How much 4k video can 256GB hold?

How much 4k video can 256GB hold? The most recent digital cameras enable you to capture breathtaking 4K video. But 4K video can also eat up a lot of storage capacity on a memory card.

What size of SD card is recommended for 4K video, then?

You might want at least a 128GB SD card, depending on the bit rate and codec, to prevent changing your card every hour. You can store between 42 minutes and five hours of 4K video on a 128GB card, which should be plenty for the majority of users. But there’s a lot more to think about.

The amount of space that 4K video uses up on an SD card is shown in further detail below.

How much 4k video can 256GB hold?

Between 84 minutes and 10 hours of 4K video can fit on a 256GB card. Only SD cards up to 256GB in size are supported by many cameras, making them a popular option.

When you use a codec with a high bit rate, like All-I, to record 4K video, you can save up to 84 minutes of material.

You might be able to save substantially more video with the budget of 4K cameras. For instance, a 256GB card might store up to 10 hours of video at a bit rate of 7Mbps.

What Factors Affect Video File Size?

Your recording bit rate—how much data you record—and the length of the recording—i.e., how much data you need room for—determine the size of the SD card you need.

But there are a number of things to consider that affect the bit rate and, thus, the capacity of the SD card you ultimately need:

I’ll go over all of the things here, but in addition to the bit rate, the video’s resolution, frame rate, codec, and compression technique all have something to say:

Resolution

You are taking pictures at a resolution of 3840 by 2160 when you record 4K video. 1920 x 1080 pixel images are recorded as 1080p HD video. A 4K video’s frame size is four times greater than a 1080p video’s frame size. You must record four times as much data in 4K as in 1080p in order to maintain the same picture quality (same codec/compression) and frame rate. This means that 4K video requires larger SD cards than 2K or 1080p video.

In other words, the size of the SD card required to capture video for a specific amount of time at a specific image quality depends on the resolution.

Frame Rate

The size of the video file expands when the frame rate is increased. Depending on the codec being utilized, when you shoot at 120 frames per second (fps), you are collecting 120 images compressed at various rates.

There are digital cameras that can capture 4K video at 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. You will require a bigger card if you intend to film at 60 frames per second.

Bit Rate

The bit rate of video encoding is one of the main determinants of a video file’s size. When compared to 4K video at 60Mbps, 400Mbps takes up a lot more storage space.

The codec and compression technique used to compress the photos into a video file often determines the bit rate. The speed of recording likewise rises with a larger frame rate.

Usually, a 1080p video taken at 60 frames per second has a video bit rate of around 12Mbps. It might take 24Mbps for a 2K video. 4K video can be recorded at rates of between 60Mbps (about 7MB/s) and 400Mbps (approximately 50MB/s).

A 60-second video at 50MB/s would need around 3GB of storage. The majority of consumer 4K cameras, however, shoot at lower bit rates. The average recording speed is between 7MB/s and 37.5MB/s.

Compression Method

You might be able to pick a compression technique if you record 4K video with a top-tier Canon or Panasonic camera. The most popular choices are inter-frame compression formats like IPB and Long-GOP, as well as intra-frame compression formats All-I and All-I.

How much recording time you can fit on an SD card depends on which option you select. Each frame is independently recorded and encoded using the All-I compression technique. Long-GOP compression, which stands for “Group of Pictures,” saves the changes in the image from one frame to the next after capturing and encoding specific frames individually (Intra-frames). IPB experiences the same thing.

The visual quality is better since All-I individually encodes each frame. Long-GOP is a very effective codec. Therefore, the issue is more with the additional data required to record the frames than with the codec itself.

However, compared to IPB/Long-GOP, compressed video using All-I can require two to three times the storage capacity.

While All-I only requires your computer to play back a series of images, Long-GOP requires your computer to decode and compile the film, which puts a greater strain on your processor.

Lower bit rates are often where long-GOP is used. The Panasonic GH5 records at 400Mbps (50MB/s) while using All-I. 100Mbps (12.5MB/s) to 150Mbps (18.75MB/s) are the recording speeds for the Long-GOP compression algorithm.

How Much Is SD Card Capacity Required for 4K Video?

There was 1080p or High-definition video before the immensely amazing 4K resolution, which has come to be associated with visual excellence.

