If you value storage space over encoding time and have modern playback hardware, x265 is a 5/5 tool. If you just want to shrink a few videos quickly for grandma's tablet, stick with x264.
This review focuses on the trade-offs, practical outcomes, and best practices, rather than just a simple "it's good or bad" verdict. x265 is exceptionally good at shrinking video files —typically reducing size by 40-60% compared to x264 (H.264) at the same perceptual quality. However, achieving these savings without visible damage requires careful tuning. Blindly shrinking can lead to "plastic" faces, blocky shadows, and smeared fine details. shrinking x265
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v libx265 -crf 20 -preset slow -x265-params "aq-mode=3:psy-rd=1.5" -c:a copy output.mkv "x265 looks soft and waxy" → You likely used too high CRF (e.g., 28) or too fast a preset. Lower CRF or use --no-strong-intra-smoothing if sharpness is critical. "My TV can't play x265 files" → That’s a hardware limitation, not an encoder flaw. For universal compatibility, stick with x264. "Encoding takes forever" → True. x265 is computationally heavy. A 2-hour movie can take 6-12 hours on a mid-range CPU at slow preset. Use a GPU (NVENC HEVC) for speed, but GPU encoding is less efficient at shrinking. 6. When to Shrink with x265 (Recommendations) | ✅ Do shrink with x265 | ❌ Don't shrink with x265 | |------------------------|--------------------------| | Archiving Blu-ray/4K rips | Re-encoding already small YouTube videos | | Storing large TV series collections | Sharing with users on old devices | | Content with grainy film look | Real-time streaming (use x264) | | Plex/Jellyfin with hardware transcoding | If you need fast encoding speed | Final Verdict Shrinking video with x265 is the most space-efficient widely-supported method available today. For personal archives and high-quality storage, it's unbeatable. However, it demands patience (slow encoding) and understanding (tuning settings). For casual shrinking of 1080p content to play on any device, x264 remains the safer, faster choice. If you value storage space over encoding time