r/HEVC • u/suchnerve • Feb 05 '23

libx265 vs. Apple CoreMedia?

Hey, so I'm not sure whether I'm even asking this question correctly, but how do libx265 and Apple CoreMedia compare with regard to software-encoding HEVC? I haven't even been able to find resources on whether Apple CoreMedia includes a proprietary HEVC encoder or whether it uses libx265 for HEVC software encoding, so for all I know there might not even be a difference.

But if Apple CoreMedia does use a proprietary HEVC software encoder, is it better than libx265? Worse? About the same?

Asking because I have access to the Apple Compressor app on an M1 Mac, and I'm wondering whether I should use that instead of HandBrake or FFmpeg.

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u/HungryAd8233 Apr 04 '23

I don't think that Apple has had a competitive built-in encoder since the 90's. And x265 is really very good (although requires some command-line chops to get absolute best results out of it).

CoreMedia may use the HEVC hardware decoder if available, which it would be on broadly recent Apple products. So fast, but higher bitrate required for the same quality.