— CCTV Storage · 8MP
Hikvision DS-2CD2387G2-LU (ColorVu 8MP) storage & retention
Problem. A fleet of Hikvision DS-2CD2387G2-LU (ColorVu 8MP) cameras generates far more footage per day than a lower-resolution camera, so storage sizing has to start from this camera's actual bitrate rather than a generic rule of thumb. Get the drive capacity wrong at design stage and a 30-day retention promise quietly shrinks the moment continuous recording begins.
Answer. For 16 of these cameras recording continuously (24/7) at 30-day retention, expect roughly 41 TB of usable storage, worked out from about 86 GB per camera per day. At that camera count, the recording head-end sits in the Entry NVR class rather than a mid-tier or enterprise platform.
02 / In depth
How this preset reads — the engineering view.
The DS-2CD2387G2-LU records at 8MP with a typical bitrate of about 8 Mbps using H.265+, and that combination is what drives the storage figure: roughly 86 GB per camera per day at continuous recording. H.265+ is a smart-codec variant that compresses static scene detail more aggressively than plain H.264, so the same 8MP image lands at a noticeably smaller daily footprint than an equivalent camera left on an older codec.
Storage scales in a straight line from there: 16 cameras across 30 days of continuous recording works out to about 41 TB. Add more cameras or extend the retention window and the total climbs proportionally in the same way. At 16 cameras, the recording platform falls into the Entry NVR class of head-end, which is the practical planning boundary this preset is built around.
To use the calculator, drag the camera count, retention period, and recording schedule and watch the storage total recompute in real time. Switching from an always-on schedule to a motion-only schedule applies a duty-cycle factor that reduces the effective recording hours per day, which lowers the storage total without changing the camera's underlying bitrate.
The calculator does not decide the real scene-activity variance that pushes bitrate above or below the 8 Mbps average, any RAID or redundancy overhead layered on top of raw capacity, whether a failover or archive tier is needed, or whether the network and recorder can sustain the required write throughput. It also does not select the exact drive model or count to reach the sizing figure it produces.
What this preset deliberately does not solve
- The 8 Mbps figure is a scene-average bitrate; busier scenes with more motion or detail will record at a higher rate than this preset assumes.
- The result compares continuous and motion-only schedules but cannot predict your site's actual motion frequency, which depends on real activity levels.
- The storage total is raw capacity only and does not include RAID, redundancy, or backup overhead, which add to the physical drive requirement.
How this preset differs from its siblings
The DS-2CD2387G2-LU's 8MP resolution and 8 Mbps H.265+ bitrate sit well above typical 2MP or 4MP cameras, so its per-camera daily footprint is substantially larger even before camera count is factored in. A fleet built from a lower-resolution or plain-H.264 model would land on a materially smaller storage total and could stay within a different NVR class at the same camera count, which is why this camera warrants its own preset rather than reusing a generic one.
03 / Hydrated calculator
Try the configuration — live.
The calculator below is preloaded with this preset’s state. Adjust any input — your URL stays shareable.
— Calculator · CCTV storage retention
Cameras, codec, retention — storage estimated.
Pick a camera brand and model, recording schedule and retention window. The calculator returns storage volume, HDD plan, recorded bandwidth and an NVR / VMS class recommendation. Sources cited per profile.
Storage estimated
51.4
TB · 30-day retention
Recorded bandwidth
128
Mbps to NVR / VMS
Architecture
Entry NVR
Entry NVR (8–16 channel)
Indicative planning figure on the H.265+ bitrate assumption above — real recording rate varies with scene activity, motion and lighting. Confirm against a site survey and a test-recording sample before sizing the final storage array.
A planning link — not a quote.
