Choosing the Right Storage Device for Recording Sessions: SSD vs HDD and What Coaches Should Know

When it comes to capturing high-quality sports footage, your storage device is just as important as your camera. Whether you're using SideLine Scout, PoolSide Live, or SideLine Live, choosing the right drive can mean the difference between smooth recording and frustrating data loss or system crashes.

Here’s a coach-friendly breakdown of what to look for in a storage device — including the differences between SSDs and HDDs, formatting tips, and key specs to keep your sessions running smoothly.

1. SSD vs HDD: What's the Difference?

• SSD (Solid State Drive):
  • Faster read/write speeds
  • No moving parts (less likely to fail)
  • Smaller and lighter
  • More expensive per GB
• HDD (Hard Disk Drive):
  • Slower speeds, especially for writing large video files
  • Moving parts (more fragile, especially in portable setups)
  • Larger storage capacity for lower cost
  • Better for archiving, but not ideal for live session recording

Coach's Recommendation: For active recording, especially in high-resolution or multi-angle sessions, go with an SSD.

2. Write Speed Matters (a Lot)

Sports video is data-heavy, especially if you're recording in HD or 4K or using multiple cameras. If your storage device can’t keep up, you risk dropped frames or failed sessions.

• Look for SSDs with sustained write speeds of at least 300 MB/s or higher.
• Avoid drives that only advertise read speed — write speed is what counts when recording.

Pro Tip: Slower drives might work for occasional use, but for daily training environments, reliability is king.

3. Format for Compatibility: Use exFAT

• exFAT is the recommended format for most SideLine systems because it works across macOS, Windows, and iPads.
• Avoid using NTFS (Windows-only) or APFS (Mac-only) unless you know your system requires it.
• Always format your drive before use to ensure a clean, optimized start. (Back up first!)

How to format:

• On Mac: Use Disk Utility > Erase > Choose "exFAT"
• On Windows: Right-click the drive > Format > Select "exFAT"

4. Storage Size: How Much Do You Need?

This depends on how often you record and whether you archive locally:

• 1 hour of HD video (multi-angle): ~5–10 GB
• Daily training (2 hours/day, 5 days/week) = ~50–100 GB/week
• Ideal size for regular users: 500 GB to 1 TB SSD

You can always offload to an archive HDD later.

5. Durable and Portable Drives We Recommend

• Samsung T7 SSD
• SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD
• Crucial X9 Pro

Look for drives with:

• USB 3.0 or higher
• Shock resistance
• Proven performance with large file transfers

Final Thoughts

Your storage drive isn’t just a place to dump files — it’s an essential part of your replay system. Choosing a fast, reliable, and properly formatted SSD helps ensure that every session is captured without hiccups.

Don’t let a slow or unstable drive hold back your athletes’ progress. Invest in smart storage now so you can focus on coaching, not troubleshooting.