Stop Paying for 4K Video Twice: Why You Need to Convert H.264 to AV1 Now

November 25, 2025 API: gemini2025 news

Stop Paying for 4K Video Twice: Why You Need to Convert H.264 to AV1 Now

Every smartphone sold today can record beautiful 4K video — and every time you hit record, you also hit your storage bill. Modern phones capture video using older codecs like H.264 or sometimes H.265/HEVC, formats that were never designed for today’s massive 4K footage. The result? Huge file sizes, overflowing cloud accounts, and rising monthly storage fees.

But there’s a solution — and it’s already here.

Convert everything to AV1. Do it now.

AV1 isn't just slightly better — it’s a generation leap in video compression. If you record video, store video, edit video, or back up video on the cloud, converting old footage from H.264/H.265 to AV1 can immediately cut your storage in half.

Let’s break down why this matters, and why 2025 is the year people will finally stop paying double storage for old video formats.

1. 4K Video Is Exploding in Size — and Cost

A single minute of 4K video recorded in H.264 can be:

  • 350–500 MB for standard bitrate
  • 600 MB–1.2 GB for high bitrate
  • Even larger for stabilized or HDR content
Multiply that by:
  • Kids’ birthday party videos - 4K vacation footage - Slow-motion clips - Cinematic mode recordings - Drone videos
And suddenly you're holding hundreds of gigabytes of personal video.

Modern Smartphone Camera (CC BY-SA)

Smartphone Camera Image: Modern smartphone camera array (CC BY-SA)

Here’s the catch: cloud storage prices haven’t dropped.

  • iCloud 2TB = $9.99/month - Google One 2TB = $9.99/month - OneDrive 1TB = bundled with Office
If you’re storing 4K H.264 video, you’re paying for space you don’t need.

2. Why H.264 Is Holding You Back

H.264 (AVC) was introduced in 2003. That's a 22-year-old codec. At the time, HD video was new and 4K was a dream.

Why H.264 is outdated:

  • Designed for DVD/HD era - Low compression efficiency - Does not handle HDR well - Poor for wide-color-gamut content - Large file sizes for 4K and 8K
Meanwhile, cameras keep improving — sensors get larger, bitrates rise, and video files grow bigger every year.

Your phone is capturing more detail than H.264 knows how to compress.

3. AV1 Solves the Storage Problem — Instantly

AV1 is the first modern open video codec designed for today’s ultra-high-resolution content.

Real-world compression difference:

  • H.264 → AV1: 40–70% smaller - H.265 → AV1: 25–45% smaller - No noticeable quality loss - Better color, better details, better motion stability

AV1 Compression Diagram (Public Domain)

AV1 Codec Diagram Image: AV1 Logo (Public Domain)

AV1 is the biggest upgrade in video compression in the last 20 years.

And unlike HEVC, AV1 is royalty-free — meaning:

  • More apps support it - More browsers support it - More hardware supports it - More cloud tools use it for synergy


4. You Are Literally Paying Twice if You Keep H.264

Here’s what’s really happening:

  1. You pay for storage to upload the video once. 2. You pay again every month to keep that video online.
If the video is twice as large as it needs to be… you’re paying twice the price.

Example:

  • 1 hour of 4K H.264 = 30–60 GB - Same hour converted to AV1 = 12–25 GB


Across a 5-year cloud subscription, the savings are enormous.

5. Hardware Decoding for AV1 Is Now Mainstream

In 2025, almost all new devices support AV1 decoding natively:

  • iPhone 15/16 series - Samsung S23/S24/S25 - Google Pixel 7/8/9 - Most modern smart TVs - Modern Windows PCs (Intel, AMD, NVIDIA) - PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X - Roku - Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
This means your AV1-converted videos:
  • Play instantly - Don’t lag - Don’t require special apps

Smart TV (Public Domain)

Smart TV Image: Internet-connected smart TV (Public Domain)

AV1 is ready for prime time.

6. Should You Convert All Your Old Videos?

Yes — if you:

  • Pay for cloud storage - Shoot a lot of 4K content - Want to preserve videos long-term - Have limited local storage - Want faster uploads and transfers


Ideal candidates for conversion:


  • Old 4K H.264 vacation videos
  • Kids’ videos from older phones - Drone footage - DSLR / mirrorless footage - Large app-generated videos (TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat)


Tools like Tomyaya make the conversion process easy:
  • Batch convert H.264 → AV1 - Preserve metadata - Keep frame rate + audio - Reduce file sizes dramatically - Predict storage savings before converting


AV1 is now fast, accessible, and practical — not a niche experiment.

7. The Future of Video Is 100% AV1

All major technology companies have committed to AV1 as the next standard.

  • YouTube re-encodes billions of videos to AV1 - Netflix streams AV1 for supported devices - Meta uses AV1 for Instagram and Facebook videos - Twitch is testing AV1 broadcasting - Apple integrated AV1 decode support in iPhone hardware
AV1 is the future — H.264 is the past.

Final Thoughts: Convert Now, Save Forever

If you shoot 4K video, you are almost certainly paying twice:

  • Once with storage space - Once with cloud subscription fees


Converting old H.264 videos to AV1 is the fastest, easiest way to:
  • Cut your storage usage by 40–70% - Reduce your cloud bill - Speed up uploads and downloads - Future-proof your video library


The longer you wait, the more you overpay.

Stop paying for 4K video twice. Convert to AV1 now.

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