Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total library storage needed
1,350
Monthly storage cost
$31.05
Size of one asset at this bitrate/duration
2.70
Peak delivery bandwidth needed
12.00
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How to use this
- 1Enter video bitrate (Mbps).
- 2Enter content duration (hours).
- 3Enter total library hours to store (hours).
- 4Enter storage rate ($/GB-mo).
- 5Enter peak concurrent viewers.
- 6Read your total library storage needed on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Video storage and delivery planning starts with bitrate, since file size and required bandwidth are both direct functions of it — a 1080p stream at 6 Mbps produces roughly 2.7 GB per hour, while 4K HDR at 25 Mbps produces over 11 GB per hour, a 4x difference that compounds fast across a content library or live-streaming audience. This calculator converts a bitrate and duration into stored file size, then applies your storage rate for monthly hosting cost, and separately computes concurrent viewer bandwidth requirements for live or on-demand delivery at scale. If you offer multiple renditions (adaptive bitrate streaming with several quality tiers), the effective storage and origin bandwidth cost is the sum across all renditions, not just your headline quality — this is the number that's easy to underestimate when budgeting a video platform.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Video bitrate: 6 Mbps
- Content duration: 1 hours
- Total library hours to store: 500 hours
- Storage rate: 0.023 $/GB-mo
- Peak concurrent viewers: 2000
Results
- Total library storage needed: 1,350
- Monthly storage cost: $31.05
- Size of one asset at this bitrate/duration: 2.7
- Peak delivery bandwidth needed: 12
What each field means
Inputs
- Video bitrate (Mbps)
- The video bitrate used in the calculation, measured in Mbps. Starts at 6 Mbps so you have a working example on load.
- Content duration (hours)
- The content duration used in the calculation, measured in hours. Starts at 1 hours so you have a working example on load.
- Total library hours to store (hours)
- The total library hours to store used in the calculation, measured in hours. Starts at 500 hours so you have a working example on load.
- Storage rate ($/GB-mo)
- The storage rate used in the calculation, measured in $/GB-mo. Starts at 0.023 $/GB-mo so you have a working example on load.
- Peak concurrent viewers
- The peak concurrent viewers used in the calculation. Starts at 2000 so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total library storage needed
- Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Monthly storage cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Size of one asset at this bitrate/duration
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Peak delivery bandwidth needed
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What bitrate should I use for common resolutions?
Rough streaming-industry benchmarks: 720p sits around 2.5-4 Mbps, 1080p around 4-8 Mbps, and 4K around 15-25 Mbps depending on codec and content motion complexity — H.265/AV1 can hit similar visual quality at roughly 40-50% of H.264's bitrate. Check your actual encoding profile's output bitrate rather than assuming a generic number, since it varies by encoder settings.
Does adaptive bitrate streaming multiply my storage cost?
Yes — a typical ABR ladder with 4-6 renditions (say 360p through 1080p or 4K) stores every rendition simultaneously to serve different network conditions, so total storage per asset is roughly the sum of all rendition bitrates, often 2-3x the size of a single-rendition file. Budget storage cost against the full ladder, not just your top-quality master file.
How much does a CDN reduce origin bandwidth for popular content?
For content with meaningful repeat viewership, a CDN with a well-tuned cache can serve 90%+ of requests from edge cache, cutting origin egress bandwidth (and its cost) by a similar margin since only cache misses hit the origin. Live streaming sees less benefit from caching than on-demand VOD because there's less time for content to propagate through cache tiers before viewers request it.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Video Streaming Bitrate & Storage Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/video-streaming-storage-calculator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/video-streaming-storage-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Video Streaming Bitrate & Storage Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Video Streaming Bitrate & Storage Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/video-streaming-storage-calculator) (2026).