Practice and planning

How much video storage you need

Enter camera count, retention and average bitrate. If you do not have measurements yet, switch to a preliminary VBR estimate from scene parameters.

Calculation method Measured bitratePreferred method VBR estimateModel assumptions

Number of cameras Retention, days Recording, hours/day Recording activity, %100% means continuous recording; for events, enter the observed share.

Measured average stream per camera, MbpsUse an average from a representative period covering day, night, movement, rain and foliage.

Reserve, audio and available disk

Audio per camera, kbps Engineering reserve, % Usable disk fraction, %The file system, RAID/VMS and service data may reduce usable capacity. Installed nominal capacity, TB

Results update immediately without sending any data.

STORAGE PLANMeasured stream

Recommended nominal capacity 8TB

Rounded planning capacity: disk or array; verify the NVR limit and bay count

Without reserve5.184 TB5,184 GB

Required nominal6.548 TBincluding reserve and the available share of disk capacity

Binary capacity5.956 TiBthe same bytes in a different unit

Average incoming stream16 Mbps4 Mbps per camera

Estimated retention on the entered disk36.7 days

Formula 4 × 4 Mbps × 24 h × 30 d × 0.00045

Resolution, FPS, codec and foliage are not applied again because their effect is already present in the measured average stream.

VBR and event recording depend on the actual scene. Before purchasing, measure average and peak bitrate, check the recorder limit and use the manufacturer's official tool.

Verifiable source data

Method and sources

Video

Axis · bitrate control Seagate · storage calculator Seagate · TB / TiB