Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Computers & Peripherals => Topic started by: Brookie on July 12, 2016, 08:59:33 pm

Title: MacBook Pro - color bit depth?
Post by: Brookie on July 12, 2016, 08:59:33 pm

I have done some web searching and I think, but am not certain, that the MBP15 with AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics card can support 10 bit color. I am looking to get a monitor and want to be sure that my MBP15 can run a monitor at a true 10-bit color depth. Can anyone confirm? 
Thanks!

Title: Re: MacBook Pro - color bit depth?
Post by: rdonson on July 13, 2016, 01:22:14 pm

It depends on the year of the rMBP and the OS you're using.  If you're running El Capitan and a recent rMBP I believe the answer is yes.

Title: Re: MacBook Pro - color bit depth?
Post by: Brookie on July 13, 2016, 03:31:26 pm

Ron,
Thanks for the reply.  I have a late 2015 MBP15.  I have basically come up with the same conclusion: "I think it is 10 bit". But I have not found the answer with certainty, such as in a spec sheet, even for the graphic card - LOL!!  At this point I am going to assume the answer is "yes".

Title: Re: MacBook Pro - color bit depth?
Post by: BobShaw on July 13, 2016, 07:05:05 pm

This is on another thread on a similar subject.
It does not mention MBP, only iMac and Mac Pro.
Check with Apple support maybe.

https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/releasenotes/MacOSX/WhatsNewInOSX/Articles/MacOSX10_11_2.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40016630-SW1

"30-Bit Color is now supported on the Mac Pro (Late 2013), iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014), and iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015). The frame buffer of these Macs has a depth of 10 bits per color component, allowing apps to display graphics and imagery with more than 256 color gradations per component. To take advantage of deep color output in your Metal or OpenGL graphics pipeline, assign a half-float pixel format to your displayable render target. In a Metal app, use the MTLPixelFormatRGBA16Float pixel format; in an OpenGL app, use the GL_RGB16 or GL_RGBA16 pixel format

Title: Re: MacBook Pro - color bit depth?
Post by: digitaldog on July 13, 2016, 08:27:42 pm

Quote from: BobShaw on July 13, 2016, 07:05:05 pm

"30-Bit Color is now supported on the Mac Pro (Late 2013)

I've got the early 2013 and it seems to work.

Title: Re: MacBook Pro - color bit depth?
Post by: Brookie on July 13, 2016, 08:31:03 pm

Thanks guys.
An interesting point about the quote Bob found - isn't 256 8-bit not 10-bit? 

Title: Re: MacBook Pro - color bit depth?
Post by: BobShaw on July 13, 2016, 11:27:29 pm

Quote from: Brookie on July 13, 2016, 08:31:03 pm

... isn't 256 8-bit not 10-bit?

Correct, but this allows more than 256.