Video for Linux Two API Specification: Revision 0.24
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# Chapter 3. Input/Output

The V4L2 API defines several different methods to read from or write to a device. All drivers exchanging data with applications must support at least one of them.

The classic I/O method using the `read()` and `write()` function is automatically selected after opening a V4L2 device. When the driver does not support this method attempts to read or write will fail at any time.

Other methods must be negotiated. To select the streaming I/O method with memory mapped or user buffers applications call the `VIDIOC_REQBUFS` ioctl. The asynchronous I/O method is not defined yet.

Video overlay can be considered another I/O method, although the application does not directly receive the image data. It is selected by initiating video overlay with the `VIDIOC_S_FMT` ioctl. For more information see Section 4.2.

Generally exactly one I/O method, including overlay, is associated with each file descriptor. The only exceptions are applications not exchanging data with a driver ("panel applications", see Section 1.1) and drivers permitting simultaneous video capturing and overlay using the same file descriptor, for compatibility with V4L and earlier versions of V4L2.

`VIDIOC_S_FMT` and `VIDIOC_REQBUFS` would permit this to some degree, but for simplicity drivers need not support switching the I/O method (after first switching away from read/write) other than by closing and reopening the device.

The following sections describe the various I/O methods in more detail.

# 3.1. Read/Write

Input and output devices support the `read()` and `write()` function, respectively, when the `V4L2_CAP_READWRITE` flag in the `capabilities` field of struct v4l2_capability returned by the `VIDIOC_QUERYCAP` ioctl is set.

Drivers may need the CPU to copy the data, but they may also support DMA to or from user memory, so this I/O method is not necessarily less efficient than other methods merely exchanging buffer pointers. It is considered inferior though because no meta-information like frame counters or timestamps are passed. This information is necessary to recognize frame dropping and to synchronize with other data streams. However this is also the simplest I/O method, requiring little or no setup to exchange data. It permits command line stunts like this (the vidctrl tool is fictitious):

    > vidctrl /dev/video --input=0 --format=YUYV --size=352x288
    > dd if=/dev/video of=myimage.422 bs=202752 count=1

To read from the device applications use the `read()` function, to write the `write()` function. Drivers must implement one I/O method if they exchange data with applications, but it need not be this.[1] When reading or writing is supported, the driver must also support the `select()` and `poll()` function.[2]

### Notes

[1] | It would be desirable if applications could depend on drivers supporting all I/O interfaces, but as much as the complex memory mapping I/O can be inadequate for some devices we have no reason to require this interface, which is most useful for simple applications capturing still images.
[2] | At the driver level `select()` and `poll()` are the same, and `select()` is too important to be optional.

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Reserved Format Identifiers |  | Streaming I/O (Memory Mapping)