Axis recently announced their adoption of h.264.

This means that video can retain roughly the same resolution and frames per second but take dramatically less bandwidth and storage space. This increase greatly benefits those with an already strained network or storage solution. Customers starting their first security system should take a good look at H.264 capable cameras as a way of getting a higher camera to storage ratio. That means the same cost gets more area coverage then before with less necessary to spent on storage