Raw; Mono; Rgb; Yuv - Point Grey Flea3 FL3-U3 Technical Reference Manual

Point Grey Flea3 USB 3.0 Technical Reference
5.2.1

Raw

Raw is a pixel format where image data is Bayer RAW untouched by any on board processing. Selecting a Raw format
bypasses the FPGA/color core which disables image processing, such as gamma/LUT and color encoding, but allows
for faster frame rates.
5.2.2

Mono

Mono is a pixel format where image data is monochrome. Color cameras using a mono format enable FPGA/color
core image processing such as access to gamma/LUT.
Y8 and Y16 are also monochrome formats with 8 and 16 bits per pixel respectively.
5.2.3

RGB

RGB is a color-encoding scheme that represents the intensities of red, green, and blue channels in each pixel. Each
color channel uses 8 bits of data. With 3 color channels, a single RGB pixel is 24 bits.
5.2.4

YUV

YUV is a color-encoding scheme that assigns both brightness (Y) and color (UV) values to each pixel. Each Y, U, and V
value comprises 8 bits of data. Data transmission can be in 24, 16, or 12 bits per pixel. For 16 and 12 bits per pixel
transmissions, the U and V values are shared between pixels to free bandwidth and possibly increase frame rate.
YUV444 is considered a high resolution format which transmits 24 bits per pixel. Each Y, U, and V value has 8 bits.
YUV422 is considered a medium resolution format which transmits 16 bits per pixel. Each Y value has 8 bits, but the U
and V values are shared between 2 pixels. This reduces the bandwidth of an uncompressed video signal by one-third
with little to no visual difference.
YUV411 is considered a low resolution format which transmits 12 bits per pixel. Each Y value has 8 bits, but the U and
V values are shared between 4 pixels. The reduces bandwidth by one half compared to YUV444, but also reduces the
color information being recorded.
YUV can be either packed or planar. Packed is when the Y, U, and V components are stored in a single array
(macropixel). Planar is when the Y, U, and V components are stored separately and then combined to form the image.
Point Grey cameras use packed YUV.
Revised 9/27/2012
Copyright ©2011-2012 Point Grey Research Inc.
Pixel Format
Mono 8, Raw 8
Mono 12, Raw 12, YUV 411
Mono 16, Raw 16, YUV 422
RGB 8, YUV 444
5 Video Formats, Modes and Frame Rates
Bits per Pixel
8
12
16
24
67