Video Storage Calculator

About the Video Storage Calculator

Video is one of the most storage-intensive data types. A single 4K camera at 25 Mbps generates over 10 GB per hour, and a 100-camera surveillance system can produce over 1 TB per day. Accurately estimating video storage requirements is critical for provisioning NAS/SAN systems, budgeting cloud storage, and planning archive retention.

This calculator estimates video file size and total storage from bitrate, duration, codec efficiency, and resolution. It supports common codecs like H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP9, and AV1, each offering different compression efficiency. H.265 typically achieves 30–50% size reduction compared to H.264 at equivalent visual quality.

Whether you're planning a security camera system, estimating a video streaming platform's storage needs, or budgeting for a media production archive, this calculator gives you accurate storage projections based on your specific parameters.

When This Page Helps

Video storage costs scale rapidly with camera count, resolution, and retention period. This calculator prevents over-provisioning (wasted budget) and under-provisioning (lost footage) by giving you precise storage estimates.

How to Use the Inputs

1. Enter the video bitrate in Mbps (or select a preset for common resolutions).
2. Enter the total recording duration in hours.
3. Select the codec (H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1).
4. Optionally enter the number of cameras or streams.
5. Review the per-stream and total storage estimate.
6. Adjust bitrate and codec to optimize storage.

Example Calculation

Tips & Best Practices

• H.265/HEVC roughly halves file size vs H.264 at equivalent quality—use it for new deployments.
• Variable bitrate (VBR) encoding produces smaller files for static scenes (e.g., surveillance hallways).
• Motion-triggered recording can reduce storage by 50–80% for low-activity cameras.
• AV1 offers the best compression ratio but requires more CPU for encoding.
• Add 10–15% overhead for container format metadata and filesystem overhead.
• Use tiered storage: keep recent footage on fast storage, archive older footage to cold storage.

Codec Comparison for Storage Efficiency

H.264/AVC: The most widely supported codec. Baseline for storage calculations. H.265/HEVC: 30–50% smaller than H.264 at equivalent quality. Requires more decode CPU. VP9: Google's open codec, similar efficiency to H.265. Used by YouTube. AV1: Newest generation, 20–30% better than H.265, but very CPU-intensive encoding.

Surveillance Storage Planning

Multiply per-camera daily storage by camera count and retention days. A 32-camera 1080p system at 4 Mbps H.265 with 30-day retention needs: 1.69 GB/hr × 24 × 32 × 30 = ~38.9 TB. Add RAID overhead (30–50%) for the final disk requirement.

Cloud vs. On-Premise Video Storage

Cloud storage eliminates hardware management but incurs ongoing costs. At $0.023/GB/month, 40 TB costs $920/month ($11,040/year). On-premise NAS hardware costs $3,000–$8,000 upfront but has lower annual costs. Break-even is typically 1–2 years.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What bitrate should I use for 1080p video?

  For H.264: 4–8 Mbps for good quality, 8–15 Mbps for high quality. For H.265: 2–4 Mbps for good quality, 4–8 Mbps for high quality. Surveillance cameras typically use 2–6 Mbps at 1080p with motion-adaptive encoding.

• How much storage does a 4K camera need per day?

  A 4K camera at 15–25 Mbps (H.264) uses 162–270 GB/day. With H.265, the same quality requires 80–135 GB/day. 4K cameras need roughly 4× the storage of 1080p cameras at equivalent quality settings.

• Does audio significantly increase file size?

  Audio adds relatively little—typically 64–256 kbps versus video at 2–25 Mbps. Audio adds 28–110 MB per hour, or 1–5% of video size. It's usually negligible for storage planning but should be included for accuracy.

• What is the difference between CBR and VBR?

  Constant Bitrate (CBR) uses the same bitrate regardless of scene complexity, giving predictable file sizes. Variable Bitrate (VBR) adjusts bitrate to scene complexity, producing smaller files for static scenes but potentially larger files for complex motion.

• How long should I retain surveillance footage?

  Typical retention: 7–30 days for general security, 30–90 days for regulated environments (banking, healthcare), and 1+ year for high-security facilities. Check local regulations for mandated minimum retention periods.

• Can I reduce video storage without losing quality?

  Yes: upgrade codec (H.264 → H.265), use VBR encoding, enable motion-triggered recording, reduce frame rate for non-critical cameras (30fps → 15fps), and apply scene-adaptive bitrate. Each measure can save 20–50% independently.