Video
How big is one hour of 4K video?
7–27GB
for one hour, from a streaming service's delivery to a camera's recording; 18 GB at 4K, 30 fps (H.264, 40 Mbps)
"4K video" covers a ten-fold range. A streaming service squeezes an hour into a few gigabytes; a camera recording at 60 Mbps writes 27 GB. The difference is the bitrate.
The arithmetic
- 40 Mbps × 3,600 s ÷ 8 = 18 GB per hour
- Size = bitrate × seconds ÷ 8. The resolution only matters through the bitrate it needs.
| Source | Size |
|---|---|
| 4K, 30 fps (H.264, 40 Mbps) published | 18 GB |
| 4K, 60 fps (H.264, 60 Mbps) published | 27 GB |
| iPhone 4K, 30 fps (HEVC) estimate | 10.2 GB |
| iPhone 4K, 60 fps (HEVC) estimate | 24 GB |
| Netflix High, 4K Ultra HD published | 7 GB |
| YouTube 4K computed | 9 GB |