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For a continuous local recording, plan on roughly 10.8 decimal GB per day for every 1 Mbps of average recording bitrate. Use this estimate: storage in GB ≈ recording bitrate in Mbps × 10.8 × days retained. A 10 Mbps recording therefore uses about 108 GB per day, or 3.24 TB over 30 days, before allowing extra room for overhead and other files.
The key distinction: YouTube’s live ingest bitrate is not automatically the bitrate or file size of a separate local recording. Use the local recording’s actual average bitrate for the calculation.
Calculate storage for your recording
Bitrate measures how much data is recorded each second. Multiply the recording’s average bitrate by 10.8 to estimate decimal gigabytes for 24 hours, then multiply by the number of days you want to retain.
Storage (GB) ≈ bitrate (Mbps) × 10.8 × days retained
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- One day at 1 Mbps: about 10.8 GB.
- Thirty days at 1 Mbps: about 324 GB.
- For a 10 Mbps recording: about 108 GB per day and 3.24 TB for 30 days.
These are decimal GB and TB estimates based on bitrate multiplied by continuous recording time. They do not include extra space for the file container, bitrate variation, other files, or operating headroom. The needed reserve depends on your recording workflow; no fixed reserve percentage is established.
Examples at common bitrates
| Average local recording bitrate | Approximate space per day | Approximate space for 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Mbps | 64.8 GB | 1.94 TB |
| 12 Mbps | 129.6 GB | 3.89 TB |
| 30 Mbps | 324 GB | 9.72 TB |
| 35 Mbps | 378 GB | 11.34 TB |
For example, a 6 Mbps recording kept for 30 days calls for about 1.94 TB of calculated capacity before overhead and other files. In practice, compare usable capacity with your calculated retention need and leave room for the rest of the recording workflow.
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YouTube ingest bitrate is not the same as local recording bitrate
The ingest bitrate is the rate of the feed your encoder sends to YouTube. It does not, by itself, tell you the size of a separate recording saved on your computer or storage device. YouTube says it transcodes live streams into multiple output formats for viewers, but that does not establish a local file size or a per-stream amount of storage allocated to YouTube’s archive. YouTube’s encoder guidance does not provide a per-stream archive storage figure.
If you save a local copy, use that recording’s average bitrate in the formula. If you only want to know how much disk space YouTube itself allocates to its archive, the available guidance does not specify a figure, so a local-recording estimate cannot answer that question.
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YouTube bitrate examples for planning
YouTube’s live encoder guidance lists the following recommended H.264 ingest rates. The storage estimates below show what a local recording would use if its average bitrate matched the listed ingest rate; they are not guarantees about local file size.
| Resolution and frame rate | YouTube recommended H.264 ingest rate | Estimated local recording space per day if bitrate matches |
|---|---|---|
| 720p60 | 6 Mbps | 64.8 GB |
| 1080p30 | 10 Mbps | 108 GB |
| 1080p60 | 12 Mbps | 129.6 GB |
| 1440p30 | 15 Mbps | 162 GB |
| 1440p60 | 24 Mbps | 259.2 GB |
| 2160p30 | 30 Mbps | 324 GB |
| 2160p60 | 35 Mbps | 378 GB |
The listed rates run from 64.8 GB per day at 6 Mbps to 378 GB per day at 35 Mbps under the matching-local-bitrate assumption. For the stream itself, YouTube advises testing settings with audio and movement similar to the intended content, monitoring stream health, and reviewing messages during the event. Its documented settings recommend constant bitrate encoding and a two-second keyframe interval, not exceeding four seconds. See YouTube’s encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.
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Plan capacity for your retention period
First identify the average bitrate of the recording you will actually keep—not just the encoder’s YouTube ingest setting. Then multiply the daily estimate by your retention period. A 10 Mbps local recording, for instance, needs about 108 GB per day; retaining it for seven days takes about 756 GB before overhead, while 30 days takes about 3.24 TB.
- Check whether your storage figure is usable capacity, rather than relying only on the label on a drive.
- Consider the retention period, how the drive connects, and whether the workflow requires sustained writes.
- Decide separately whether you need a backup. Capacity for the primary recording alone does not provide one.
A storage drive is relevant if you are keeping a local recording or archive; it is not inherently required just to send a live stream to YouTube. This estimate does not prescribe a particular drive or backup design.
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Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is to keep uploaded documentary footage looping on YouTube, StreamNeo runs the stream from the cloud rather than from a computer at home: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home. It streams the uploaded video at its original quality up to 4K 60fps for one flat price per slot, and automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. StreamNeo is for YouTube, and its slots include 10 GB storage per slot, pooled across active slots; this is a cloud-streaming option, not a replacement estimate for a separate local archive. Learn more at StreamNeo, or start the free first day.
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