V4L2PIXFMTBGR24

V4L2PIXFMTBGR24 is a pixel format identifier used by the Video4Linux2 (V4L2) API to describe how image data are laid out in memory for a video frame. The BGR24 designation indicates a 24-bit packed color format in which each pixel is represented by three bytes in the order blue, green, and red.

In V4L2, pixel formats are defined as four-character codes (fourcc). V4L2PIXFMTBGR24 corresponds to the code produced by v4l2_fourcc('B','G','R','3'), meaning 8 bits per color channel with no alpha channel. Each pixel uses 3 bytes; a scanline comprises width multiplied by 3 bytes, with the driver specifying the line stride (bytes per line). Lines may be padded to meet alignment requirements, commonly to a 4-byte boundary, depending on the hardware and driver.

Usage involving this format typically occurs when configuring a V4L2 device for capture or output. Applications set the format type to V4L2_BUF_TYPE_VIDEO_CAPTURE and assign fmt.pixelformat to V4L2_PIX_FMT_BGR24 or the equivalent V4L2PIXFMTBGR24 value. The device then provides buffers containing 24-bit BGR pixels, suitable for direct use in image processing pipelines or for conversion to other color formats within software.

Compatibility notes indicate that BGR24 is supported by many cameras that deliver packed 24-bit color, but some devices may default to other formats such as YUYV, UYVY, or RGB variants. If a device does not support this pixel format, software may convert from the device’s native format. When in doubt, query the device’s supported formats with the appropriate V4L2 utilities.

See also: V4L2_PIX_FMT_RGB24, V4L2_PIX_FMT_YUYV, v4l2_fourcc.