What does chrominance refer to in video signals?

Chrominance specifically refers to the color information within a video signal. It describes how colors are represented in a video, which includes hue and saturation. In contrast to luminance, which conveys the brightness of the image, chrominance is focused solely on the qualities that pertain to color. Understanding chrominance is essential for color reproduction in video and ensuring that colors are rendered accurately during transmission and playback.

In video technology, chrominance often works in conjunction with luminance to provide a complete picture, giving viewers both the brightness and the color of the image. This separation of color and brightness allows for more efficient encoding and transmission of video signals, especially in formats such as NTSC and PAL.