The Color Format is the arrangement of data bits representing the colors of each pixel. For example, in the Rgb15 format, each pixel of data is stored as 5 bits of red, 5 bits of green, and 5 bits of blue color information.
Video delivered by the Osprey board to the system is in uncompressed format. It is possible to compress the video as a subsequent stage of processing. However, this dialog field refers specifically to the uncompressed raw video that the board delivers to the system.
The color format you choose applies to Capture video and to Preview video. It does not apply to Overlay video. Overlay video is always matched to the display adapters current screen format - except when grayscale mode is selected. Overlay video is therefore as fast and efficient as possible, but the color rendering may differ very slightly from what you will capture. Preview mode renders colors exactly, but it is slower and consumes more system resources.
Changes to Color Format take effect only after you exit the dialog.
For a more detailed description of the color modes available, refer to Appendix B: Color Modes in the User's Guide.