HEVC (H.265) Video Playback
Why some videos play audio-only in the PlainApp web UI, and how to enable native HEVC (H.265) playback in your browser.
Why some videos play audio-only
Modern phone cameras (Pixel, iPhone, Samsung…) record video in HEVC (H.265) — it halves file size at the same quality compared to H.264. However, HEVC decoding is not built into every browser.
| Platform | Chrome / Edge | Safari | Firefox |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS | Built-in (system VideoToolbox) | ||
| Windows | Only with the OS "HEVC Video Extensions" installed | ||
| Android | Hardware decoder | Newer versions, hardware decoder | |
| iOS / iPadOS | All browsers use WebKit |
Key point: Chromium browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave…) do not ship their own HEVC decoder — they delegate to the operating system's decoder. On Windows that means the optional "HEVC Video Extensions"; on macOS the always-present VideoToolbox. That's why the same Edge version plays HEVC on a Mac but shows a black screen (audio only) on a Windows PC or VM without the extension. Firefox does not support HEVC in web video at all.
When PlainApp's web UI detects this situation, it automatically converts the video to H.264 on your phone and plays that instead — you'll see a hint banner. Original quality is always preserved on the device; the conversion only affects that browser session and is cached for next time.
How to get native (original-quality) playback
Three ways to let your browser decode HEVC directly, so videos play at full original quality without conversion.
Windows — install the HEVC extension
Install the official HEVC Video Extensions (~$0.99) from the Microsoft Store, then restart your browser.
The old free "from Device Manufacturer" version was delisted by Microsoft, but if your PC's maker preinstalled it, you're already covered.
Virtual machines (UTM / Parallels / VMware): the extension works, but there is no GPU hardware decoding — playback uses CPU software decoding. For heavy use, download the file and play it in a local player.
Any desktop OS — download and play locally
Use the download button on any video and open the file with a player that bundles its own HEVC decoder.
The built-in players on macOS and Windows (QuickTime / Movies & TV) also play HEVC once the extension above is installed.
Linux
Chromium uses the system VAAPI/VDPAU stack, so HEVC works when your GPU driver exposes an HEVC decoder. Otherwise use the download-and-play flow above, or Firefox 135+ on capable hardware.
vainfo | grep -i hevcTechnical notes
Browsers report their real decode capability via canPlayType() and MediaCapabilities.decodingInfo(). PlainApp's web UI probes "video/mp4; codecs=hvc1.1.6.L93.B0" before deciding whether to request the transcoded stream — the probe reflects the system decoder registry, which is why the same browser behaves differently on different machines.
Chromium enabled platform HEVC decoding by default in Chrome 107 (October 2022). For deep-dives, see the community-maintained enable-chromium-hevc-hardware-decoding guide.
The codec tag matters: MP4 HEVC tracks tagged hvc1 are universally accepted, while hev1 is rejected by some older Safari versions.
Background reading on HEVC support across browsers and platforms.