Media Player · Windows 10 and 11
Play HEVC (H.265) videos
Phones, drones and cameras record HEVC because it takes about half the space of H.264. Playing it needs HEVC support in Windows, which many PCs only get from an extension in the Microsoft Store. Octoolo's Media Player plays HEVC either way: as it is when your PC can decode it, converted to H.264 as it plays when it cannot.
How to play an HEVC video
- 1
Open the Media Player
Open Media Player in Octoolo. The first time, it downloads FFmpeg (77 MB).
- 2
Drop the video in
Drag the MOV, MP4 or MKV onto the window, or press Open files.
- 3
See how it plays
The line under the title says Plays as it is or Repackaged as it plays when your PC decodes HEVC, and Made playable as it plays when Octoolo converts it.
Why HEVC will not play everywhere
HEVC (also called H.265) is newer and more efficient than H.264, and phones use it to save space: an iPhone set to High Efficiency records it, and so do many Android phones, GoPros and drones. Decoding it needs either hardware support and Windows' HEVC extension, or a player that brings its own decoder. Without them, a video shows a black picture with sound, or does not open at all.
How the Media Player plays it
- Your PC decodes HEVC: the video plays as it is, or is repackaged as it plays if it is in a box such as MKV. Decoding happens on the graphics card, so 4K plays smoothly.
- It does not: FFmpeg decodes the HEVC, using the graphics card when it can, and encodes H.264 as it plays: up to 4K on an NVIDIA, AMD or Intel graphics encoder, up to 1080p on the processor.
Either way the file is not changed and nothing is written to the disk. Phone videos filmed upright show upright.
HDR videos
Many phones record HDR in HEVC. When the video has to be converted as it plays, it becomes standard 8-bit H.264 and its HDR is not kept, so the colors can look flatter than on the phone. To share such a video as a file that plays anywhere, HEVC to MP4 converts it to H.264.
Questions, answered
Do I need to buy the HEVC Video Extensions?
No. Without HEVC support in Windows, Octoolo converts the video as it plays. With it, the video plays as it is, which is lighter work for the computer.
Will a 4K HEVC video stutter?
Not when the graphics card decodes or encodes it. On a PC without a graphics encoder, the processor makes 1080p from it, which most processors keep up with.
Does it play iPhone videos (.MOV)?
Yes: H.264 and HEVC MOV files from iPhones and iPads play, the right way up.
Can I also turn HEVC into a normal MP4?
Yes. HEVC to MP4 in Convert video files makes an H.264 MP4 that plays on any PC, phone or TV.
HEVC player, and 16 more apps.
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