H264 codec and Profile

The H.264 standard defines a set of capabilities, which are referred to as profiles.
If you choose "H264 (NVIDIA® NVENC)," the "Profile selection menu" appears like below.

Bandicam h264 profile, high 4:4:4 lossless


* H264 codec and Profile - Size, Quality, and Speed

The table below shows the file size, video quality, and speed of Bandicam codecs and H264 profiles.
Codec Size Quality Speed Description
AV1 15 - 18 MB
Better
Fast
Better than HEVC/H.264 at compression
(NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync video)
HEVC 29 - 36 MB
Better
Fast
Better compression rate than H.264 for the same picture quality
(NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync video)
H264
31 - 40 MB
Better
Fast
Best codec for most users
H264
(High 4:4:4)
40.7 MB
Better
Fast
High quality, Windows Media Player does not support
H264
(High 4:4:4 lossless)
217 MB
Best
Fast
Lossless video codec
Much smaller than YV12 or RGB24
Xvid 52.9 MB
Good
Normal
Best codec for most users
MPEG-1 38.8 MB
Good
Normal
Better compression ratio than Xvid
Motion JPEG 420 MB
Normal
Fast
Best codec for video editing software
YV12 5,210 MB
Best
Faster
Lossless video codec
RGB24 10,400 MB
Best
Fastest
Lossless video codec

(Recording time: 1 minute, Video resolution: 1920x1080, FPS: 30, Quality: 80)

* Geforce GTX 900 series and higher graphics cards support the "High 4:4:4" or "High 4:4:4 lossless" profile.
* For more information about the H.264 profiles, refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Profiles.


How to play H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) videos

H264 (High 4:4:4 lossless) video codec is much smaller than YV12 or RGB24. However, Windows Media Player does not support the "High 4:4:4" or "High 4:4:4 lossless" profile. To play the H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) video file, please use VLC media player, Media Player Classic, or POT media player.

* VLC media player settings for H264 (High 4:4:4 profile)

The default settings of VLC doesn't allow you to play the original video quality of the H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) video file. If you use VLC media player, please go to Tools -> Preferences (Ctrl+P) -> Video, and then select "Direct2D video output," "OpenGL video output," or "Windows GDI video output".

VLC settings for the h264 codec high 4:4:4 profile


* POT media player settings for H264 (High 4:4:4 profile)

The default settings of VLC doesn't allow you to play the original video quality of the H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) video file. If you use POT media player, please go to Preferences (F5) -> Video -> Colorspaces, and then select "RGB 32," "Enable (if possible") and "Limited (RGB: 16 - 235, TV standard)".

potplayer, h264, high 4:4:4 profile


* Media Player Classic settings for H264 (High 4:4:4 profile)

The default settings of Media Player Classic allow you to play the original video quality of the H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) video file.


* Tip) The H.264 profiles are only available with the "H264 (NVIDIA NVENC)" encoder.

- Intel Quick Sync Video and AMD VCE profiles may be available in the future.


How to edit H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) videos

To edit the recorded video with Adobe Premiere 2020 (which supports the High 4:4:4 profile), choose the "H264" and "AAC" codecs and change the value of the Keyframe Interval to 1. However, Vegas Pro or Adobe Premiere 2017 doesn't support the H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) videos.

To edit videos with Vegas Pro or Adobe Premiere 2017, you must convert the H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) videos to normal MP4 files. To convert a H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) video, Download/start Bandicut -> Open the video file -> click the "Encoding Settings" , and click the "Start" button.

Converting H264 (High 4:4:4 profile) videos for video editing programs (Vegas, Adobe Premiere)




Other advanced user tips»

  1. How to start Recording Automatically - Scheduled Recording
  2. How to record 24 hours & 365 days - Computer Blackbox
  3. How to record dual/multiple monitors
  4. How to record webcam view and microphone
  5. How to record capture card video and audio
  6. How to edit the recorded video with editing programs
  7. How to add your face on your gameplay or video tutorial
  8. How to upload videos to YouTube from Bandicam
  9. How to upload videos to Vimeo from Bandicam
  10. How to use Chroma Key - Green Screen Recorder
  11. How to choose the best video codec for recording software
  12. How to record "computer sound" and "your voice"
  13. How to Draw on Your PC Screen
  14. How to record Windows Games/Apps (UWP) in MS Store
  15. How to Use Command-Line Parameters with Bandicam
  16. How to Record Remote Desktop Computer
  17. How To Record a Video with Better Quality
  18. How to use Nvidia NVENC encoder - HEVC vs H264
  19. How to use Intel Quick Sync Video encoder - HEVC vs H264
  20. How to use AMD VCE(APP) encoder - HEVC vs H264