Compress Security Camera Footage

Security cameras record around the clock and fill NVR drives fast. Re-encode exported footage from H.264 to H.265. At the same quality setting, H.265 files were a median 33 % smaller than H.264 in our 11 measured pairs.

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The NVR Storage Problem

Security cameras record continuously, generating massive amounts of video data. Most NVR systems store footage in H.264, which was the standard codec when the cameras were installed.

Typical storage consumption per camera per day:

Re-encode to H.265 for Massive Savings

VideoRecompress Studio re-encodes your exported security footage to H.265. How much it saves depends on the camera; the Security Camera Archive preset is set up for size:

Watch Folders: Automatic Compression

Set up a watch folder that monitors your NVR export directory. Whenever new footage is exported, VideoRecompress Studio automatically compresses it — no manual intervention needed.

How much space you save: 11 clips measured

Our 11 test clips at the default setting (H.265, quality 23), measured in September 2026 on a Ryzen 9 3900X and an RTX 3080. Savings run from nothing, where the source was already efficient and the original was kept, to 96 % on an old DV tape. Yours depend on your footage.

Clip CPU (Ryzen 9 3900X) GPU (RTX 3080)
Timelapse, 1440p −3 % original kept
Drone, 1440p −47 % −48 %
GoPro, 1080p original kept −31 %
Lecture recording, 1440p −55 % −36 %
Travel video, 1080p −21 % −5 %
Wedding camera, 1080p −49 % −40 %
DivX film −14 % −35 %
DV tape (PAL) −93 % −96 %
Phone video, 720p −60 % −65 %
SD TV episode −13 % original kept
Web video, 720p −23 % −8 %
All 11 clips 254.9 → 138.1 MB (−46 %) 254.9 → 128.4 MB (−50 %)

None of these clips is 4K. For 4K footage, run Test Encode (10s) on one of your own files before the whole folder.

Recommended Settings

The Security Camera Archive preset is specifically designed for surveillance footage:

−50 % smaller on our 11 test clips (H.265, NVIDIA GPU)
24/7 24/7 footage
H.264 → H.265 H.264 → H.265

Free up NVR storage today

Compress weeks of security footage in one run. Free trial with no time limit: your first 10 files convert with no watermark; after that files get a watermark and a 10-minute cap. Buying removes both.

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