Overview: MPEG and ITU-T video codecs

MPEG and ITU-T video codec families define widely used generations of standardized picture coding.

These formats share a history of standards development while representing distinct coded streams. A decoder for one generation is not automatically a decoder for another. The individual codec pages connect each format's features and terminology to the profiles, resource demands and playback support that matter for a particular file.

• H.264 / AVC
  H.264, also called AVC, defines a video coding format used for compressed moving pictures.

• H.265 / HEVC
  H.265, also called HEVC, defines a video coding format with tools intended to improve compression efficiency.

• H.266 / VVC
  H.266, also called VVC, is a video coding standard that requires its own compatible decoder and playback integration.

• MPEG-2 Video
  MPEG-2 Video, standardized as ITU-T H.262 and ISO/IEC 13818-2, is a compressed video format found in older disc and broadcast media.

• MPEG-4 Part 2: DivX and Xvid
  MPEG-4 Part 2 is the visual coding standard associated with Xvid and classic MPEG-4-based DivX video.

References

• ITU-T H.264: Advanced video coding
• ITU-T H.265: High efficiency video coding
• ITU-T H.266: Versatile video coding
• ITU-T H.262: MPEG-2 Video
• ISO/IEC 14496-2: MPEG-4 Visual