H.264 High Bitrate at 4K UHD (3840×2160): bitrate & storage per minute/hour
H.264 High Bitrate (H.264 / AVC) is a 8-bit 4:2:0 codec with a typical compression ratio of 12:1. The table shows the video data rate and storage it needs at 4K UHD (3840×2160) for common frame rates — video only, audio not included.
| Frame rate | Bitrate | Data rate | Storage / minute | Storage / hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.976 fps | 399.6 Mbps | 49.95 MB/s | 3.00 GB | 179.8 GB |
| 24 fps | 400.0 Mbps | 50.00 MB/s | 3.00 GB | 180.0 GB |
| 25 fps | 416.7 Mbps | 52.08 MB/s | 3.13 GB | 187.5 GB |
| 29.970 fps | 499.5 Mbps | 62.44 MB/s | 3.75 GB | 224.8 GB |
| 50 fps | 833.3 Mbps | 104.17 MB/s | 6.25 GB | 375.0 GB |
| 59.940 fps | 999.0 Mbps | 124.88 MB/s | 7.49 GB | 449.6 GB |
Content-dependent codecs (constant quality, VBR) vary their data rate with scene complexity — the figures above are typical values, and actual rates range around them.
How much fits on a card or drive
Continuous recording time at 4K UHD (3840×2160) and 24 fps, video only. Useful for planning how many cards a shooting day needs.
| Capacity | Recording time | Cards for 1 hour |
|---|---|---|
| 64 GB | 21 min | 3 |
| 128 GB | 43 min | 2 |
| 256 GB | 1 h 25 min | 1 |
| 512 GB | 2 h 51 min | 1 |
| 1 TB | 5 h 33 min | 1 |
What hardware it needs
Playing this back in real time means sustaining 50.00 MB/s of reads. One hour of footage is 180.0 GB, and that is what has to travel every time you copy, back up or archive it.
Any card or drive rated below 50 MB/s sustained will drop frames on playback, whatever its peak speed says on the box.
| Interface | Sustained speed | Copying 1 hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GbE network (1 Gbps) | 110 MB/s | 27 min |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) | 400 MB/s | 8 min |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) | 850 MB/s | 4 min |
| Thunderbolt 3 / 4 (40 Gbps) | 2500 MB/s | 1 min |
Times are for a single copy without checksum verification. Verified offload reads back what it wrote, so it takes roughly twice as long.
When to use it
It compresses groups of frames together, which keeps files small but makes the editor rebuild frames from their neighbours — on a long timeline that shows up as sluggish scrubbing, and proxies or a transcode usually pay for themselves. The 4:2:0 sampling stores a quarter of the colour information. Fine for delivery and viewing, tight for chroma keying or aggressive grading. At 8 bits, banding shows up quickly on skies and gradients once you start pushing the grade. Being content-dependent, the real data rate moves with the shot: a static interview sits at the bottom of the range and handheld foliage at the top. Plan cards for the top, not the average.
Compared with other codecs
Same resolution and frame rate, so the difference is the codec alone:
- H.264 High Bitrate takes practically the same space as H.264 ALL-Intra 400 (400.0 Mbps)
- H.264 High Bitrate takes 2.0× the space of H.264 High Quality (200.0 Mbps)
- H.264 High Bitrate takes 4.0× the space of H.264 Standard (100.0 Mbps)
Related guides
- Same codec at Full HD 1080p (1920×1080): H.264 High Bitrate · Full HD 1080p (1920×1080)
- Other codecs in the same family: H.264 Standard · H.264 High Quality · H.264 ALL-Intra 400
Figures use decimal units (1 GB = 1000 MB), the convention used by drive and camera manufacturers. Computed with the same calculation engine as the Workflow Data Calculator — open it to add audio, streams, backup copies, offload time and storage cost, or to export a PDF report.
Certified Adobe & Blackmagic training and postproduction workflow consulting by Jorge Mochón — jmochon.training