Learn in the textbookHow Video Works and Its File Formats
DefinitionH.264 is a video coding standard developed jointly by ITU-T, the international standards body for telecommunications, and MPEG, and is also called MPEG-4 AVC.
ExplanationCompared with the earlier MPEG-2, it is said to reach the same picture quality with roughly half the data. It has long been used for Blu-ray discs, online video streaming, and Japan's One Seg mobile TV broadcasts. The "H." name is an ITU-T recommendation number, while on the MPEG side the same standard is called AVC as part of MPEG-4.
AnalogyIt is like a well-known, standard way of folding luggage small. Many devices and services know this folding method, so they can unfold what was packed.
Memory hookAVC stands for Advanced Video Coding.