Video Storage Calculator

For primary editing drives: NVMe SSDs for the fastest performance (3,000–7,000 MB/s read — essential for 4K RAW and ProRes editing). SATA SSDs (500–550 MB/s) work for H.264/H.265 up to 4K. Traditional HDDs (150–200 MB/s) are suitable only for archive and backup, not active editing. For NAS (Network Attached Storage) in studio environments, use enterprise HDDs in RAID configurations (minimum RAID 5 for redundancy).

3-2-1: maintain 3 copies of all footage, on 2 different types of storage media, with 1 copy off-site (or in the cloud). On a film set, this typically means: (1) Camera original media (cards/SSDs), (2) On-set backup HDD created by DIT after each magazine change, (3) Off-site cloud backup or physically separate location (hotel safe, production office). Camera original cards should not be cleared until two additional copies exist and have been verified with checksum comparison.

Storage costs vary by tier: Consumer external HDD: $0.02–0.03/GB (2–6 TB drives). Enterprise NAS HDD: $0.04–0.06/GB. Consumer SSD: $0.07–0.10/GB. NVMe SSD: $0.09–0.12/GB. Cloud archival (Backblaze B2, AWS Glacier): $0.005–0.023/GB/month. A 20 TB video archive costs approximately $400–600 in HDD hardware or $100–460/month in cloud storage depending on the provider. This is particularly important in the context of video storage calculator calculations, where accuracy directly impacts decision-making. Professionals across multiple industries rely on precise video storage calculator computations to validate assumptions, optimize processes, and ensure compliance with applicable standards. Understanding the underlying methodology helps users interpret results correctly and identify when additional analysis may be warranted.

DIT (Digital Imaging Technician) manages all digital media on a professional film or commercial set. Responsibilities: configure camera color science (LUTs, CDLs), ingest and back up footage after each magazine change, perform quality control checks, generate secure hash checksums for verification, create camera reports, and manage DIT cart (high-performance laptop, RAID drives, portable monitor for QC). A DIT is essential for any production with significant data risks — features, commercials, music videos. Smaller corporate and documentary projects may combine DIT duties with the AC (Assistant Camera) role.

Proxy files are low-resolution, highly compressed copies of camera originals used for offline editing (faster performance on lower-powered computers). A 4K RAW proxy at 1080p H.264 might be 1/10 the size of the original. However, you need both the proxy (for editing) and the original (for final export), so total storage increases by approximately the proxy file size. Many workflows use Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve's automatic proxy generation — plan for 10–20% storage overhead above raw footage.

DAS (Direct Attached Storage): USB, Thunderbolt, or eSATA drives connected directly to the workstation. Fastest for single-user workflows (Thunderbolt 3 at 40 Gbps). NAS (Network Attached Storage): Drives connected over Ethernet, accessible to multiple workstations simultaneously. Suitable for small collaborative teams (10 GbE NAS provides ~1,000 MB/s shared). SAN (Storage Area Network): High-performance fiber channel or iSCSI storage for large post-production facilities with multiple editors working on shared high-resolution timelines. SANs can sustain 10,000+ MB/s throughput for 8K multicam editing.

Industry standards vary: corporate video clients typically expect project retention for 1–3 years (for revisions or repurposing). Wedding videographers should retain footage for at least 1 year after delivery (commonly the couple's first anniversary). Feature films and broadcast content may have indefinite archive requirements specified in the contract. Archive only the final deliverables and camera originals — intermediate project files, renders, and proxies can be deleted after project close to save storage.