4K Resolutions, Bitrates and Storage
4K Resolutions
UHD
3840×2160Television and streaming "4K", 16:9 (1.78:1); exactly four 1080p frames
DCI 4K
4096×2160The cinema 4K container, about 1.90:1 (often called 17:9)
DCI 4K Flat / Scope
3996×2160 / 4096×17161.85:1 and 2.39:1 inside the DCI 4K container (not the same thing as anamorphic capture)
4K full aperture scan
4096×3112A 35mm full-aperture film scan (about 1.32:1), common for scanned negative and VFX plates
4K Bitrates
Streaming to viewers
15–20 MbpsConnection speed Netflix (15 Mbps or higher) and YouTube (20 Mbps) recommend for 4K playback
Uploading to YouTube
35–45 Mbps4K SDR at 24–30 fps; 53–68 Mbps at 48–60 fps, and 44–56 Mbps for 4K HDR at 24–30 fps
ProRes 422 / 422 HQ
471 / 707 MbpsUHD at 24p (23.976), Apple ProRes white paper
Blackmagic RAW, 4K DCI
280–1,088 Mbps12:1 to 3:1 constant bitrate at 30 fps on the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro (35–136 MB/s)
4K Storage per Hour
H.265 delivery file
~20 GBAt 45 Mbps, the top of YouTube's 4K SDR range
ProRes 422, UHD 24p
~212 GB471 Mbps (Apple ProRes white paper)
ProRes 422 HQ, UHD 24p
~318 GB707 Mbps (Apple ProRes white paper)
Blackmagic RAW 3:1, 4K DCI 30p
~490 GB136 MB/s on the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro; 12:1 is about 126 GB
ProRes Data Rates at 4K
Apple's target data rates from the ProRes white paper (April 2022). ProRes is variable bitrate, so real files vary a little around these figures, using fewer bits on simple images. GB per hour = Mbit/s × 0.45. The editing codecs guide compares ProRes and DNxHR as edit codecs.
| Codec | UHD 24p | UHD 30p | DCI 4K 24p |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProRes 422 Proxy | 145 Mbit/s · 65 GB/h | 182 Mbit/s · 82 GB/h | 155 Mbit/s · 70 GB/h |
| ProRes 422 LT | 328 Mbit/s · 148 GB/h | 410 Mbit/s · 185 GB/h | 350 Mbit/s · 157 GB/h |
| ProRes 422 | 471 Mbit/s · 212 GB/h | 589 Mbit/s · 265 GB/h | 503 Mbit/s · 226 GB/h |
| ProRes 422 HQ | 707 Mbit/s · 318 GB/h | 884 Mbit/s · 398 GB/h | 754 Mbit/s · 339 GB/h |
| ProRes 4444 | 1,061 Mbit/s · 477 GB/h | 1,326 Mbit/s · 597 GB/h | 1,131 Mbit/s · 509 GB/h |
| ProRes 4444 XQ | 1,591 Mbit/s · 716 GB/h | 1,989 Mbit/s · 895 GB/h | 1,697 Mbit/s · 764 GB/h |
Camera raw varies far more by maker, resolution and compression setting. Use the maker's own figures: Blackmagic lists Blackmagic RAW rates on each camera's tech specs page, and ARRI publishes a Formats and Data Rate Calculator.
4K Production Calculations
Storage for a 4K Project
Multiply the codec's data rate by the running time. Work in seconds and decimal units (1 GB = 8,000 megabits), as drive makers do. The free bitrate calculator does the sum in your browser.
Formula:
Storage (GB) = Bitrate (Mbit/s) × Duration (s) ÷ 8,000Examples:
2 hours of ProRes 422, UHD at 23.976 fps (471 Mbit/s)
Calculation: 471 × 7,200 ÷ 8,000 = 424 GB
Result: 424 GB
1 hour of Blackmagic RAW 12:1, 4K DCI at 30 fps (35 MB/s = 280 Mbit/s)
Calculation: 280 × 3,600 ÷ 8,000 = 126 GB
Result: 126 GB
Notes:
- At the same codec and frame rate, UHD needs about four times the storage of HD: ProRes 422 is 117 Mbit/s at 1080p24 and 471 Mbit/s at UHD 24p
- Frame rate scales the rate too: UHD ProRes 422 is 589 Mbit/s at 30p and 1,178 Mbit/s at 60p
- Budget for every copy: camera originals, backups, proxies, renders and the deliverables. The free RAID capacity calculator shows how much of an array is left for them
4K Upload Bitrates
Platforms publish their own upload recommendations; use those rather than a rule of thumb.
Formula:
Upload bitrate = the platform's published recommendation for your resolution, frame rate and SDR or HDRExamples:
YouTube 4K SDR, 24–30 fps
Calculation: YouTube recommended upload settings
Result: 35–45 Mbps
YouTube 4K HDR, 24–30 fps
Calculation: YouTube recommended upload settings
Result: 44–56 Mbps
Notes:
- Figures as of October 2026; see support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171
- YouTube sets no bitrate limit, so a higher-bitrate master is fine; it re-encodes everything
- HDR uploads need a 10-bit codec and the right color tags
Transfer Time
Moving 4K media takes real time. Divide the size by the sustained speed of the slowest link: the network, the drive, or the card reader. The free upload time calculator runs the same sum in your browser.
Formula:
Time (s) = Size (GB) × 8,000 ÷ Speed (Mbit/s)Examples:
One hour of UHD ProRes 422 (212 GB) over a 1 Gbit/s connection
Calculation: 212 × 8,000 ÷ 1,000 = 1,696 s
Result: About 28 minutes at full line speed
The same hour at 100 Mbit/s
Calculation: 212 × 8,000 ÷ 100 = 16,960 s
Result: About 4.7 hours
Notes:
- Real transfers rarely hold full line speed; measure yours and plan with that figure
- Checksum-verified offloads take longer than a plain copy because every file is read back
- For large shoots, shipping a drive can beat uploading