Recording Bitrate Calculator
Two quick answers: the bitrate to record at, and the storage it uses.
How recording bitrate and storage work
A recording codec compresses the raw video. Mezzanine codecs like ProRes 422 compress roughly 8:1 (1080p30 ≈ 150 Mbps) to preserve quality for editing; delivery codecs like H.264/H.265 compress far more (H.264 ≈ 120:1) and are used for final delivery. Storage follows directly from the bitrate: GB = Mbps ÷ 8 × seconds ÷ 10⁹.
Frequently asked questions
What recording bitrate should I use?
It depends on the codec and how much you will edit the footage. Mezzanine codecs like ProRes keep a high bitrate for grading and editing; delivery codecs like H.264/H.265 use far less space but are lossy.
How much storage does one hour of video use?
Storage = bitrate × time. At 100 Mbps, one hour uses about 45 GB (100 Mbps ÷ 8 = 12.5 MB/s × 3600 s). Higher bitrate or longer duration scales linearly.
Why do recording and streaming bitrates differ?
Recording usually targets quality you can edit and re-encode later, so it uses a higher bitrate (ProRes, high-quality H.264). Streaming is sized to the link, so it uses a lower, more compressed bitrate.
Disclaimer: bitrates and storage are planning estimates. Verify with your codec and storage vendor.