YVYU

YVYU is a 4:2:2 packed YUV pixel format identified by the FourCC code YVYU. In this format, two pixels share chroma samples, and the bytes are arranged in a repeating sequence that encodes luma and chroma components for efficient storage and processing of video data.

The memory layout for two consecutive pixels in YVYU is Y0, V0, Y1, U0. Each Y sample provides luminance, while V and U carry chrominance information. This ordering means that, for the same color data, YVYU is distinct from other 4:2:2 packings but is compatible in principle with the same underlying YCbCr color space.

YVYU is essentially equivalent to YUYV (also known as YUY2) except for the swapped positions of the U and V chroma samples. Because the chroma data are identical aside from order, converting between YVYU and YUYV typically involves reordering the chroma bytes. This makes interoperability straightforward in software or hardware that can swap chroma components or reinterpret the byte sequence.

Usage and support: YVYU appeared in some video capture devices, playback pipelines, and early multimedia software that utilized the FourCC system. It is supported by several multimedia frameworks and decoders (such as FFmpeg and GStreamer) but is less common today than other 4:2:2 packings like YUYV/YUY2 or UYVY. When working with YVYU, ensure that the consuming software interprets the bytes with the correct YVYU layout, or perform an appropriate chroma byte swap if translating to a more common 4:2:2 format.

See also: YUYV, YUY2, UYVY, YUV 4:2:2.