- camera
- Hikvision DS-2CD2387G2-LU ColorVu 4K
- resolution
- 3840 × 2160 (8MP)
- codec
- H.265+ · 25 fps
- bitrate
- 8 Mbps per camera
- duty
- 24/7 continuous
- bandwidth
- live 128.0 Mbps · recorded 128.0 Mbps
- 8 TB drives
- 7 drives
- 10 TB drives
- 6 drives
- 16 TB drives
- 4 drives
Reference 4K AcuSense / ColorVu fixed-bullet. H.265+ smart codec halves storage vs H.264 at equivalent quality.
What changes this estimate
- Scene activity & motion in the actual footage
- Final camera codec & bitrate ladder
- Retention policy confirmed with the client
- Test-recording sample on site
A planning link — not a quote.
· Other presets for cctv storage retention calculator
CCTV Storage · Retail
Retail store — 16 cameras, 30-day retention
A retail store with 16 4MP H.265 cameras needs 30 days of continuous recording for loss-prevention and incident review.
CCTV Storage · Industrial
Manufacturing facility — 32 cameras, 90-day retention
A manufacturing facility with 32 cameras at 4MP H.265+ needs 90-day continuous retention for safety-incident review and process audit.
CCTV Storage · 4MP
Hikvision DS-2CD2143G2-I (4MP Dome): storage & retention
A fleet built around the Hikvision DS-2CD2143G2-I (AcuSense 4MP Dome) puts a real number on what 30-day continuous retention costs in raw storage, and that number is easy to underestimate at 4MP. The right question is not just how large a single camera's footage is, but how the count of cameras, the retention window and the recording schedule compound into a head-end and drive plan.
CCTV Storage · 8MP
Hikvision DS-2CD2T87G2-L (ColorVu 8MP) storage & retention
A fleet of Hikvision DS-2CD2T87G2-L (ColorVu 8MP Bullet) cameras recording continuously puts real weight on the storage decision — 8MP frames at a typical 16 Mbps bitrate accumulate fast, and under-sizing the NVR is the single most common CCTV retrofit mistake. The question a buyer actually needs answered is how many terabytes a 30-day continuous-recording policy demands, and what class of head-end that quantity of storage implies.
CCTV Storage · 4MP
Hikvision DS-2DE4425IW-DE(T5) 4MP PTZ — storage & retention
A site standardising on the Hikvision DS-2DE4425IW-DE(T5) 4MP 25x PTZ needs to size an NVR and disk array before deciding how many cameras it can run and for how long, since a 25x PTZ's 4MP sensor at continuous frame rates writes meaningfully more data per day than a fixed 2MP dome.
CCTV Storage · 8MP
Dahua IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED (8MP TiOC) storage & retention
Sizing storage for a fleet of the Dahua IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED (8MP TiOC) is not a guessing exercise once resolution, codec, and frame rate are fixed. The real decision is how many days of continuous 8MP footage a site needs to retain, and what head-end class of NVR that retention actually demands.
CCTV Storage · 12MP
Dahua DH-IPC-EBW81242N (12MP Fisheye) storage & retention
A fleet of Dahua DH-IPC-EBW81242N (WizMind 12MP Fisheye) cameras generates far more data per hour than a typical 2MP or 4MP dome, so the real decision is not whether to record but how much NVR and drive capacity a 30-day retention policy actually demands. Getting the storage math wrong at design stage means either an under-built NVR that overwrites footage early, or an over-built one that wastes budget on capacity nobody needed.
CCTV Storage · 4MP
Dahua DH-IPC-HFW2431S-S-S2 (4MP) — storage & retention
A site standardising on the Dahua DH-IPC-HFW2431S-S-S2 (Lite 4MP IR Bullet) needs to know what a fleet of these cameras actually costs in storage terms before the NVR and drive array are specified. The real decision is not the camera — it is what 30 days of continuous recording across the fleet does to the head-end architecture.
CCTV Storage · 8MP
Axis P3268-LVE — storage & retention planning
An 8MP camera recording continuously produces a meaningfully larger daily file than the 2-4MP cameras most storage rules of thumb are written for, so a fleet-level estimate has to start from this camera's own bitrate rather than a generic assumption. Getting the per-camera-per-day figure right before specifying an NVR avoids under-sizing storage or over-buying a head-end class the fleet does not need.
