What is bit depth?

It’s important to understand what a bit is at this point. A bit, short for “Binary Digit,” is the smallest unit for representing digital data. A bit can have one of two values, typically represented as 0 or 1.

Bits serve as the basic unit for representing information in computer systems. Using binary code, various types of data such as numbers, characters, images, and sounds can be represented. For example, an 8-bit binary code can express 256 different values through an 8-digit number composed of 0s and 1s.

Bits play a vital role in the basic data processing and communication in computer systems. Combining multiple bits allows for the representation of more complex data, and the number of bits affects the range and precision of the data. The more bits used, the higher the number of value combinations and the greater the precision.

For example, 8-bit can represent 2^8 (256) different values, ranging from numbers 0 to 255, alphabets, and symbols. Similarly, 16-bit can represent 2^16 (65536) values, and 32-bit can represent 2^32 (about 4.3 billion) values.

비트뎁스

bit depth는 양자화 과정에서 사용되는 비트 수를 의미한다. 비트 뎁스는 디지털 신호에서 표현할 수 있는 동일한 축의 값의 개수를 결정하며, 이는 신호의 세부 수준을 나타낸다. 높은 비트 뎁스는 더 정교한 수준의 신호 표현을 가능하게 하지만, 동시에 더 많은 저장 공간이 필요하게 된다.