When planning your video projects, whether for professional filmmaking, vlogging, or simply capturing precious moments, understanding storage requirements is crucial. The amount of data generated by your camera depends on several interconnected factors. This calculator helps you estimate the storage space needed for your footage based on common settings.
Key Factors Influencing Storage Space:
Video Resolution: Higher resolutions like 4K and 8K contain significantly more pixels than 1080p, leading to larger file sizes. More pixels mean more detail, but also more data to store.
Frame Rate (fps): Frames per second determine how many still images are captured and displayed each second to create motion. A higher frame rate captures more motion information per second, thus increasing the data rate and file size. For example, 60 fps captures twice as much information as 30 fps in the same duration.
Codec Compression: Video codecs are algorithms used to compress video data, reducing file size while trying to maintain visual quality.
H.264 (AVC): A widely used, efficient codec that offers a good balance between file size and quality.
H.265 (HEVC): A more advanced codec that offers significantly better compression than H.264, meaning smaller file sizes for similar quality, or better quality at the same file size. It's often used for 4K and HDR content.
ProRes: A professional editing codec developed by Apple. It prioritizes editing performance and image quality over compression, resulting in very large file sizes. It's ideal for post-production workflows where quality is paramount.
Recording Duration: The total length of your recording directly impacts the total storage needed. Longer videos naturally consume more space.
How the Calculator Works:
The calculator estimates the data rate (in Megabytes per second – MB/s) based on your selected resolution, frame rate, and codec. This data rate is then multiplied by the total recording duration (in seconds) to determine the total file size. Finally, it calculates how many minutes of footage your specified storage capacity can hold based on the estimated data rate.
The underlying principle is:
Total File Size (MB) = Data Rate (MB/s) * Recording Duration (seconds)
And to determine how much you can store:
Minutes You Can Record = (Storage Capacity (MB) / Data Rate (MB/s)) / 60
Typical Data Rates (Approximate MB/s):
These are approximate and can vary based on camera model, scene complexity, and specific encoder implementation:
The calculator uses simplified average values for these data rates to provide a quick estimate. For precise calculations, consult your camera's specifications.
Use Cases:
This calculator is useful for:
Determining the SD card or SSD size needed for a specific shoot.
Estimating the total storage required for a video project timeline.
Comparing the storage efficiency of different camera settings or codecs.
Planning for archival storage of video footage.
function calculateStorage() {
var resolution = document.getElementById("videoResolution").value;
var frameRate = parseInt(document.getElementById("frameRate").value);
var codec = document.getElementById("codec").value;
var recordingDurationMinutes = parseInt(document.getElementById("recordingDuration").value);
var storageCapacityGB = parseInt(document.getElementById("storageCapacity").value);
var dataRateMbps = 0; // Default to 0
// Base data rates in Mbps (Megabits per second) – these are typical industry estimates
// These will be converted to MB/s later
if (resolution === "1080p") {
if (codec === "h264") {
if (frameRate === 24) dataRateMbps = 12;
else if (frameRate === 30) dataRateMbps = 16;
else if (frameRate === 60) dataRateMbps = 32;
else dataRateMbps = 50; // For higher frame rates like 120
} else if (codec === "h265") {
if (frameRate === 24) dataRateMbps = 8;
else if (frameRate === 30) dataRateMbps = 12;
else if (frameRate === 60) dataRateMbps = 24;
else dataRateMbps = 40; // For higher frame rates
} else { // ProRes for 1080p (less common but possible)
dataRateMbps = 150; // ProRes LT approximation
}
} else if (resolution === "4k") {
if (codec === "h264") {
if (frameRate === 24) dataRateMbps = 40;
else if (frameRate === 30) dataRateMbps = 60;
else if (frameRate === 60) dataRateMbps = 100;
else dataRateMbps = 150; // For higher frame rates
} else if (codec === "h265") {
if (frameRate === 24) dataRateMbps = 20;
else if (frameRate === 30) dataRateMbps = 30;
else if (frameRate === 60) dataRateMbps = 50;
else dataRateMbps = 80; // For higher frame rates
} else { // ProRes for 4K
if (frameRate === 24) dataRateMbps = 170; // ProRes 422
else if (frameRate === 30) dataRateMbps = 220;
else if (frameRate === 60) dataRateMbps = 440;
else dataRateMbps = 500; // Higher frame rates
}
} else if (resolution === "8k") {
if (codec === "h265") { // 8K typically uses H.265 or better
if (frameRate === 24) dataRateMbps = 100;
else if (frameRate === 30) dataRateMbps = 150;
else if (frameRate === 60) dataRateMbps = 300;
else dataRateMbps = 400; // For higher frame rates
} else { // Assume ProRes for 8K if not H.265
if (frameRate === 24) dataRateMbps = 600; // ProRes 422
else if (frameRate === 30) dataRateMbps = 800;
else if (frameRate === 60) dataRateMbps = 1600;
else dataRateMbps = 2000; // Higher frame rates
}
}
// Convert Mbps to MB/s (Megabytes per second)
var dataRateMbs = dataRateMbps / 8;
// Calculate total file size for the specified duration
var recordingDurationSeconds = recordingDurationMinutes * 60;
var totalFileSizeMB = dataRateMbs * recordingDurationSeconds;
var totalFileSizeGB = totalFileSizeMB / 1024;
var totalFileSizeTB = totalFileSizeGB / 1024;
// Calculate how many minutes of recording the given storage capacity can hold
var minutesRecordable = 0;
if (dataRateMbs > 0) {
minutesRecordable = (storageCapacityGB * 1024) / dataRateMbs / 60;
}
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
var outputHTML = "";
if (isNaN(recordingDurationMinutes) || recordingDurationMinutes <= 0) {
outputHTML = "Please enter a valid recording duration.";
} else if (isNaN(storageCapacityGB) || storageCapacityGB <= 0) {
outputHTML = "Please enter a valid storage capacity.";
} else if (dataRateMbs <= 0) {
outputHTML = "Could not determine data rate for the selected settings. Please check your selections.";
} else {
outputHTML += "