How to Choose an AI Surveillance Hard Drive
AI-enabled surveillance systems record video while also supporting analytics such as object detection, event recognition and metadata processing. These additional activities can increase storage demand beyond standard video recording. Choosing the right hard drive requires reviewing the number of cameras, AI streams, capacity, workload rate, retention period and number of drive bays.
Start With Camera and AI Stream Requirements
Each connected camera creates a continuous stream of video data. AI-enabled systems may also generate additional streams for analytics and metadata. The Toshiba S300 AI hard drive supports up to 64 high-definition camera streams and up to 32 AI streams, depending on system configuration. Engineers and system builders should confirm both the camera count and the number of analytics streams before selecting a drive.
Estimate Storage Capacity
Capacity requirements depend on camera resolution, frame rate, compression, recording schedule and retention period. Continuous recording at higher resolutions requires more storage than motion-based recording or lower-resolution video. The S300 AI is available in capacities up to 24TB, supporting larger installations and longer retention periods.
Review Workload and Operating Requirements
Surveillance systems often operate continuously. The storage device should be designed for 24/7 use and for the amount of data read, written or verified each year. The S300 AI HDD supports workloads up to 550TB per year and is designed for always-on surveillance and analytics environments.
Check Multi-Bay Compatibility
Larger NVRs and video analytics servers may use several drives in one enclosure. Rotational vibration can affect performance in multi-bay systems. The S300 AI includes rotational-vibration sensors and supports systems with up to 24 drive bays, subject to host-system compatibility.
Selection Checklist
Before selecting an AI surveillance HDD, confirm the maximum number of cameras, number of AI streams, required capacity, retention period, annual workload, number of drive bays, interface, recording technology and host-system compatibility.
Product Recommendation
The Toshiba S300 AI is designed for AI-enabled NVRs, advanced video recorders, surveillance RAID arrays and video analytics servers. It combines high-capacity storage, multi-stream support and 24/7 operation for demanding surveillance environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AI surveillance hard drive?
How many AI streams can the Toshiba S300 AI support?
How much capacity is available?
Is the S300 AI designed for continuous operation?
1 One Terabyte (1 TB) means 1012 = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. A computer operating system, however, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1 TB = 240 = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes, and therefore shows less storage capacity. Available storage capacity (including examples of various media files) will vary based on file size, formatting, settings, software and operating system and other factors. Actual formatted capacity may vary.
2 Compatibility may vary depending on user's hardware configuration, and operating system.
3 Product specifications, configurations, components, and features are subject to change without notice.
4 Annual Workload Rating: HDDs keep track of various drive usage such as power on hours, lifetime writes and lifetime reads from the host computer. With this data we calculate an Annualized Workload Rate, under 40 deg. C ambient environments, Annualized Workload Rate = (Lifetime Writes + Lifetime Reads) * (8760 / Lifetime Power On Hours) in case Power On time is 8760h or longer. Otherwise (i.e. Power On time is shorter than 8760h), Annualized Workload Rate = (Lifetime Writes + Lifetime Reads) Each drive is designed to perform up to the Annualized Workload Rate stated, after which the drive may be expected to decline. The Annualized Workload Rate in no way alters the warranty policy for such drive. Workload is defined as the amount of data written, read or verified by commands from host system.
5 Number of surveillance cameras support capability is defined by performance simulation with High Definition cameras at up to 10 Mbps rate, depending on the HDD model. Actual results may vary based on various factors, including the types of cameras installed, the system’s hardware and software capabilities, and the video compression technology used, as well as system variables such as resolution, frames per second, and other settings. Compatibility may vary depending on user’s hardware configuration and operating system. “High Definition” is calculated assuming Full HD 1080p, 30fps, transfer rate of up to 10Mbps/stream.
6 For "Drive Bays Supported", please contact your Solutions Provider because the compatibility with the host device will vary based on the system.
7 MTTF (Mean Time to Failure) or MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) is not a guarantee or estimate of product life; it is a statistical value related to mean failure rates for a large number of products which may not accurately reflect actual operation. Actual operating life of the product may be different from the MTTF or MTBF. MTTF (Mean Time to Failure) or MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) of the HDDs during its life time is 600,000 hours and AFR(Annualized Failure Rate) is 1.46%, or 1.0 million hours and AFR is 0.88%, or 1.2 million hours and AFR is 0.73%, or 2.5 million hours and AFR is 0.35% (depending on HDD models). This assumes power-on hours are 24 x 7 in normal usage (8760 h/year power on hours, up to 180 TB/year, or up to 300TB/year, or up to 550 TB/year total data transfers (depending on HDD models), and average HDA surface temperature:40°C or less). Use at case HDA surface temperature above 40°C may degrade product reliability and reduce warranty period.
8 Drive life may vary depending on usage and workload. See also MTTF and Annual Workload Rating for more details.
9 CMR is Conventional Magnetic Recording technology.
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