Storage Capacity: How Long Can 1TB Store CCTV Video?

CCTVs come with a variety of storages and the range of these storages is between 6GB and 6TB. If you have or intend to buy a 1TB storage for a CCTV, then the first question that may come to your mind is how long can be the length of the captured video.

Well, how long is 1TB CCTV is depends on several factors like resolution, frame rate, and number of CCTVs. You can capture around 3816 hours of DVR video at 30fps while the length of a 4K video captured by the CCTV can be around 336 hours while at 30fps.

In this article, we have calculated all the possible lengths or storage capacities for a 1 TB CCTV so that you can easily determine whether you should go for it or increase the capacity of your CCTV.

What Determines How Long Does a 1TB CCTV Video Capture?

There are several factors that determine how long can be a video captured by your 1TB CCTV. Here is the list of factors –

1. Number Of Cameras: How long can a 1TB CCTV capture, depends on how many CCTV cameras are being used to capture the footage.
2. Frame Rate: The frame rate impacts the size of the video which determines the total length of 1TB 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.
3. 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 1TB will be shorter. While the opposite happens at lower resolutions.
4. Storage Capacity: The storage capacity also determines the length of CCTV footage. For example, a 992GB storage can hold longer video than 960GB storage.
5. Recording Type: The length for a 1TB 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. 

Capacity Calculation of a Single 1TB CCTV

Here is a table that contains all the possible lengths of videos captured by a single CCTV with 1TB storage.

Frame RateResolution	7.5 fps	10 fps	15 fps	20 fps	25 fps	30 fps	60 fps
CIF (320 X 240)	2200 days	1770 days	1320 days	885 days	664 days	553 days	442 days
D1 (720 X 480)	600 days	500 days	380 days	254 days	191 days	159 days	127 days
960h (960 x 480)	500 days	400 days	300 days	203 days	152 days	127 days	101 days
720p (1080 X 720)	250 days	200 days	150 days	101 days	76 days	63 days	50 days
1080p (1920 X 1080)	180 days	140 days	110 days	74 days	55 days	46 days	37 days
3MP (2048 X 1536)	130 days	100 days	80 days	54 days	40 days	33 days	27 days
4MP (2688 X 1520)	130 days	100 days	80 days	54 days	40 days	33 days	25 days
4K (3840 X 2160)	55 days	45 days	35 days	23 days	17 days	14 days	11 days
12MP (4000 X 3000)	50 days	40 days	35 days	23 days	17 days	14 days	11 days

As you can see in the chart above, depending on the frame rate you use, a video length of 1TB CCTV can be anywhere from 2200 days to 127 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 1TB 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 1TB 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 720p at 60fps will be 50 days* 24 = 1200 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (FAQs)

How Many Hours Is A 1TB DVR?

How many hours will a 1TV DVR  (Digital Video Recorder) depends on the at which resolution and frame rate the video is captured. There are two most popular types of DVR resolution – CIF (320×240) and D1 (704×480). On average, you can record up to 3816 hours in 1TB DVR.

Is 1TB A Lot of Storage For Security Cameras?

Whether a 1TB storage is enough for a security camera depends on at which resolution it captures the video. On average, around 250 to 500 hours of standard definition footage at a frame rate of 30fps can be stored on a 1TB storage. In the case of high-definition footage, approximately 60 to 200 hours of footage at a frame rate of 30fps can be accommodated within 1TB of storage.

How Many TB Do I Need For CCTV?

The storage capacity for CCTV systems can vary significantly, ranging from 6GB to 6TB. For cameras with motion-based recording and lower resolutions, storage sizes between 6GB and 60GB are typically sufficient. However, cameras that record at higher resolutions necessitate larger storage capacities, typically ranging from 600GB to 6TB.

How Long Does 2TB Record For CCTV?

How long a 2TB CCTV can record depends on the quality and compression used by the CCTV. Uncompressed 4K-5K footage requires a significant amount of space and can fill up storage in as little as 10-50 hours, while highly compressed standard definition (SD) footage can accommodate approximately 2000 hours.

Conclusion

How long can the footage be on a 1TB storage depends on the resolution and frame rate that the video is captured at. All the possible outcomes about how long can a 1TB CCTV be are given in this article and you just have to know at which resolution and frame rate you want to record footage using your CCTV. We hope you’ve found this video helpful on determine the capacity of a 1TB CCTV. But if you still have any confusion regarding this topic, then don’t hesitate to ask in the comment section below thanks for reading.