The pixel quality of 4k is nearly four times higher than that of the previous standard. In spite of the fact that it is undoubtedly a big investment in storage, when you compare the two, it becomes clear why your SD card suffers so much.

An hour of unrestricted, uncompressed 4k video will require roughly 110 GB of storage.

We can give a basic sense of what will be optimal for individuals wishing to capture longer video clips in 4k, while we can never be completely exact on the overall storage taken up by 4k video (a number of things can change the storage capacity of the video).

Therefore, even though we all wish we knew for sure how much space is needed, we can all rest easy knowing what SD cards won’t help us.

Can a 64GB SD Card Will Able to Support 4K Video?

Some of the responses to the debatable questions surrounding this size’s suitability for lengthier 4K recordings have felt a little deceitful.

Technically, 4k video can sometimes be readily recorded for up to an hour on 64 gigabytes of storage, but it’s also crucial to realize that 4k can easily use more storage than this.

Therefore, even though some publications would advise getting a 64 gigabyte or larger SD card, I would advise starting at 128 gigabytes and then thinking about getting more storage capacity from there.

Can a 128GB SD Card Will Able to Support 4K Video?

In general, I would say that a 128GB SD card would be sufficient for you, especially if you don’t want to record numerous 4K recordings.

Although there are many perspectives on this, in my opinion, this is the absolute least that a person should seek when buying an SD card for their camera.

How much 4K your SD card can store depends on a number of factors, including data rate, frames per second, the codec your camera uses, and compression. With this in mind, 42 to 304 minutes of 4K video are reportedly capable of being stored on a 128GB card (you can start to see why 64GB is not a perfect choice).

Someone who utilizes 4K infrequently and only occasionally needs more than thirty minutes of 4K video may benefit from this size.

If you exceed that, you might occasionally run out of space or run into storage issues, which unintentionally leads to a power struggle about what should be kept and what should be deleted on your SD card. This can be problematic if you are trying to shoot anything fleeting or under a time crunch.

Can a 256GB SD Card Will Able to Support 4K Video?

When comparing the cost of these cards to the amount of storage required to shoot 4K video, 256 seems to be the best choice.

You are more than likely to receive your money’s worth with this card because it offers 256GB, which doubles the amount of storage capacity that 128GB has (84 to 608 minutes worth of storage). You still receive well over an hour of footage, even at the highest bit rate of 400 Mbps, which is outstanding.

Cards with 512GB or More

If you really want to be sure you have a lot of room in your camera, you can obtain up to 2 terabytes of storage space on the larger SD cards.

While 512 GBs should be more than sufficient for any 4k demands one may have (168 minutes of 4k, if not much more), foresighted people may wish to obtain the more roomy SD cards for upcoming purchases and upgrades.

Most people today couldn’t have predicted that the 64-gigabyte SD card would become outdated ten years ago, but here we are.

Investing in a larger SD card now could save you money later on when the video on your camera starts to use more space if you have a little extra cash, a big ambition for 4k definition films, and your eyes set on the future.

Having said that, most of these tools are unnecessary for someone who plans to capture little more than an hour of 4K content.

Consider the type of video you take before acquiring an SD card. Do you require hours of video on one SD card? Remember that getting a bigger card now could prevent you from later needing to upgrade. For instance, your camera may be recording 4K video at 25MB/s right now, but once you update the firmware, it might start utilizing a codec with a higher bit rate.

Purchasing a huge SD card today might help you prepare your equipment for future cameras. The data rate for the upcoming generation may exceed 400Mbps due to the likelihood that it will enable 4K video at greater frame rates.

The main line is that for capturing 4K video, 32GB and 64GB cards are quickly becoming obsolete. Depending on the codec, you might not even be able to keep 30 minutes of video. Up to 2 hours and 48 minutes of footage can be stored while recording 4K video at 400Mbps and using a 512GB memory card.

A 256GB card still provides 84 minutes of respectable 4K movie storage. Depending on the recording speed, a 128GB SD card can hold 42 to 304 minutes of video.

For the majority of circumstances, this storage should be more than adequate.

FAQs on How Much 4k Video Can 256GB Hold

Originally posted on November 14, 2022 @ 6:38 am