Note: This is an estimate using decimal units (1 GB = 1,000 MB). Actual recorder behavior and overhead can vary by camera mode and media formatting.
What this ARRIRAW calculator does
This ARRIRAW calculator helps you estimate data rate, total storage, and media count before a shoot. If you are planning a commercial, documentary, short film, or multi-day narrative production, knowing your expected data footprint can prevent card shortages and post-production delays.
ARRIRAW offers excellent image quality and grading flexibility, but that quality comes with heavier storage requirements. A quick data estimate during prep makes it easier to budget cards, RAID space, offload time, and backup strategy.
How the estimate is calculated
The calculator uses a straightforward data-rate model:
- Bits per frame = width × height × bit depth
- Bits per second = bits per frame × frames per second
- Bytes per second = bits per second ÷ 8
- Data rate MB/s = bytes per second ÷ 1,000,000
- Total storage GB = (MB/s × seconds) ÷ 1,000, then overhead applied
The Data Factor gives you flexibility. Keep it at 1.00 for uncompressed-style planning, or lower it if your tested workflow consistently yields smaller files.
Input guide for production teams
1) Resolution and frame rate
These have the biggest effect on your data rate. Higher frame rates multiply storage demand directly. A jump from 24 fps to 48 fps roughly doubles throughput.
2) Bit depth
ARRIRAW pipelines are commonly planned around 12-bit sensor data. If your workflow uses a different effective bit depth or custom processing path, adjust this value accordingly.
3) Overhead percentage
Always add a safety margin. Real productions include rehearsals, extra takes, speed ramps, and practical inefficiencies in media usage. A 10% to 20% planning buffer is common.
4) Card or drive capacity
Enter the usable size of your media unit to estimate how many cards/drives you need and roughly how long each one lasts.
Practical on-set recommendations
- Plan at least two verified copies before media is recycled.
- Track expected GB per shooting hour by scene type and frame rate changes.
- Use a consistent offload naming convention to avoid relink confusion in post.
- Budget extra time for checksum verification, not just transfer speed.
- For longer schedules, include growth room for pickup days and reshoots.
Why this matters for post-production
Clean storage forecasting improves conform reliability, color pipeline planning, and archive costs. It also helps editorial teams forecast proxy generation time and storage for dailies. In short: accurate data planning protects both your schedule and your budget.
FAQ
Is this calculator exact for every ARRI mode?
No. It is an engineering-style estimate. Real file size can vary with camera model, sensor mode, recorder behavior, and metadata overhead.
Should I use decimal GB or binary GiB?
This tool uses decimal storage units (GB/TB), which match most media marketing labels. If your post tools report GiB/TiB, values may appear slightly smaller.
What overhead percentage should I choose?
For controlled shoots, 10% may be fine. For unpredictable run-and-gun or high-take-count production, 15% to 25% can be safer.