This part describes the Video for Linux API version 2 (V4L2 API) specification.
Revision 4.5
Table of Contents
Authors, in alphabetical order:
Copyright © 1999-2016: Bill Dirks, Michael H. Schimek, Hans Verkuil, Martin Rubli, Andy Walls, Muralidharan Karicheri, Mauro Carvalho Chehab, Pawel Osciak, Sakari Ailus & Antti Palosaari.
Except when explicitly stated as GPL, programming examples within this part can be used and distributed without restrictions.
revision: | 4.10 / 2016-07-15 (rr) |
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Introduce HSV formats.
revision: | 4.5 / 2015-10-29 (rr) |
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Extend VIDIOC_G_EXT_CTRLS;. Replace ctrl_class with a new union with ctrl_class and which. Which is used to select the current value of the control or the default value.
revision: | 4.4 / 2015-05-26 (ap) |
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Renamed V4L2_TUNER_ADC to V4L2_TUNER_SDR. Added V4L2_CID_RF_TUNER_RF_GAIN control. Added transmitter support for Software Defined Radio (SDR) Interface.
revision: | 4.1 / 2015-02-13 (mcc) |
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Fix documentation for media controller device nodes and add support for DVB device nodes. Add support for Tuner sub-device.
revision: | 3.19 / 2014-12-05 (hv) |
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Rewrote Colorspace chapter, added new enum v4l2_ycbcr_encoding and enum v4l2_quantization fields to struct v4l2_pix_format, struct v4l2_pix_format_mplane and struct v4l2_mbus_framefmt.
revision: | 3.17 / 2014-08-04 (lp, hv) |
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Extended struct v4l2_pix_format. Added format flags. Added compound control types and VIDIOC_QUERY_EXT_CTRL.
revision: | 3.15 / 2014-02-03 (hv, ap) |
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Update several sections of “Common API Elements”: “Opening and Closing Devices” “Querying Capabilities”, “Application Priority”, “Video Inputs and Outputs”, “Audio Inputs and Outputs” “Tuners and Modulators”, “Video Standards” and “Digital Video (DV) Timings”. Added SDR API.
revision: | 3.14 / 2013-11-25 (rr) |
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Set width and height as unsigned on v4l2_rect.
revision: | 3.11 / 2013-05-26 (hv) |
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Remove obsolete VIDIOC_DBG_G_CHIP_IDENT ioctl.
revision: | 3.10 / 2013-03-25 (hv) |
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Remove obsolete and unused DV_PRESET ioctls: VIDIOC_G_DV_PRESET, VIDIOC_S_DV_PRESET, VIDIOC_QUERY_DV_PRESET and VIDIOC_ENUM_DV_PRESET. Remove the related v4l2_input/output capability flags V4L2_IN_CAP_PRESETS and V4L2_OUT_CAP_PRESETS. Added VIDIOC_DBG_G_CHIP_INFO.
revision: | 3.9 / 2012-12-03 (sa, sn) |
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Added timestamp types to v4l2_buffer. Added V4L2_EVENT_CTRL_CH_RANGE control event changes flag.
revision: | 3.6 / 2012-07-02 (hv) |
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Added VIDIOC_ENUM_FREQ_BANDS.
revision: | 3.5 / 2012-05-07 (sa, sn, hv) |
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Added V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_INTEGER_MENU and V4L2 subdev selections API. Improved the description of V4L2_CID_COLORFX control, added V4L2_CID_COLORFX_CBCR control. Added camera controls V4L2_CID_AUTO_EXPOSURE_BIAS, V4L2_CID_AUTO_N_PRESET_WHITE_BALANCE, V4L2_CID_IMAGE_STABILIZATION, V4L2_CID_ISO_SENSITIVITY, V4L2_CID_ISO_SENSITIVITY_AUTO, V4L2_CID_EXPOSURE_METERING, V4L2_CID_SCENE_MODE, V4L2_CID_3A_LOCK, V4L2_CID_AUTO_FOCUS_START, V4L2_CID_AUTO_FOCUS_STOP, V4L2_CID_AUTO_FOCUS_STATUS and V4L2_CID_AUTO_FOCUS_RANGE. Added VIDIOC_ENUM_DV_TIMINGS, VIDIOC_QUERY_DV_TIMINGS and VIDIOC_DV_TIMINGS_CAP.
revision: | 3.4 / 2012-01-25 (sn) |
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Added JPEG compression control class.
revision: | 3.3 / 2012-01-11 (hv) |
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Added device_caps field to struct v4l2_capabilities.
revision: | 3.2 / 2011-08-26 (hv) |
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Added V4L2_CTRL_FLAG_VOLATILE.
revision: | 3.1 / 2011-06-27 (mcc, po, hv) |
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Documented that VIDIOC_QUERYCAP now returns a per-subsystem version instead of a per-driver one. Standardize an error code for invalid ioctl. Added V4L2_CTRL_TYPE_BITMASK.
revision: | 2.6.39 / 2011-03-01 (mcc, po) |
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Removed VIDIOC_*_OLD from videodev2.h header and update it to reflect latest changes. Added the multi-planar API.
revision: | 2.6.37 / 2010-08-06 (hv) |
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Removed obsolete vtx (videotext) API.
revision: | 2.6.33 / 2009-12-03 (mk) |
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Added documentation for the Digital Video timings API.
revision: | 2.6.32 / 2009-08-31 (mcc) |
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Now, revisions will match the kernel version where the V4L2 API changes will be used by the Linux Kernel. Also added Remote Controller chapter.