CCTV Storage · 2MP
Axis AXIS P3245-LV (2MP) — storage & retention
A fleet of Axis AXIS P3245-LV (2MP) dome cameras recording continuously for 30 days needs a head-end sized before the NVR is ordered, not after. Getting the per-camera daily footprint wrong at the planning stage means a disk array that either runs out of retention early or sits over-provisioned.
CCTV Storage · 2MP
Axis Q6135-LE storage & retention (2MP, H.265)
A fleet of Axis Q6135-LE cameras recording continuously raises a straightforward but easy-to-underestimate question: how much usable storage does 30-day retention actually demand, and what class of head-end can hold it. Get the sizing wrong and a project either overspends on drive bays it does not need or runs out of retention days before the footage is reviewed.
CCTV Storage · 8MP
Hanwha Wisenet XNB-9002 (4K) storage & retention
An 8MP camera at H.265 shifts the storage conversation from 'how many terabytes' to 'how many camera-days'. Once a fleet of Hanwha Wisenet XNB-9002 (4K) units is set to continuous recording at a 30-day hold, the daily footprint per camera becomes the number that decides the whole head-end.
CCTV Storage · 8MP
Hanwha XNV-9083R (4K AI IR Vandal Dome) storage & retention
A fleet of Hanwha XNV-9083R 8MP vandal dome cameras recorded continuously raises a real storage-sizing question: how much usable capacity does 30 days of 24/7 recording actually need, and what class of NVR head-end that capacity implies.
CCTV Storage · 8MP
Bosch FLEXIDOME IP starlight 8000i (4K) storage & retention
An 8MP camera recording continuously generates far more footage than a 2MP or 4MP unit, so a fleet-wide storage and NVR plan needs to be sized around the actual bitrate this model produces, not a generic rule of thumb. Getting the 30-day retention figure right up front avoids a mid-project scramble to add drives or swap the head-end once real footage volumes show up.
CCTV Storage · 8MP
Uniview IPC2328SB-DZK-I0 (8MP) storage & retention
A fleet of Uniview IPC2328SB-DZK-I0 (8MP LightHunter) cameras generates far more footage per day than a 2MP or 4MP fleet, so the real decision is how much drive capacity and what NVR class a 30-day retention policy actually needs. Getting the storage math wrong at design stage means a mid-project drive upgrade or a head-end that cannot keep pace with continuous recording.
CCTV Storage · 5MP
Vivotek FD9389-HM (5MP Dome) storage & retention
A fleet of Vivotek FD9389-HM 5MP dome cameras recording continuously will fill a head-end far faster than the same count in 2MP, so the storage math has to be worked out before the NVR and disks are chosen. The real decision is not the camera itself but how many days of footage the site needs to keep at that resolution, since retention is what drives the drive count.
CCTV Storage · 8MP
Avigilon H6A Dome (8MP) storage & retention
A fleet of Avigilon H6A Dome (8MP) cameras generates far more footage per day than a standard-definition camera, so a 30-day retention target can quietly outgrow a modest NVR if storage is sized by guesswork. Getting the per-camera daily figure right before ordering hardware avoids either an under-sized head-end or an over-bought one.
CCTV Storage · 5MP
Milesight AI Mini Dome 5MP: storage & retention
A fleet of Milesight AI Mini Dome 5MP cameras generates meaningfully more footage per day than a 2MP or 4MP line, so sizing the NVR and drive pool around guesswork risks either wasted spend or a retention window that runs out early. The real decision is how many days of continuous 5MP footage a given camera count must hold, and what head-end class that implies.
· Next
Brief us on the project — with this configuration.
Presets are a typology starting point. The brief wizard captures the room geometry, programme and constraints we need to translate this configuration into a real design.