Video Data Rate Calculator
Calculate uncompressed video bitrates and storage requirements based on resolution and framerate.
Custom Resolution
Full HD (1920 x 1080)
HD (1280 x 720)
4K UHD (3840 x 2160)
DCI 4K (4096 x 2160)
8K UHD (7680 x 4320)
DCI 8K (8192 x 4320)
23.976
24
25
29.97
30
50
59.94
60
120
8-bit
10-bit
12-bit
16-bit
4:4:4 (RGB/Full)
4:2:2
4:2:0
Uncompressed (1:1)
Lossless Compressed (~3:1)
ProRes 422 (~6:1)
High Quality DNxHD/ProRes (~20:1)
Standard H.264/Web (~50:1)
High Compression/Streaming (~100:1)
Calculation Results
Raw Data Rate (Speed):
0 Mbps
Data Rate (Gigabits):
0 Gbps
Throughput (Megabytes/sec):
0 MB/s
Estimated File Sizes
1 Minute of Footage:
0 GB
1 Hour of Footage:
0 GB
How to Calculate Video Data Rate
Understanding video data rates (bitrate) is crucial for video engineers, editors, and streamers. The data rate determines the quality of the video, the bandwidth required to stream it, and the storage space needed to record it. This calculator helps you determine both the bandwidth speed and the storage requirements for various video specifications.
Key Factors Affecting Video Data Rate
There are several variables that contribute to the final size of a video stream or file:
- Resolution (Width x Height): The total number of pixels in each frame. A 4K image has four times as many pixels as a 1080p image, requiring significantly more data.
- Frame Rate (FPS): The number of images displayed per second. Higher frame rates (like 60fps or 120fps) result in smoother motion but multiply the data rate linearly.
- Bit Depth: The number of bits used to describe the color of each channel. Standard video is 8-bit, while professional HDR workflows use 10-bit or 12-bit, which increases data volume.
- Chroma Subsampling: This is a method of compressing color information. 4:4:4 contains full color data, while 4:2:0 (common in web video and consumer cameras) discards some color resolution to save space.
The Formula
To calculate the uncompressed data rate manually, you can use the following logic:
Data Rate = (Width × Height × Frame Rate × Bits Per Pixel)
Where Bits Per Pixel depends on bit depth and chroma subsampling. for example, in a 10-bit 4:2:2 stream, the average bits per pixel is 20.
Why Compression Matters
Raw, uncompressed video requires massive amounts of data (often exceeding 3 Gbps for 4K). For practical use, we use codecs like H.264, HEVC (H.265), or ProRes to compress this data. The "Compression Ratio" option in this calculator allows you to estimate the final file size after these codecs are applied.