revision: | 0.29 / 2009-08-26 (ev) |
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Added documentation for string controls and for FM Transmitter controls.
revision: | 0.28 / 2009-08-26 (gl) |
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Added V4L2_CID_BAND_STOP_FILTER documentation.
revision: | 0.27 / 2009-08-15 (mcc) |
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Added libv4l and Remote Controller documentation; added v4l2grab and keytable application examples.
revision: | 0.26 / 2009-07-23 (hv) |
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Finalized the RDS capture API. Added modulator and RDS encoder capabilities. Added support for string controls.
revision: | 0.25 / 2009-01-18 (hv) |
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Added pixel formats VYUY, NV16 and NV61, and changed the debug ioctls VIDIOC_DBG_G/S_REGISTER and VIDIOC_DBG_G_CHIP_IDENT. Added camera controls V4L2_CID_ZOOM_ABSOLUTE, V4L2_CID_ZOOM_RELATIVE, V4L2_CID_ZOOM_CONTINUOUS and V4L2_CID_PRIVACY.
revision: | 0.24 / 2008-03-04 (mhs) |
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Added pixel formats Y16 and SBGGR16, new controls and a camera controls class. Removed VIDIOC_G/S_MPEGCOMP.
revision: | 0.23 / 2007-08-30 (mhs) |
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Fixed a typo in VIDIOC_DBG_G/S_REGISTER. Clarified the byte order of packed pixel formats.
revision: | 0.22 / 2007-08-29 (mhs) |
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Added the Video Output Overlay interface, new MPEG controls, V4L2_FIELD_INTERLACED_TB and V4L2_FIELD_INTERLACED_BT, VIDIOC_DBG_G/S_REGISTER, VIDIOC_(TRY_)ENCODER_CMD, VIDIOC_G_CHIP_IDENT, VIDIOC_G_ENC_INDEX, new pixel formats. Clarifications in the cropping chapter, about RGB pixel formats, the mmap(), poll(), select(), read() and write() functions. Typographical fixes.
revision: | 0.21 / 2006-12-19 (mhs) |
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Fixed a link in the VIDIOC_G_EXT_CTRLS section.
revision: | 0.20 / 2006-11-24 (mhs) |
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Clarified the purpose of the audioset field in struct v4l2_input and v4l2_output.
revision: | 0.19 / 2006-10-19 (mhs) |
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Documented V4L2_PIX_FMT_RGB444.
revision: | 0.18 / 2006-10-18 (mhs) |
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Added the description of extended controls by Hans Verkuil. Linked V4L2_PIX_FMT_MPEG to V4L2_CID_MPEG_STREAM_TYPE.
revision: | 0.17 / 2006-10-12 (mhs) |
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Corrected V4L2_PIX_FMT_HM12 description.
revision: | 0.16 / 2006-10-08 (mhs) |
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VIDIOC_ENUM_FRAMESIZES and VIDIOC_ENUM_FRAMEINTERVALS are now part of the API.
revision: | 0.15 / 2006-09-23 (mhs) |
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Cleaned up the bibliography, added BT.653 and BT.1119. capture.c/start_capturing() for user pointer I/O did not initialize the buffer index. Documented the V4L MPEG and MJPEG VID_TYPEs and V4L2_PIX_FMT_SBGGR8. Updated the list of reserved pixel formats. See the history chapter for API changes.
revision: | 0.14 / 2006-09-14 (mr) |
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Added VIDIOC_ENUM_FRAMESIZES and VIDIOC_ENUM_FRAMEINTERVALS proposal for frame format enumeration of digital devices.
revision: | 0.13 / 2006-04-07 (mhs) |
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Corrected the description of struct v4l2_window clips. New V4L2_STD_ and V4L2_TUNER_MODE_LANG1_LANG2 defines.
revision: | 0.12 / 2006-02-03 (mhs) |
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Corrected the description of struct v4l2_captureparm and v4l2_outputparm.
revision: | 0.11 / 2006-01-27 (mhs) |
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Improved the description of struct v4l2_tuner.
revision: | 0.10 / 2006-01-10 (mhs) |
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VIDIOC_G_INPUT and VIDIOC_S_PARM clarifications.
revision: | 0.9 / 2005-11-27 (mhs) |
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Improved the 525 line numbering diagram. Hans Verkuil and I rewrote the sliced VBI section. He also contributed a VIDIOC_LOG_STATUS page. Fixed VIDIOC_S_STD call in the video standard selection example. Various updates.
revision: | 0.8 / 2004-10-04 (mhs) |
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Somehow a piece of junk slipped into the capture example, removed.
revision: | 0.7 / 2004-09-19 (mhs) |
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Fixed video standard selection, control enumeration, downscaling and aspect example. Added read and user pointer i/o to video capture example.
revision: | 0.6 / 2004-08-01 (mhs) |
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v4l2_buffer changes, added video capture example, various corrections.
revision: | 0.5 / 2003-11-05 (mhs) |
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Pixel format erratum.
revision: | 0.4 / 2003-09-17 (mhs) |
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Corrected source and Makefile to generate a PDF. SGML fixes. Added latest API changes. Closed gaps in the history chapter.
revision: | 0.3 / 2003-02-05 (mhs) |
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Another draft, more corrections.
revision: | 0.2 / 2003-01-15 (mhs) |
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Second draft, with corrections pointed out by Gerd Knorr.
revision: | 0.1 / 2002-12-01 (mhs) |
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First draft, based on documentation by Bill Dirks and discussions on the V4L mailing list.