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[Ecrofirt]

16 bit color is "high color", but doesn't have all colors
24 bit is the same as 32 bit, but without the alpha channel, isn't it?
32 bit is all colors and an alpha channel

An I correct?

If this is so, why is it that everything is either 16 bit or 32 bit? Is there some reason why 24 bit is seemingly never used? You never see it in games or anything.

 

[Traumahound]

Because of the bus width. It's more efficient to send the data in 16 or 32 bit chunks than it is to use 24 bit chunks.

For example, assuming a 256bit bus:

= 16, 16bit colors
= 8, 32bit colors
= 10, 24bit colors and "wasting" 16bits.

Powers of 2, my friend, powers of 2.