What is 8bit and 16bit, in the context of LED strip lights and dimming?

When LED strip lights are controlled using a LED receiver (such as as DMX receiver), they are programmed to dim from maximum to minimum levels of brightness/colour/etc in 255 steps. This the standard for what is called 8bit control.

16-bit LED receivers provide not only the standard 255 steps of control, but also another 255 steps in between those. This gives a total of 512 steps (0-511) of control. The extra precision and granularity gives smoother dimming and colour mixing effects, due to the higher amount of steps.

Which is the best for my project?

For most LED products, 8bit dimming is the standard, and to the untrained eye this is totally acceptable and looks more than satisfactory. You won’t need 16bit control unless specifically requested by a professional, such as a theatre manager.

In theatres, for example, when low-level dimming is often required, the final brightness level can appear too much of a ‘step’ to an audience. So it is common for the theatrical industry to require 16-bit dimming, in order to provide the smoothest dimming / mixing possible and obtain the lowest dimming levels before switching off completely.

8bit Pixel LED chip
High PWM: NS107S/APA102/APA107/SK9822
Normal type: WS2812B/WS2813/WS2815/SK6812/SK6813/SK6822

16bit Pixel LED chip
High PWM: NS107S-16bit
Normal type: WS2812B-16bit