, often 10-bit 4:2:2 for editing.
CCTVIP cameras and NVRs with "H.265+" keep more days of footage on the same hard drive.
StreamingNetflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV+ serve it for 4K and HDR10/Dolby Vision on compatible TVs and boxes.
Cloud gaming and captureMoonlight, Steam Link, GeForce NOW and console captures use HEVC for better quality at lower bandwidth.
Home serversPlex, Jellyfin or Emby libraries in HEVC take half the space; TVs play them without transcoding.

Why it pays off: bitrate at equal quality (H.264 = 100)

H.264 / AVC 100
VP9 ≈ 65
HEVC / H.265 ≈ 50-60
AV1 ≈ 40-45
VVC / H.266 ≈ 30

Less is better. Average values from published comparisons; actual savings depend on content, resolution and encoder.

The iPhone case: "High Efficiency" or "Most Compatible"

In Settings › Camera › Formats, High Efficiency stores video in HEVC and photos in HEIC; Most Compatible goes back to H.264 and JPEG. When sharing, iOS usually converts automatically if it detects an incompatible destination (for example by email, or when importing to Windows with "Automatic" under Settings › Photos).

If photos copied to a PC by cable won't open, you need the HEIF and HEVC extensions: see install HEVC on Windows.

HEVC and HDR

Nearly all HDR video you will see is HEVC Main 10: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG (used in broadcasting) and Dolby Vision profiles 5, 7 and 8. Ten bits avoid visible banding in gradients like skies and shadows, which would be obvious at HDR brightness with 8 bits.

Washed-out colours

If an HDR video looks dull and grey on your computer, the problem is not the codec but tone mapping: the display or player is not handling HDR. mpv, VLC or MPC-HC with madVR convert to SDR; on Windows you can also turn on HDR in Settings › Display.

In professional work

Production often records to intermediate codecs (ProRes, DNxHR) or RAW because they edit more smoothly. HEVC appears in mid-range cameras as an efficient recording format (10-bit 4:2:2) and above all in distribution: satellite contribution, broadcasting and streaming. To edit HEVC comfortably you want a GPU or Mac with 4:2:2 hardware decoding, available on Intel from 11th gen, on recent Apple silicon Macs and on NVIDIA RTX 50 cards (check your model's spec sheet).

Frequently asked questions

Does Netflix use HEVC?

Yes, for 4K and HDR content on many TVs, alongside AV1 and H.264. Each platform picks the codec according to what the viewer's device supports.

Why does the iPhone record in HEVC?

Since iOS 11 (2017), the "High Efficiency" setting stores video in HEVC and photos in HEIC to take about half the space. You can switch to "Most Compatible" (H.264 and JPEG) in Settings › Camera › Formats.