Uncompressed RGB Video Subtypes

Microsoft DirectX 9.0

Uncompressed RGB Video Subtypes

The following subtypes define uncompressed RGB formats.

GUID	Description
MEDIASUBTYPE_RGB1	RGB, 1 bit per pixel (bpp), palettized
MEDIASUBTYPE_RGB4	RGB, 4 bpp, palettized
MEDIASUBTYPE_RGB8	RGB, 8 bpp
MEDIASUBTYPE_RGB565	RGB 555, 16 bpp
MEDIASUBTYPE_RGB555	RGB 565, 16 bpp
MEDIASUBTYPE_RGB24	RGB, 24 bpp
MEDIASUBTYPE_RGB32	RGB, 32 bpp, no alpha channel
MEDIASUBTYPE_ARGB32	RGB, 32 bpp, alpha channel

For palettized formats, the color of each pixel is specified as an index into a palette. The palette must be included in the format block, following the BITMAPINFOHEADER structure. For non-palettized formats, the color of each pixel is specified directly; the memory layout depends on the bit depth:

RGB 555 uses the following memory layout:

High-order byte:    Low-order byte: 
X R R R R R G G     G G G B B B B B 

X = Don't care, R = Red, G = Green, B = Blue

RGB 565 uses the following memory layout:

High-order byte:    Low-order byte: 
R R R R R G G G     G G G B B B B B

For 24-bit RGB, every pixel is an RGBTRIPLE. Each color is one byte, with a value from 0 to 255, inclusive. The memory layout is:

Byte 0 1 2

Value Blue Green Red
For 32-bit RGB, every pixel is an RGBQUAD. Each color is one byte, with a value from 0 to 255, inclusive. The memory layout is:

Byte 0 1 2 3

Value Blue Green Red Alpha or Don't Care

If the subtype is MEDIASUBTYPE_ARGB32, byte 3 contains a value for the alpha channel. If the subtype is MEDIASUBTYPE_RGB32, byte 3 should be ignored.

See Also

Video Subtypes

Byte	0	1	2
Value	Blue	Green	Red

Byte	0	1	2	3
Value	Blue	Green	Red	Alpha or Don't Care