For a quick estimate, 1080p video uses about 0.45 GB per hour for every 1 Mbps of bitrate. That works out to roughly 4.5 GB per hour at 10 Mbps, or 108 GB per day if recording continuously. Resolution alone does not determine file size: bitrate, codec, frame rate, recording time, and export settings all matter.
Estimate storage from bitrate and recording time
Multiply the video bitrate in megabits per second (Mbps) by the recording duration, then convert bits to bytes. For convenient planning with decimal units, use:
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- GB per hour ≈ bitrate in Mbps × 0.45
- GB per day of continuous recording ≈ bitrate in Mbps × 10.8
- TB for 30 continuous days ≈ bitrate in Mbps × 0.324
These are estimates that exclude small audio and container overhead. They use decimal units: 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes and 1 TB = 1,000 GB. A computer or storage device may display capacity using a different unit convention.
| Video bitrate | Approx. GB per hour | Approx. GB per day, continuous | Approx. TB for 30 days, continuous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mbps | 3.6 | 86.4 | 2.59 |
| 10 Mbps | 4.5 | 108 | 3.24 |
| 16 Mbps | 7.2 | 172.8 | 5.18 |
| 17 Mbps | 7.65 | 183.6 | 5.51 |
| 24 Mbps | 10.8 | 259.2 | 7.78 |
| 28 Mbps | 12.6 | 302.4 | 9.07 |
| 50 Mbps | 22.5 | 540 | 16.2 |
The daily and monthly columns assume recording every hour of the day, with no gaps. If you record only four hours a day, multiply the hourly estimate by four for daily use, then by the number of days you want to keep.
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Why 1080p files can have very different sizes
1080p describes the image resolution, not how much data is used to encode each second of footage. Bitrate is the most direct input for a storage estimate: at the same duration, a higher bitrate generally means a larger file. Codec, frame rate, quality setting, and the complexity of the footage can also affect file size and bitrate variability.
Published examples show why a single “1080p file size” figure is misleading. Apple Support gives an approximate 70–105 MB per minute for a particular 1080p HD iPhone/iMovie export setting, equivalent to about 4.2–6.3 GB per hour. That is a scoped consumer example, not a rate for every phone or 1080p export.
Likewise, Sony’s model-specific help guides list 16 Mbps for an MP4 mode, approximately 17 Mbps for an AVCHD mode, maximum AVCHD rates of 24 or 28 Mbps in listed modes, and approximately 50 Mbps for listed XAVC S HD modes. These examples are not universal camera specifications; the exact available rate depends on the model and recording mode.
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Calculate a specific recording or retention period
For decimal GB, use bitrate in Mbps × duration in seconds ÷ 8,000. The divisor converts megabits to decimal gigabytes. NVIDIA’s VIOS documentation presents the same basic bitrate-times-duration method for its system, using a different GB convention in its formula: NVIDIA VIOS storage calculation guidance.
- 10 Mbps for one hour: 10 × 3,600 ÷ 8,000 = 4.5 GB.
- 17 Mbps for one hour: 17 × 3,600 ÷ 8,000 = 7.65 GB.
- 10 Mbps for one continuous day: 10 × 86,400 ÷ 8,000 = 108 GB.
- 10 Mbps for 30 continuous days: 10 × 30 × 86,400 ÷ 8,000 = 3.24 TB.
If you know the size of an existing clip, it can be more useful than a nominal bitrate, particularly when the video uses variable bitrate encoding. Divide the clip’s size by its duration to get an average for that sample, then scale to the number of hours you plan to record. Allow for clips with different settings or more complex scenes.
Plan for continuous recording and retention
Surveillance and other always-on recording needs scale quickly. First calculate the storage for one stream over the desired retention period, then account for the number of streams and the hours actually captured. For example, a 10 Mbps stream recorded 24 hours a day requires about 3.24 TB for 30 days using decimal units, before any reserve or other stored files.
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Do not plan to fill a drive to its labeled capacity. Include space for other files, bitrate peaks, multiple streams, and a reserve. NVIDIA recommends an approximately 10–20% buffer in its VIOS operational context; that is context-specific guidance, not a universal rule for every video-storage system.
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Account for editing codecs and high-bitrate footage
Compressed camera or delivery files are not the only kind of 1080p video. Editing intermediates can use much higher bitrates to support a production workflow, so storage estimates based on a typical compressed camera mode may be far too low.
Apple lists these ProRes target rates for 1920×1080 video at 29.97 frames per second:
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| ProRes format | Target bitrate | Approx. decimal GB per hour |
|---|---|---|
| ProRes Proxy | 45 Mbps | 20.25 |
| ProRes 422 LT | 102 Mbps | 45.9 |
| ProRes 422 | 147 Mbps | 66.15 |
| ProRes 422 HQ | 220 Mbps | 99 |
| ProRes 4444 XQ | 500 Mbps | 225 |
The hourly storage figures are arithmetic estimates from the listed target bitrates, not guarantees for every clip. See Apple’s ProRes format and bitrate information for the stated rates and conditions.
Choose capacity from your workflow, not the resolution label
Before choosing a storage device, work out the footage you need to keep and the space your workflow requires. An external hard drive for video storage may suit capacity-focused archiving; a portable SSD for video files may be more appropriate when your editing workflow benefits from faster access. Capacity alone does not determine performance or protect against data loss.
Quick Recap
- Bitrate: Use the recording or export mode’s stated Mbps, or estimate from a representative file.
- Recording schedule: Multiply by hours captured per day, not automatically by 24.
- Retention: Multiply daily storage by the number of days you need to retain footage.
- Extra capacity: Leave room for other files, variable-rate peaks, and a practical free-space reserve.
- Workflow and backup: Consider the drive’s usable capacity, speed, interface, portability, and how you will keep a separate copy of important video.
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