Video Codec Support Checker

What the results mean

A codec is the method used to compress video so it can travel over the internet. Your device has to support a stream's codec to play it, ideally in hardware, which keeps playback smooth and cool. This checker asks your browser which formats it can decode. On Android phones and TV boxes, the browser and apps generally share the same hardware decoders, so the result is a good guide to what your apps can play too.

• H.264 is supported by practically everything made in the last decade, and it is what most live channels use.
• H.265 (HEVC) needs about half the data of H.264 for the same picture. It is standard on Fire TV 4K sticks, Google TV devices and most phones since around 2017.
• VP9 and AV1 are royalty-free formats used mainly by YouTube and some newer services. AV1 is supported by the newest chips only.

Why the screen resolution may look odd

Many TV browsers and Android TV devices render web pages at 1920×1080 even on a 4K panel, and upscale the result. A 4K TV may therefore show as Full HD here. Apps can still output true 4K. On phones, the figure reflects the physical pixels of the screen.

If a stream will not play

A channel that shows a black screen or plays sound only may use a codec your device decodes poorly. Switching player often fixes it, because players like VLC can fall back to software decoding. See our external player guide. To check whether your connection can carry the stream, run the speed test.