Understanding the h.264 encoder level

[TECK]

I'm encoding a movie with h.264 (x264) to 720p 23.976 fps. Level 3.1 should be fine, based on documentation. What would happen to the movie quality if I use level 4.1 instead, which is recommended for 1080p?

Thank you helping me understand.

 

[priitv8]

It may become unplayable for weaker decoders. They appear on weaker hardware.

H.264 profiles and levels | Inside & Outside MediaCoder

 

[waw74]

this may not apply to you depending on what you're doing with the files, But h.265 has a decent amount of support on recent devices, and gives you a much smaller file size for the same quality. It might take a bit longer to encode depending on what you're using.

Apple and some others call it HEVC , but it's the same thing.