4K (2160p) at 120 fps with Apple ProRes: What You Need to Know
Producing 4K (Ultra HD / 2160p) content at 120 fps encoded with Apple ProRes demands careful planning around storage capacity and upload bandwidth.
4K Ultra HD delivers four times the pixel count of 1080p, producing stunningly detailed footage. It has become the standard for professional production and is increasingly expected by audiences on large screens and smart TVs. This resolution is particularly favored by high-end YouTube channels focused on visual storytelling.
Recording at 120fps is primarily used for creating smooth slow-motion effects. When played back at 30fps, you get a beautiful 4× slow-motion effect that reveals details invisible to the naked eye.
The Apple ProRes codec offers exceptional editing performance with minimal quality loss, designed for post-production workflows. ProRes is an intra-frame codec, meaning each frame is independently compressed. This makes scrubbing and editing buttery smooth but results in much larger files. It is a production codec, not a delivery codec.
With these settings, a 10-minute clip weighs approximately 9.79 GB, while a full hour reaches 58.73 GB. You will need a minimum upload speed of 210.2 Mbps for reliable streaming. The total video bitrate for this configuration is 140.0 Mbps.