Ordinary delivery codecs like H.264 optimize file size and make the CPU pay for it, which collapses when a VJ stacks six layers and scrubs them backward. HAP, released open source by VIDVOX, stores frames the GPU can decompress natively, trading larger files for effortless playback.
That trade defines performance video: drives are cheap, frame drops are not. HAP variants cover alpha channels and higher quality, and every serious VJ and media-server tool reads them.
Content shops sell VJ loops in HAP for exactly this reason. The rule of thumb in the booth: if playback stutters, the first question is the codec, not the machine.