How to Convert H264 to H265 (HEVC/x265) While Keeping the Quality?

'Should I convert my H264 videos to HEVC/H265 to save space? Will I lose quality?'

H264(AVC) and H265(HEVC/x265) are both widely used video compression formats today. But compared to H264, H265 offers higher compression efficiency that can reduce file sizes by up to 50% while preserving the same level of video quality. This makes converting H264 to H265 an excellent choice if you want to save storage space.

Because they are lossy formats, some quality will be lost during the conversion. But that is often imperceptible to the human eye. And with a good converter program, you can minimize the quality loss.

In the next section, I'll show you how to handle the conversion quickly and efficiently on your PC using a top-rated H265 converter.

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is the perfect converter program for H264 to H265 conversion. It supports all formats and provides more than 500 output profiles, including H265, H264, MPEG-4, MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, etc. In just three steps, you can convert H264 to H265 while keeping the quality high. Also, the program supports hardware acceleration. If your computer has an NVIDIA graphics card or an Intel QSV, you can convert your videos to H265 up to 30 times faster. You can also use batch mode to convert multiple video files at once. Now, download download this converter for free and see how to perform the conversion below:

FFmpeg is a powerful program for processing video, audio, and other multimedia files. Since it does not have a graphical user interface, this is only suitable for advanced users who're familiar with command lines.

Here is how you can convert H264 to H265 using FFmpeg command lines:

Step 1: Download the FFmpeg executables on your computer. Place the H264 video file in the same directory as the FFmpeg executables.

Step 2: Launch the command window and type in this command line:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -vtag hvc1 output.mp4

💡 Important: Replace "input.mp4" with your actual input file name and "output.mp4" with your desired output file name.

Step 3: Press Enter to start transcoding your video from H264 to H265.

While FFmpeg does a good job at converting H264 to H265, you may sometimes run into problems like:

• FFmpeg not working or crashing half way: Please make sure you enter the command line correctly. Unexpected crashes often come from parameter typing errors.

• Codec/Container mismatches: Sometimes FFmpeg will not read your video file despite the container format being supported. This is usually because the internal codec is not recognized by the version of the library installed.

If you just want a more convenient and faster way to do this without any problem, you can use an alternative GUI converter such as HD Video Converter Factory Pro with batch processing.

It should be noted that H265 videos are still not fully supported on all devices, especially older models. You may need an HEVC player to play your video successfully. Here are three free media players that support H265 videos:

VLC Media Player - Available on Windows, Linux, Mac OS, iOS, and Android

PotPlayer - Available on Windows

5KPlayer - Available on Windows and Mac OS

On Windows, you can also install HEVC codecs to play H265 videos fluently.

H265 encoder has a more advanced compression technology than H264 that it can encode video into a smaller size while keeping the same level of video quality. If you want to reduce the size of your videos yet at the same time don't want to compromise the quality, then re-encoding the video from H264 to H265 is a good resort.

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1. Can you convert H264 to H265?

Yes. With the help of tools like WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro, you can convert H264 to H265 without effort.

2. Is H265 better than H264?

In terms of quality and size, yes, H265 is better than H264. Due to its higher compression ratio, H265 can reduce file to half size compared to H264. Also, H265 offers better image quality at low bitrates.

3. Should I convert my H264 videos to H265 to save space?

Yes. Converting H264 to H265 is a great way to save space without sacrificing video quality, especially if you need to store large amounts of video data.

4. Does converting H264 to H265 lose quality?

Since both H264 and H265 are lossy formats, the conversion typically results in quality loss. But the loss is often minimal.