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Sounds interesting. Can you explain how a higher bit depth is used to produce images with less pixelation (higher resolution)?

• teraflop 12y ago
  It's not about resolution. Part of the reason those images look so pixelated is because they're quantized down to 2 bits per pixel: you only get white, light gray, dark gray, and black. Any intermediate shades have to be represented by dithering, which is what creates that stippled, checkered appearance. If the images had the same resolution but higher bit depth, you wouldn't be able to make out much more detail, but the images would be a lot smoother and less blocky-looking. EDIT: I used today's Wikipedia featured picture as an example. Original: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kumar_Anish.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kumar_Anish.jpg 256x256, 8 bits per pixel: http://i.imgur.com/YVIS2g3.png http://i.imgur.com/YVIS2g3.png 256x256, 2 bits per pixel: http://i.imgur.com/iTFslZx.png http://i.imgur.com/iTFslZx.png 256x256, 2 bits per pixel, with dithering: http://i.imgur.com/LnlmORI.png http://i.imgur.com/LnlmORI.png
  • robert-boehnke 12y ago
    I imagine this is because the original Gameboy only had a 2 bit color palette.
    • TazeTSchnitzel 12y ago
      Right. The Game Boy Color changed that, but it wasn't black-and-white.