Line Video Storage: Edge or Cloud, Clips or Continuous Recording

Key takeaways

• Continuous recording stores every second. Event clips store only the seconds around each stop.
• On a sample line with 3 cameras, continuous video fills 129.6 GB a day. One 20 second clip per stop fills 1.5 GB.
• Analyse frames at the edge, next to the line. Send events, OEE figures and the clips you keep upstream.
• Agree retention and access in one line before the first camera goes up.

A line camera makes a lot of video, but OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) needs very little of it. Keep one short clip per stop instead of recording all day. Analyse the frames next to the line, and storage, uplink and privacy work all shrink.

Fabrico is OEE and light MES (manufacturing execution system) software, with AI cameras as an add-on that count output and record stops. Each camera event gets a 10 to 30 second clip with lead-in, and the operator confirms the reason in one tap. This guide sizes camera storage for IT and plant managers, with the arithmetic shown.

How much video does one line camera make?

It depends on the camera's bitrate: how much data it produces each second while it records. The datasheet gives it in megabits per second (Mbit/s). Four things set it:

• Resolution: more pixels, more data.
• Frames per second: a fast line needs more frames to see a short jam.
• Compression: newer codecs store the same picture in less space.
• Motion in the scene: a busy conveyor makes more data than an empty one.

The arithmetic is simple. Divide the bitrate by 8 to get megabytes a second. Multiply by the seconds you record, then by the number of cameras and the days you keep it.

A line that runs around the clock records 86,400 seconds a day per camera. Measure the real bitrate on the pilot line, at full speed: a datasheet is a start, not a measurement.

What is the difference between event clips and continuous recording?

Continuous recording stores everything and searches later. Event clips keep only what matters.

In an event design, the model looks at each frame, then drops it. Only the event and, if wanted, a short clip are kept. A rolling buffer gives the clip its lead-in: the last few seconds sit in memory, and when a stop is detected they become the start of the clip.

Fabrico describes its clips the same way: a 10 to 30 second clip with lead-in for each camera event. Stop states from the PLC (programmable logic controller) are logged down to 5 seconds. Our guide to micro stops and computer vision shows what those clips catch.

Worked example: how much storage does a sample line need per day?

Sample line (illustrative numbers, not a customer): a bottling line that runs three shifts, 24 hours a day. Three cameras watch the filler infeed, the labeller and the case packer.

Each camera records at a sample bitrate of 4 Mbit/s; check your own camera's datasheet. Together they flag 150 stops a day, each with a 20 second clip. Each stop record is about 1 KB. Here 1 GB = 1,000 MB.

• One camera, continuous: 4 Mbit/s / 8 = 0.5 MB a second. 0.5 x 86,400 seconds = 43,200 MB, or 43.2 GB a day.
• Three cameras, continuous: 3 x 43.2 = 129.6 GB a day.
• Event clips: 150 x 20 seconds = 3,000 seconds of video. 3,000 x 0.5 MB = 1,500 MB, or 1.5 GB a day.
• Stop records: 150 x 1 KB = 150 KB a day. Too small to matter.
• Ratio: 129.6 / 1.5 = 86.4. The clips need about 86 times less storage.

Retention multiplies the gap. Three days of clips, 4.5 GB, take less space than 50 minutes of continuous video from the three cameras: 4,500 MB / 1.5 MB a second = 3,000 seconds.

The uplink tells the same story. Continuous video sent to the cloud would hold 3 x 4 = 12 Mbit/s of the plant link all day. The clips average 1,500 MB x 8 = 12,000 Mbit over 86,400 seconds, about 0.14 Mbit/s.

And the clips are the part OEE uses: each one belongs to a stop with its confirmed reason. The other 128 GB a day show a line running normally, and people at work.

Should line video be processed at the edge or in the cloud?

Frames at the edge, small data upstream. Video analysis is heavy on bandwidth and sensitive to delay. That makes it a natural job for a computer at the line or in the plant.

