Hi guys!

I just noticed that my ipad will not handle 4k h.265 videoes (potentially there is some way to import it using itunes but it also did not work for me).
Now I have 2 options which seems to be working fine:
1. h.265 with 2.7k or
2. h.264 with 4k

Which one would you recommend? Is there some noticable quality difference between h.264 and h.265?
Background: I'm using a drone mainly for travel videos which ten goes to yt. I sometimes watch them on tv.

Thank you for any advices!

My Tab s3 Tablet can view H265 but but when importing to editor it likes H264 so I have my set to H264 4K. H265 work mainly with newer systems and what I've read there is very little difference between the two. enjoy.I can film in H265 and use VLC Media player and convert later to H264 /Mp4

I just created three videos with my MA2:  one 4k/60, one 4k/30, and one 4k/30hdr -- all using H.265.   All three play perfectly on my 2020 iPad.   Not sure about 4k specifically, but I think H.265 support has been included since iOS 11, though I suppose older iPads might not have the cpu power to play 4k h.265 smoothly.

As regards your question on quality difference between 2.7k h.265 vs. 4k h.264...    The encoding will not make much visual difference on either of them.  If you need 4k resolution, h.264 will be fine.  If you don't need 4k, then shoot in 2.7k as it will save space and decrease viewing horsepower.

3Recon Posted at 10-19 12:44
My Tab s3 Tablet can view H265 but but when importing to editor it likes H264 so I have my set to H264 4K. H265 work mainly with newer systems and what I've read there is very little difference between the two. enjoy.I can film in H265 and use VLC Media player and convert later to H264 /Mp4

Thank you! Helpful replay!

Scott108 Posted at 10-19 13:47
I just created three videos with my MA2:  one 4k/60, one 4k/30, and one 4k/30hdr -- all using H.265.   All three play perfectly on my 2020 iPad.   Not sure about 4k specifically, but I think H.265 support has been included since iOS 11, though I suppose older iPads might not have the cpu power to play 4k h.265 smoothly.

As regards your question on quality difference between 2.7k h.265 vs. 4k h.264...    The encoding will not make much visual difference on either of them.  If you need 4k resolution, h.264 will be fine.  If you don't need 4k, then shoot in 2.7k as it will save space and decrease viewing horsepower.

I have ipad pro from 2017 (I guess). So far I cannot even import the 4k h. 265 videos whereas with 2.7k h. 265 there are no issues (same with h. 264 4k).
I think I'll just stick to h. 264 4k. Or am I loosing a lot?

karol.m Posted at 10-19 13:58
I have ipad pro from 2017 (I guess). So far I cannot even import the 4k h. 265 videos whereas with 2.7k h. 265 there are no issues (same with h. 264 4k).
I think I'll just stick to h. 264 4k. Or am I loosing a lot?

No, I don't think you will be losing a lot by going with h.264.

Lots of threads here discussing h.264 vs h.265, differences and reasons to prefer one or the other.  My take on consensus is that IF you have late-model computing equipment that can deal with h.265, there are good reasons to use it.  But if not, h.264 is just fine.  

A few threads for your reading pleasure (you can find more with search):
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=223030
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=217915
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=216617
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=80209

H265 Is nice if you looking for quality videos using smaller amounts of space on the sd.

If storage space is not a concern then I'd stick with 4K.

Hello karol.m, thank you for reaching out and sharing your inquiry. h.265 has improved compression compared to h.264 which means it allows you to take up only half of space with the same quality running at h.264. On the other hand h.264 4k will provide a better quality that requires a lot of storage and h.265 2.7k provides a good quality with storage space saver. Thank you.

Does it default to h.265 only when there's no sd card?   

I just did 2 video's back to back with my MA2, both 4K 30fps but the first in h.264 and second in h.265
No difference in file size, both 1GB, both were 1m 22sec on the same flight route. I have yet to see difference in detail, but since my laptop struggles with h.265 I think I'm gonna stick with h.264.
Just to add, my laptop is an Asus ROG gaming laptop.