Recording Time: How Long Does 2TB Last for CCTV?
CCTVs are equipped with various storage options, ranging from 6GB to 6TB. If you are considering purchasing or already have a 2TB storage for your CCTV, you might wonder how long will 2TB records for CCTV.
The duration of 2TB CCTV footage depends on factors such as resolution, frame rate, and the number of CCTVs used. For instance, if you record 4K video at 30fps, the length of the captured footage can be around 708 hours while you can record up to 7440 hours at a resolution of D1 and a frame rate of 30fps.
In this article, we have computed the possible durations and storage capacities for a 2TB CCTV, allowing you to easily determine whether it meets your needs or if you should consider increasing the storage capacity of your CCTV system.
Factors That Affect the Capacity of a 2TB CCTV?
There are several factors that determine how long can be a video captured by your 2TB CCTV. Here is the list of factors –
- Number Of Cameras: How long can a 2TB CCTV capture, depends on how many CCTV cameras are being used to capture the footage.
- Resolution: The resolution also determines the total length of CCTV footage. The size of a video captured at a higher resolution will be larger; As a result, the video length of 2TB will be shorter. While the opposite happens at lower resolutions.
- Frame Rate: The frame rate impacts the size of the video which determines the total length of 2TB video captured by a CCTV. If the video is captured at higher fps, the length of the video will be shorter and if the video is captured at a lower fps, then the video length will be longer.
- Storage Capacity: The storage capacity also determines the length of CCTV footage. For example, a 1992 GB storage can hold longer video than 1960 GB storage.
- Recording Type: The length for a 2TB CCTV also depends on the recording type of that CCTV. If it has a motion detection feature, then it will only record if anything happens before it. As a result, it can hold more footage than a CCTV that captures 24/7 continuously.
How Long Is 2TB CCTV Depending on Different Resolutions and Framerate
Here is a table that contains all the possible lengths of videos captured by a single CCTV with 2TB storage:
| Frame RateResolution | 7.5 fps | 10 fps | 15 fps | 20 fps | 25 fps | 30 fps | 60 fps |
| CIF (320 X 240) | 4325 days | 3460 days | 2595 days | 1730 days | 1295 days | 1080 days | 865 days |
| D1 (720 X 480) | 1240 days | 990 days | 745 days | 495 days | 370 days | 310 days | 245 days |
| 960h (960 x 480) | 990 days | 795 days | 595 days | 395 days | 295 days | 245 days | 195 days |
| 720p (1080 X 720) | 495 days | 395 days | 295 days | 198 days | 145 days | 120days | 99 days |
| 1080p (1920 X 1080) | 361 days | 285 days | 217 days | 144 days | 108 days | 90 days | 72 days |
| 4MP (2688 X 1520) | 265 days | 212 days | 159 days | 106 days | 79 days | 66 days | 53 days |
| 4K (3840 X 2160) | 117 days | 93 days | 70 days | 46 days | 35 days | 29 days | 23 days |
As you can see in the chart above, depending on the frame rate you use, a video length of 2TB CCTV can be anywhere from 4325 days to 195 days longer when at DVR (CIF & D1) resolution.
The same thing happens for different resolutions and different frame rates. If you’re capturing lower resolution with your 2TB CCTV, then you can use it for much longer than capturing at a higher resolution using the same CCTV.
If you are using multiple CCTVs for 2TB of storage capacity, then the result will be,
Total days from the list ÷ Total number of CCTVs = How long it will capture.
To calculate the video length in hours simply multiply the days from the list with 24. For example, capturing at 4K at 30fps will be 29 days* 24 = 696 hours.
Pro Tip: For Advanced Calculation
If you want a more precise result of how long a 2TB CCTV can store footage, depending on the other factors including recording type (motion or continuous), encoding type (H264 or H265), RAID level, number of hard disks, or even the size of hard disk, then simply go this link to explore CCTV Record-Time Calculator and select “Advanced” under the Calculator Settings.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions and Answers)
Is 2TB enough for CCTV?
When employing continuous recording, a 2TB hard disk drive (HDD) is expected to provide approximately 1-2 days of recording time for 16 cameras and 2-4 days for 8 cameras. So, 2TB isn’t enough for more than 8 CCTV cameras. But if you are using one or two CCTV and capturing at a lower resolution, then 2 TB is more than enough.
How long will a 1TB hard drive record CCTV?
How long a 1TB CCTV can record depends on the quality and compression used by the CCTV. The standard high-definition (HD) footage by a 1TB CCTV can be approximately 500 to 1000 hours.
How long does 2TB last?
The capacity and total length of recorded footage may vary to the resolution and frame rate that the CCTV is capturing. For example, you can record up to 3816 hours in a 2TB DVR (Digital Video Recorder) On average.
How Many TB Do I Need For CCTV?
The storage capacity you need for your CCTV system depends on the number of cameras, video quality, frame rate, and resolution. To estimate, calculate the storage consumption per camera per hour, and multiply it by the desired recording duration. Multiply this by the number of cameras for the total storage needed.
Conclusion
The length of footage that can be stored on a 2TB storage for a CCTV system varies based on the resolution, frame rate, number of CCTVs, and type of recording used for video capture. This article provides all the possible scenarios for the duration of footage on a 2TB CCTV, depending on your chosen resolution and frame rate. If you have any further questions or uncertainties on this topic, feel free to ask in the comment section below. Thanks for reading.
