What Is Color Depth (Bit Depth)?
The number of bits used to represent color per pixel. 8-bit is standard, 10-bit enables HDR and smoother gradients.
Color depth (or bit depth) determines how many distinct colors can be represented in each pixel. 8-bit video supports 16.7 million colors and is the standard for streaming. 10-bit video supports over 1 billion colors, enabling HDR content and eliminating color banding in gradients. Most streaming platforms accept 8-bit only, though YouTube supports 10-bit HDR. Encoding in 10-bit requires more processing power and bitrate.
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Related Terms
Chroma Subsampling
A technique that reduces color data in video to save bandwidth. 4:2:0 is standard for streaming, 4:4:4 preserves full color.
Codec
Software or hardware that compresses and decompresses video data. Common codecs include H.264, HEVC, VP9, and AV1.
Encoding
The process of compressing raw video data into a smaller format using a codec like H.264, HEVC, or AV1.