STRUCT V4L2_FORMAT_INFO(9)

💅 struct v4l2_format_info(9) — the Kernel API Manual, bestie edition ✨

okay so you're here for struct v4l2_format_info from the Linux Kernel API Manual (section 9, that's the kernel-API girlies) and honestly? this struct is a whole mood. it's literally the little info card that tells you everything about a V4L2 format — no cap. let's get into it 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

struct v4l2_format_info — information about a V4L2 format 💖 like, the deets. the lore. the format's whole personality.

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct v4l2_format_info {
    u32 format;
    u8 pixel_enc;
    u8 mem_planes;
    u8 comp_planes;
    u8 bpp[4];
    u8 bpp_div[4];
    u8 hdiv;
    u8 vdiv;
    u8 block_w[4];
    u8 block_h[4];
    bool has_alpha;
 };

look at her. eleven fields. main character energy, fr fr 👑

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🦋 Members 🦋

okay so this is the part where we go field by field and I tell you what each one is serving 💅

• format — the 4CC format identifier (V4L2_PIX_FMT_*). yes babe, four characters, that's the whole name of the format. iconic behavior honestly.
• pixel_enc — the pixel encoding (peep enum v4l2_pixel_encoding for more, it's listed above, go look 🔍).
• mem_planes — number of memory planes, and yes that includes the alpha plane (so it's 1 to 4, no notes).
• comp_planes — number of component planes, also including the alpha plane (1 to 4 again, consistency queen 💖).
• bpp — array of per-plane bytes per pixel. literally just the byte count per plane, per pixel, in array form.
• bpp_div — array of per-plane bytes per pixel divisors, and the reason she exists is to support fractional pixel sizes 🧚 so yeah, fractional, not always a clean whole number, and that's fine.
• hdiv — horizontal chroma subsampling factor. sideways chroma math 🌈
• vdiv — vertical chroma subsampling factor. up-and-down chroma math 🦋
• block_w — per-plane macroblock pixel width (optional, so it can ghost you and that's legal 🙈).
• block_h — per-plane macroblock pixel height (optional too, same deal 😭).
• has_alpha — does the format embed an alpha component? bool, yes or no, transparency check 💀✨

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

the whole friend group, in order, no skips:

Kernel file ./include/media/v4l2-common.h v4l2_ctrl_query_fill(9), enum v4l2_i2c_tuner_type(9), v4l2_i2c_new_subdev(9), v4l2_i2c_new_subdev_board(9), v4l2_i2c_subdev_set_name(9), v4l2_i2c_subdev_init(9), v4l2_i2c_subdev_addr(9), v4l2_i2c_tuner_addrs(9), v4l2_i2c_subdev_unregister(9), v4l2_spi_new_subdev(9), v4l2_spi_subdev_init(9), v4l2_spi_subdev_unregister(9), v4l_bound_align_image(9), v4l2_find_nearest_size_conditional(9), v4l2_find_nearest_size(9), v4l2_g_parm_cap(9), v4l2_s_parm_cap(9), enum v4l2_pixel_encoding(9), v4l2_get_link_freq(9), v4l2_get_active_data_lanes(9), v4l2_link_freq_to_bitmap(9), devm_v4l2_sensor_clk_get(9), devm_v4l2_sensor_clk_get_legacy(9) 🫶

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and that's the whole page, bestie. no hidden chapters, no plot twist 💀

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k bye ily, this one came from ./include/media and it's dated October 2026 — go read the source, slay, and hydrate 💜💅✨