How Many Hours of Video Can 128GB Hold? Find Your Answer Here!

Nowadays, almost every electronic device needs video recording. For those who are specifically purchasing a dashcam, GoPro, smartphone, or any other device that supports the recording of videos, storage capacity is always a big issue, especially for filmmakers and bloggers who want to store a lot of video footage.

Do you want to know how much video can 128GB hold or USB drive? Then, in this complete guide, we will help you do the math and give you a detailed analysis based on different video resolutions, quality settings, and how many videos can 128GB hold.

Understanding the Storage Capacity of 128GB

First, let us break down the value of 128GB, how many hours of video can a 128 GB flash drive hold? GB is an abbreviation for gigabytes, a term used to measure digital storage space. One GB equals 1,024 MB. Therefore, in other words, a 128GB SD card has 131072MB or simply 128000MB.

How many hours of video can a 128GB SD card hold? A 128 GB SD card can hold roughly about one hundred and twenty-eight thousand photos taken with a twelve-megapixel camera or eight thousand mp3-encoded songs. As for video storage, the total recording time depends on video resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and file types.

How Much Video Can 128GB Hold?

The total video recording time 128GB can hold ranges from 8 hours to 128 hours, depending on the video settings you choose. If you record at top-notch resolutions and quality, 128GB can only store up to 8 hours of footage. But if you dial down the settings a little bit, you can record for days with a 128GB SD card.

Let's take a look at some common video resolution standards and how much footage you can expect from 128GB.

How Many Hours of 4K Video Can 128GB Hold?

4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) is one of the top standards today, offering ultra-high-definition video quality.

How much 4k video can 128GB hold? The massive file sizes of 4K videos can easily take up storage space. At the highest quality settings, 1 hour of 4K footage may require up to 100GB of storage.

With 128GB, you can record about 1.3 hours of 4K video at 60 frames per second and 100Mbps bitrate. Dialing down the bitrate to 50Mbps, the maximum recording duration doubles to 2.6 hours.

If you don't mind sacrificing some image sharpness, a 10-bit H.265 video codec can shrink 4K file sizes by half compared to the H.264 codec. This allows 4K videos at 100Mbps bitrate to fit up to 2.6 hours of footage into 128GB.

How Many Hours of 1080p Video Can 128GB Hold?

Wondering how many hours of HD video can 128 GB hold? 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) strikes a nice balance between high definition and smaller file sizes. At 60fps and 25Mbps bitrate, you can record up to 8 hours of 1080p footage with 128GB storage space.

Bumping up the bitrate to 50Mbps halves the maximum duration to about 4 hours. Most consumer camcorders and DSLRs record 1080p at bitrates between 25-50Mbps.

How Much 2K Video Can 128GB Hold?

2K resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels) sits in between 1080p and 4K. Then, how many hours of 2k video can 128gb hold? With H.264 codec at 60fps and 50Mbps bitrate, 128GB can hold approximately 6 hours of 2K footage.

The 10-bit H.265 codec can extend this to 12 hours at the same settings. 2K resolution provides a nice upgrade in sharpness and quality from 1080p without the storage demands of the full 4K.

How Many Hours of Footage is 128GB? A Full Table

To summarize, here is a table showing the maximum recording duration 128GB can hold for different video resolutions and quality settings:

As you can see, lower resolutions like 480p and 720p can hold hundreds of hours of footage in 128GB. But as you move up to 1080p, 2K and 4K, the maximum duration drops significantly due to the larger file sizes.

Factors that Affect 128GB Storage Efficiency

The video resolution and bitrate are the two most important factors that determine storage capacity needs. But there are also a few other variables that can impact how efficiently 128GB stores your videos:

Video Quality

Higher quality settings will lead to larger file sizes and shorter recording times. Top-end camcorders may have quality levels like Ultra, Extreme, High, etc. Dialing down the quality from Ultra to High can provide up to 20% storage savings.

Bitrate

As shown earlier, higher bitrate settings directly reduce maximum video duration but improve visual quality. Try lowering the bitrate if you want smaller file sizes.

Frame Rate

Higher frame rates (60fps, 120fps) capture smoother motions but also generate bigger files compared to standard 30fps. Reduce the fps to fit more footage into 128GB.

File Format

Newer codecs like H.265 and HEVC offer up to double the compression efficiency over older ones like H.264 and AVI. However compatibility may be limited on older devices.

Recording Length

Capturing video in short bursts instead of long continuous blocks can help with storage optimization. For example, 128 x 1-minute clips will take up less space than a single 128-minute video.

How to Calculate Video Storage?

You can use a simple formula to estimate the video storage capacity you need:

Storage (GB) = Duration (hours) x Bitrate (Mbps) x 0.008

For example, to store a 2-hour video at 50Mbps bitrate: Storage = 2 x 50 x 0.008 = 8GB

You can adjust the variables in this formula to determine your ideal balance between video quality, duration, and storage space.

Security Camera Compatible with 128GB SD Card Recommendation

If you're looking for a security camera that works with 128GB SD cards, we recommend the Argus PT solar-powered pan & tilt camera. It comes with 5MP resolution for sharp 2K+ video and you can store the video and data directly to the MicroSD card. The solar power and wireless connectivity also give you flexible placement options. Overall, it's an excellent option for security and surveillance applications.

FAQs

How many minutes of video is 128GB?

The amount of video that can be stored on a 128GB memory card depends on the resolution and bitrate of the footage. At 720p resolution and 5Mbps bitrate, around 1,100 minutes or 18 hours of video can be recorded with 128GB.

Is 128GB enough for video recording?

For most casual home video recording, 128GB is generally enough to capture a few hours of high definition 1080p video. However, power users who record a lot of high resolution or high bitrate footage, like 4K video, may want to opt for 256GB or larger memory cards.

How many hours of video can 256GB hold?

With double the storage capacity of 128GB, a 256GB memory card can hold about 36 hours of 720p video, 10 hours of 1080p footage, or 2.6 hours of 4K video at 100Mbps bitrate.

Conclusion

When you want to use the most recording time out of your 128GB, you need to find the appropriate mix of video resolution and quality settings that fits your requirements the best. For example, lower-resolution options such as 480p or 720p are capable of capturing hundreds of hours, while 4K comes at a price in terms of shorter recording times.

In general, 1920x1080 pixels provide good quality within a range of 2-8 hours for this storage space. Different factors such as bitrate, frame rate codec, and so on affect how much space storage needs can be eliminated.