H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) - also known as MPEG-4 Part 10 - is poised to be a major video standard because it can replace several popular formats while offering significant advantages over them.
The MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec Package offers fast encoding and decoding speeds in all profiles and levels supported by the standard. It encodes and decodes H.264/AVC video, making it easy to add support for this exciting new format to existing applications. The encoder also includes pre-configured templates for Blu-ray, Sony PSP, Apple iPod, AVCHD, Adobe Flash and other standards. The Broadcast version of the Codec Package even offers AVC-Intra Class 50 and Class 100 support.
The corresponding H.264/AVC Decoder offers real-time decoding speeds in various profiles and levels supported by the standard. In addition, it features an extraordinary quality improvement over other similar solutions. The H.264/AVC Decoder enables the user to decode every DVB-S2 channel which broadcasts H.264/AVC. Standard vs. Pro vs. Broadcast Version
| H.264/AVC Encoder Standard | H.264/AVC Encoder Pro | H.264/AVC Encoder Broadcast | Instances | Single instance at the time | Multiple instances at the time | Multiple instances at the time | CPU Usage | Only one physical CPU (e.g. on systems with 2 Dual Cores, encoder will run only on one Dual Core thus utilizing 2 cores from 4 available in system) | Multiple CPU support | Multiple CPU support | Bit Rate Control | Only ConstQ and VBR rate control modes (thus no CBR) | CBR, VBR, ConstQ, multipass encoding is enabled | CBR, VBR, ConstQ, multipass encoding is enabled | Available Bit Rates | Max bit-rate 20 Mbps | Up to Level 5.1 restriction | Up to Level 5.1 restriction | Special Formats Support | | | AVC-Intra Class 50 and 100 | 8-/10-bit Support | 8-bit support | 8-bit support | 10-bit support | | H.264/AVC Decoder Professional | H.264/AVC Decoder Broadcast
| | Supported Streams | 4:2:0 chroma format as well as 8-bit stream support | Also support for AVC-Intra and H.264/ AVC 4:2:2 as well as 10-bit streams | | AvailabilityFor Windows, Mac and Linux, the codec package consists of a Low Level API (in the C programming language). Under Windows, it additionally includes DirectShow filters for decoding and encoding. The decoder filter can be used by any DirectShow® application (e.g. Windows® Media Player).
The Codec Package is available as 32-bit as well as 64-bit version for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
The H.264 Codec Package is available as a Standard, Professional and Broadcast version. The standard version of the AVC/H.264 encoder has limited functionalities in comparison with the Pro and Broadcast version. Please refer to the table above for a comparison of these three versions.
With MainConcept Reference, the professional transcoder application by MainConcept, H.264 is also available for seamless codec conversion from and to various formats. Click here for details. |
The above codec is also available within MainConcept ShowCase, providing simple and seamless decoder access via DirectShow filters (for Microsoft operating systems). MainConcept ShowCase frees developers from integrating MainConcept Codec SDK decoding components into their own development for just testing the features, performance and quality. Click here to switch to MainConcept ShowCase details. MainConcept ShowCase is currently available for Windows (32bit) only.
