For encoded video, storage depends on total bitrate and duration. At 20 Mbps per eye, two views require about 18 GB per recorded hour. One hundred hours require about 1.8 TB for one copy, before audio, metadata, and other overhead. These are example settings, not recommended recording specifications.
Estimate your collection
18.00 GB per hour across 2 views. Raw baseline: 2048 × 1080 pixels per view, 30 fps, RGB 8-bit, no compression.
Calculations run in your browser. No project details are submitted. GB and TB use decimal units. The raw result excludes extra copies.
The formula, with units
Encoded GB = Mbps per view × views × hours × 0.45. One megabit per second for one hour is 450 megabytes: 1,000,000 bits × 3,600 seconds ÷ 8 bits per byte. Divide by 1,000,000,000 for decimal GB. Multiply by the total number of stored copies for the replicated footprint.
Uncompressed RGB bytes = width × height × 3 × fps × 3,600 × hours × views. This baseline assumes three 8-bit color channels, tightly packed without compression. It is not an estimate of a camera’s encoded file size. Different pixel formats, bit depths, or packing change the result.
A 100-hour stereo example
| Assumption | Example |
|---|---|
| Delivered raster per eye | 2048 × 1080 pixels |
| Frame rate | 30 fps |
| Average encoded bitrate | 20 Mbps per eye; 40 Mbps across both views |
| Encoded media, one copy | 18 GB/hour × 100 hours = 1,800 GB (1.8 TB) |
| Two stored copies | 3,600 GB (3.6 TB) |
| Uncompressed RGB baseline, one copy | 143,327.232 GB (143.327232 TB) |
If a device reports 20 Mbps for one packed stereo stream, that is the total bitrate, not 20 Mbps per eye. Enter 10 Mbps per view with two views to estimate the same total. Do not double-count a side-by-side recording.
Measure the pilot before budgeting the archive
Resolution alone does not determine compressed size. Encoding settings and scene content matter. Use the average video bitrate from representative recordings, then account separately for audio, annotations, calibration files, temporary processing outputs, container overhead, and storage-system behavior. Peak bitrate also matters for transfer and recording throughput.
For an inspection workflow, the official ffprobe documentation describes stream and container reporting. Inspect the relevant video streams; a container’s total bitrate may include more than video. The calculator does not estimate cloud pricing or prescribe an image-quality setting.
Write the agreed specifications in the procurement brief and use the 2K stereo capture guide to plan timing, calibration, and acceptance checks.
FROM SPECIFICATION TO PARTNERSHIP
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