fifteenbit

Fifteenbit is a term that appears in digital imaging and computing, most commonly referring to fifteen-bit color, a color depth in which the red, green, and blue components are encoded with five bits each. This yields 32 levels per channel and 32,768 possible colors. In practice, 15-bit color is often stored in 16-bit words, leaving one bit unused or used for gamma or transparency in some variants. A common packing is 5-5-5, where the layout is RRRRR GGGGG BBBBB, sometimes with a separate alpha bit as 5-5-5-1. Another variant used the 16-bit 5-6-5 format, which is technically sixteen bits total and not strictly fifteen-bit, but is sometimes discussed alongside 15-bit color in historical contexts.

Fifteen-bit color has been used in older graphics hardware, display pipelines, and video game consoles where memory bandwidth and storage were limited. Compared with 24-bit true color, it offers significantly fewer colors and can lead to banding, but it reduces memory usage and can simplify hardware design.

The term also appears as an online handle, brand name, or project title in various contexts, separate from the color depth concept. As such, Fifteenbit may refer to a person, an artwork, or a company depending on context.

See also: 15-bit color, color depth, 5-5-5, 5-6-5.