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Video Storage & Data Rate Calculator

Calculate recording time from drive capacity, or required storage for a shoot, based on codec bitrate. Supports ProRes, DNxHR, BRAW, H.264, and custom bitrates for DIT workflows.

Settings

1 MB/s = 8 Mbps. Cameras advertise in Mbps, cards rate in MB/s.
Accepts: HH:MM:SS, MM:SS, SS or digits-only (HHMMSS).

Result

Recording time —

History

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    Reference

    How the Data Rates Planner Works

    Bitrate and Storage

    Every codec compresses video to a target bitrate — bits (or megabytes) written per second. Knowing the bitrate lets you calculate exactly how long a card lasts, or how much storage a shoot needs.

    The Formulas

    Recording time = Storage (MB) ÷ Bitrate (MB/s)
    Required storage = Recording time (s) × Bitrate (MB/s)
    Units: 1 GB = 1024 MB, 1 TB = 1024 GB (binary/IEC definition, matching real card behaviour).

    Mbps vs MB/s

    Camera specs use Mbps (megabits/s). Card speeds use MB/s (megabytes/s). Divide Mbps by 8 to convert. Example: 200 Mbps ProRes = 25 MB/s.

    Common Bitrates

    H.264 4K (internal): 50–200 Mbps (6–25 MB/s).
    H.265 / HEVC: 35–100 Mbps — more efficient at equivalent quality.
    ProRes 422: ~147 Mbps @ 1080p, ~588 Mbps @ 4K.
    ProRes 422 HQ: ~220 Mbps @ 1080p, ~880 Mbps @ 4K.
    BRAW / ProRes RAW: highly variable by resolution and compression ratio.

    Matching Card Speed to Your Codec

    Your card's sustained write speed must exceed the codec's bitrate. ProRes 4K HQ at ~110 MB/s needs a V90 UHS-II card (sustained ~180 MB/s) — a V60 card (~90 MB/s) will drop frames or refuse to record. Always check the write speed spec, not the read speed, since the two can differ by 50% or more on the same card. Test new cards before a job: rated speeds are peak values, not guaranteed sustained throughput under continuous recording conditions.

    DIT Workflow: Backup Strategy

    A solid DIT workflow keeps three copies of footage: one on the camera card, one ingested to a portable drive on set, and one offsite backup created before the cards are formatted. For a full shooting day at ProRes 422 HQ (4K, 24 fps), expect roughly 400–800 GB of raw footage depending on scene count and take ratios. Plan at minimum 2–3 TB of total portable storage per shooting day to handle three copies comfortably, plus room for proxy renders and project files.