Video Storage Calculator
Calculate storage needs from video resolution, frame rate, codec, and recording duration. Enter values for instant results with step-by-step formulas.
Formula
Storage = (Bitrate x Duration) / 8
Storage in megabytes equals the bitrate in megabits per second multiplied by duration in seconds, divided by 8 to convert bits to bytes. Bitrate depends on resolution, frame rate, bit depth, and codec compression ratio.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Wedding Videography Full Day
Problem: An 8-hour wedding shoot at 4K 30fps using H.264 codec. How much storage is needed?
Solution: Resolution: 3840 x 2160 = 8,294,400 pixels/frame\nBase bitrate = (8,294,400 x 30 x 8) / (1,000,000 x 50) = 39.8 Mbps\nH.264 ratio = 1.0x, adjusted = 39.8 Mbps\nData rate = 39.8 / 8 = 4.97 MB/s\nPer minute = 298.5 MB\nPer hour = 17.5 GB\n8 hours = 140.0 GB\nRecommended: 2 x 128 GB cards + backup drive
Result: ~140 GB for 8 hours | ~17.5 GB/hour | Need V30+ SD cards (5 MB/s write)
Example 2: Film Production RAW 4K
Problem: A 2-hour shoot at 4K DCI 24fps in RAW format at 12-bit depth. Calculate storage needs.
Solution: Resolution: 4096 x 2160 = 8,847,360 pixels/frame\nBase bitrate = (8,847,360 x 24 x 12) / (1,000,000 x 50) = 50.9 Mbps\nRAW ratio = 40x, adjusted = 2,036 Mbps\nData rate = 254.5 MB/s\nPer minute = 15,270 MB = 14.9 GB\n2 hours = 1,788 GB = 1.75 TB\n12-bit multiplier = 1.5x applied to base\nRequired write speed: 254.5 MB/s (CFexpress Type B or SSD)
Result: ~1.75 TB for 2 hours | ~14.9 GB/min | CFexpress B or external SSD required
Frequently Asked Questions
How much storage does 4K video require compared to 1080p?
4K UHD video (3840 x 2160) contains four times as many pixels as 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080), which directly translates to approximately 4 times the storage requirement at equivalent codec settings and bitrates. A typical 4K H.264 recording at 30 fps uses about 400 to 600 Mbps, consuming roughly 3 to 4.5 GB per minute. The same content at 1080p uses about 100 to 150 Mbps, consuming 750 MB to 1.1 GB per minute. In practice, the ratio may vary depending on codec efficiency and content complexity. Modern codecs like H.265/HEVC can reduce 4K file sizes by up to 50 percent compared to H.264 while maintaining equivalent visual quality, bringing storage requirements closer to what H.264 1080p footage requires.
What is the difference between H.264, H.265, and ProRes codecs for storage?
H.264 (AVC) is the most widely used delivery codec, offering good quality at moderate file sizes with typical bitrates of 20 to 100 Mbps for consumer cameras. H.265 (HEVC) achieves the same visual quality as H.264 at roughly half the bitrate, making it 50 percent more storage-efficient but requiring significantly more processing power for encoding and decoding. ProRes is an Apple-developed intermediate codec designed for post-production editing rather than delivery. ProRes 422 uses bitrates of 150 to 220 Mbps for 4K, producing files 5 to 10 times larger than H.264 but with far less compression artifacting and faster editing performance. ProRes 422 HQ pushes this further with higher quality at proportionally larger file sizes. RAW video formats can be 20 to 40 times larger than H.264.
How does frame rate affect video storage requirements?
Frame rate has a directly proportional relationship with storage: doubling the frame rate doubles the file size because twice as many frames are captured per second. Standard 24 fps footage requires about 80 percent of the storage of 30 fps content. Recording at 60 fps doubles the storage compared to 30 fps, and high-speed recording at 120 fps or 240 fps for slow motion multiplies storage requirements by 4x or 8x respectively. This is why most cameras recording high frame rates either reduce resolution or use more aggressive compression to manage file sizes. A 4K camera shooting at 120 fps would require approximately 12 to 18 GB per minute in H.264, making high-speed 4K capture impractical without fast, large-capacity storage media.
What recording media do I need for different video formats?
The recording medium must provide sustained write speeds that exceed the video bitrate to prevent dropped frames. SD cards are suitable for H.264 1080p up to about 100 Mbps, requiring at least a V30 (30 MB/s) speed class card. For 4K H.264, CFexpress Type A or high-speed SD UHS-II cards (V60 or V90) are necessary. ProRes 422 at 4K requires write speeds of 50 MB/s or more, necessitating CFexpress Type B, fast SSDs, or dedicated recording drives. RAW video at 4K or above can demand write speeds of 300 to 500 MB/s, requiring CFexpress Type B cards or external SSD recorders. NVMe SSDs connected via USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt provide the highest sustained write speeds for demanding formats, while network-attached storage is used for multi-camera studio productions.
How do I estimate storage for a full day of shooting?
Professional video productions typically shoot at a ratio of 10:1 to 40:1, meaning 10 to 40 minutes of footage for every minute of final edited content. For a documentary shooting 8 hours at 4K ProRes 422 at 30 fps, expect approximately 200 GB per hour, totaling 1.6 TB for a full day. A narrative film production might shoot 4 to 6 hours of footage per day in similar formats, requiring 800 GB to 1.2 TB. Corporate event coverage at 4K H.264 uses roughly 15 to 25 GB per hour, making an 8-hour day about 120 to 200 GB. Always bring 1.5 to 2 times the estimated storage to account for unexpected extended shooting, multiple takes, and the inability to review and delete footage during active production. Backing up footage to a second drive is essential.
What is the most cost-effective storage solution for video production?
The most cost-effective approach uses a tiered storage strategy. For on-set capture, use the minimum-spec cards your camera requires and offload frequently to portable SSDs. For editing, use fast NVMe drives (2 to 4 TB) that provide the throughput needed for real-time playback of high-bitrate footage. For project storage, use enterprise-grade spinning hard drives (8 to 18 TB each) in a RAID configuration that provides both speed and redundancy. For long-term archival, LTO tape remains the cheapest per-terabyte option at approximately two dollars per TB, though the drive hardware is expensive. Cloud storage is convenient but ongoing costs add up quickly: storing 50 TB in cloud services costs thousands of dollars annually. A practical rule is to budget 2 to 5 percent of total production costs for storage hardware and backup media.