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What is 16-bit?
16-bit is a common measure of computer information and an attribute of computer systems.
Each bit can have two values so 16 bits can have 2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2 = 216 values. This is equivalent to 65,536 in decimal and 10000 in hexadecimal.
| How 16-bit values compare with others | |||
| Number of bits |
Decimal Base-10 |
Hexadecimal Base-16 |
|
| 8 | 256 | 100 | |
| 16 | 65,536 | 1 0000 | |
| 32 | 4,294,967,296 | 1 0000 0000 | |
| 64 | 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 | 1 0000 0000 0000 0000 | |
| Common uses of 16-bits | |
| Category | Description |
| CPU |
16-bit CPUs process information 16-bits at a time. This was the most common computer processor through most of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. |
| CPU support |
16-bit hardware was common from the mid 1980s. For example, ATA and IDE disk interfaces. |
| Software | Microsoft Windows 3.11 was a 16-bit operating system. |
| Communications and networking | 16-bit groups are used in 128-bit IPv6 addresses. |
| Displays |
16-bit displays are largely obsolete today. They were mainly for Apple Macintosh computers and more recently in some mobile devices (but 18- or 24-bit is more common). They typically use 4-bits per RGB channel with the fourth channel used for alpha transparency where a background is combined with the image. Otherwise 16-bit displays use 5-bits per RGB channel and 1-bit for alpha transparency.. |
| Imaging |
16-bit colour allows 65,536 colours. You are far more likely to find 16-bit-per-channel formats. |
| Audio |
16-bit audio is pretty good. it is used in standard CDs and DAT recordings. |
| Cryptography |
16-bit cryptography is too easy to crack with only 65,536 values because the key size determines the time taken for a brute force attack. |
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