Video Storage & DIT Offload Time Calculator
Plan memory card capacity, backup drive sizes, and data offload transfer durations for film sets, multi-camera live shoots, and post-production ingest.
1. Camera & Recording Format
2. Offload Hardware & Storage Target
DIT Data Management Best Practices on Set
Protecting original camera negative (OCN) files requires adherence to the 3-2-1 Backup Rule: create 3 total copies of the footage, across 2 different physical storage media types, with 1 copy stored off-site.
- Never Use OS Drag-and-Drop: Windows Explorer and macOS Finder do not verify byte-for-byte data integrity. Always use dedicated offload software (such as Silverstack Lab, ShotPut Pro, DaVinci Resolve Clone Tool, or Hedge) with xxHash64 or MD5 checksum verification.
- Label Shuttle Drives Cleanly: Format all drives before call time using exFAT (cross-platform field drives) or APFS / NTFS (dedicated edit bays). Label volumes clearly with project title, roll number, and date.
- Preserve Camera Folder Structure: Never alter the internal folder hierarchies created by cameras (such as
CONTENTS/CLIPorBRAW/DCIM). NLEs rely on internal XML metadata for color profiles and spanned clips.
Worked examples: storage for a shoot and the time to offload it
The tool starts from a base bitrate for each codec at 1080p and 24 frames per second. A larger frame multiplies it by the square root of the pixel count ratio, so 4K is twice the 1080p rate and not four times. Frame rate scales it in proportion. The first table shows one camera for one hour at 4K and 24 frames per second, along with the card size the tool suggests for that hour.
| Codec | Bitrate | Data rate | One hour, one camera | Suggested card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ProRes 422 HQ | 440 Mbps | 55.0 MB/s | 193 GB | 256 GB |
| ProRes 422 | 294 Mbps | 36.8 MB/s | 129 GB | 256 GB |
| Standard H.264 or H.265 master | 100 Mbps | 12.5 MB/s | 44 GB | 64 GB |
| Blackmagic RAW 5:1 | 240 Mbps | 30.0 MB/s | 105 GB | 128 GB |
| REDCODE RAW 5:1 | 480 Mbps | 60.0 MB/s | 211 GB | 256 GB |
| ARRI RAW | 1300 Mbps | 162.5 MB/s | 571 GB | 1 TB |
Frame size has the same square-root effect on any codec. For ProRes 422 one hour of one camera is as follows.
| Frame size | One hour, one camera | Suggested card |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 65 GB | 128 GB |
| 4K | 129 GB | 256 GB |
| 6K | 194 GB | 256 GB |
| 8K | 258 GB | 512 GB |
The tool's starting settings are three hours of ProRes 422 at 4K from one camera, read from a CFexpress Type B card to a USB 3.2 NVMe drive. That is 387.6 GB, and a 512 GB card. The drive at 1,050 MB/s is the limit, and the tool multiplies the raw copy time by a factor for the verification choice.
| Verification | Offload time for 387.6 GB |
|---|---|
| No checksum | 6 min |
| xxHash or MD5 read-back | 13 min |
| Dual destination and checksum | 16 min |
The tool also shows the space for a primary copy and a clone, which for the default is 0.76 TB. Four cameras for the same three hours would multiply every storage figure by four, and the copy time with it.
Working Vocabulary
Key digital imaging technician (DIT) and data management terms:
- Digital Imaging Technician (DIT). The on-set crew member responsible for camera data management, secure offloading, checksum verification, and on-set color pipeline calibration.
- Original Camera Negative (OCN). The primary uncompressed or raw digital files recorded directly onto camera media cards during production.
- Checksum Verification. A cryptographic mathematical calculation (such as MD5 or xxHash64) that compares source and destination files bit-for-bit to guarantee zero corrupted bytes.
- 3-2-1 Backup Rule. The industry gold standard data security protocol: maintain 3 copies of all footage, across 2 different storage media types, with 1 copy stored in a separate physical location.