HD Video Data Rate Calculator
Calculate uncompressed video bitrates and storage requirements for professional production.
Calculation Results
Understanding Video Data Rates
In the world of digital video production, understanding the data rate (or bitrate) is crucial for planning storage capacity, choosing the right memory cards, and managing network bandwidth. This HD Video Data Rate Calculator computes the raw, uncompressed bitrate based on physical image properties.
The Math Behind the Video Bitrate
Calculating the data rate for uncompressed video involves multiplying five key variables:
- Resolution (Width x Height): The total number of pixels in a single frame. For 1080p, this is 1920 x 1080 = 2,073,600 pixels.
- Frame Rate (FPS): How many frames are captured or played back every second. Standard cinema is 24fps, while broadcast is often 30fps or 60fps.
- Bit Depth: The number of bits used to describe the color of each sub-pixel. Professional 10-bit color offers significantly more gradations than standard 8-bit color.
- Color Channels: Standard video uses 3 channels (Red, Green, and Blue).
- Chroma Subsampling: A compression technique that reduces color information without affecting brightness. 4:4:4 is no reduction, while 4:2:0 reduces data by 50%.
Common Uncompressed Data Rate Examples
| Format | Resolution | Settings | Data Rate (Gbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HD (1080p) | 1920×1080 | 30fps, 10-bit, 4:2:2 | ~1.24 Gbps |
| 4K UHD | 3840×2160 | 60fps, 10-bit, 4:4:4 | ~14.93 Gbps |
| 8K Cinema | 7680×4320 | 24fps, 12-bit, 4:4:4 | ~28.66 Gbps |
Compressed vs. Uncompressed
It is important to note that most cameras and streaming platforms use codecs (like H.264, H.265, or ProRes) to compress these massive raw data rates into manageable sizes. While uncompressed 4K video might require 10 Gbps, a compressed 4K YouTube stream only needs about 0.025 Gbps (25 Mbps).
Use this calculator to determine your peak data requirements when working in high-end post-production environments where uncompressed or lightly compressed video is the standard.