• At the edge: the frames, the model that spots stops, the rolling buffer and the clips waiting for review.
• Upstream: events, OEE figures and the clips you decide to keep.
• In the cloud: model updates, dashboards across plants and search.

Storing raw video in the cloud by default is the mistake to refuse. It fills the uplink and turns every frame into a data protection question. Edge first, or no deal.

Edge first also helps privacy. Frames can be processed in memory and discarded, with faces blurred or bodies reduced to boxes before anything is stored.

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) notes that processing in real time without recording can be the less intrusive option, depending on the purpose. Our edge or cloud worksheet for shop floor data sorts the rest.

What should you agree on retention and access?

Write it as one line per camera group, and sign it before the first install. The line has five parts:

• What is kept: events and one clip per stop, or events only. No continuous video.
• Where: on which machine, at the line or upstream.
• How long: days, deleted automatically. The EDPB says ideally after a few days; beyond 72 hours needs stronger justification.
• Access: named roles, for the stated purpose, every view logged.
• Exceptions: longer only for an open repair or quality case, with the reason written down.

For the sample line above, it reads: Line 2 cameras: frames analysed at the line and dropped; one 20 second clip per stop; clips deleted automatically after 3 days; access for the shift lead, the improvement lead and the maintenance planner; every view logged.

Keep the stop record apart from the clip. The record holds time, minutes and reason, which is what OEE needs, and it follows your OEE data retention strategy. The clip can go once the reason is confirmed.

In Germany, the works council co-decides on any camera able to monitor performance. Our guide to production line cameras without surveillance covers the rest.

What mistakes do plants make with line video storage?

• Sizing for continuous recording, then keeping clips "just in case". Each extra day is more footage to protect, and OEE gains nothing.
• Clips with no stop record. Every clip belongs to one stop, or nobody finds it.
• Clocks out of step. Clip times must match the stop times from the PLC, so put cameras on the plant's time server.
• No proof of deletion. Ask how deletion is logged, and check the log at each review.

Where Fabrico fits

Fabrico is a computer vision enabled Manufacturing Performance Platform. OEE and light MES come first; cameras are an add-on.

• AI cameras count output and record stops on manual and packing stations.
• A camera clip as evidence for a stop: 10 to 30 seconds with lead-in, not a recording of the shift.
• The operator confirms the reason in one tap.
• OEE live by line and shift, with every loss priced in money.

Where video is processed, how long clips are kept and the access rules are agreed for each plant with Fabrico's technical team. You start with a pilot on one line. Devices are connected in about a month, and the full rollout takes 3 to 4 months. There is no free plan and there are no tiers: each plant gets a quote. See the computer vision OEE and MES page.

Frequently asked questions

How much storage does a production line camera need?

It depends on its bitrate and on what you keep. Divide the bitrate in Mbit/s by 8 for megabytes a second, then multiply by the seconds you store. Event clips store only the seconds around each stop, so they need far less.

Should we record production line video around the clock?

Not for OEE. The stop record and a short clip per stop give the plant what it needs. Continuous recording multiplies storage, uplink load and privacy work. If an investigation needs more, agree a short, time-boxed recording with your data protection officer and works council first.

How long should production line clips be kept?

Days, not months. The EDPB guidelines on video say footage should be erased, ideally automatically, after a few days, and keeping it beyond 72 hours needs stronger justification. Agree the period with your data protection officer, and keep a clip longer only for an open repair or quality case.

Can we keep stop data longer than the clips?

Yes, and you should. The stop record holds the time, the minutes and the confirmed reason, which is what OEE trends need. It is small and holds no video. Delete the clip on its timer and keep the record under your normal OEE data retention rules.

Plan your camera storage in a demo

Bring one line's layout and your IT rules. We will show what a stop clip contains, where it sits and how OEE is reported.

Request a demo · Contact us