You can get the codecs for free through the Microsoft Store, but you can’t find it using the search function. RELATED: The Successor to HEVC: What Is the AV1 Codec? The fee originates from the complex licensing and royalties surrounding HEVC. If you’ve ever tried to open a video file encoded with HVEC on Windows 11 using one of the built-in applications, you probably received a popup helpfully informing you that you need to pay 99 cents to install the HEVC codecs. How Do You Get HEVC Codecs on Windows 11? Sadly, the codecs needed aren’t installed on Windows 11 by default - you’ll need to install them manually, or use a third-party media player that comes packaged with them. Compressing video recorded on a cellphone allows you to record dozens or hundreds of hours of footage, whereas uncompressed or minimally compressed formats - like AVI - would only allow for a couple of hours of footage before your device’s storage was completely full. All newer Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad use HEVC to record video, and some Android devices, like the Pixel phones from Google, do as well. More cellphone manufacturers are adding support for HEVC, too. RELATED: What Is HEVC H.265 Video, and Why Is It So Important for 4K Movies?

As an example, HEVC is used to compress the enormous files used in the movie editing process into something that can easily fit on a single Blu-Ray disk. It is useful for other things besides streaming services, though. HEVC is a compression algorithm - it takes large, uncompressed (or minimally compressed) video files and makes them much smaller with only a slight decrease in quality.Ĭompressing video files enables streaming services like Netflix or Hulu to send you video without completely bogging down your internet connection or blowing through your data cap.

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