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Recorded hours versus accepted hours versus camera-stream hours
Normalize recording quantities before comparing collector pay, dataset prices or collection budgets.
Published 2026-10-27 · 6 min read
| Measure | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Activity-hours | How much distinct elapsed behavior exists? |
| Camera-stream hours | How much combined stream duration is delivered? |
| Accepted hours | Which subset passes the agreed product definition? |
| Labor hours | How much total work was needed? |
One hour of activity captured by four simultaneous cameras is one activity-hour and four camera-stream hours. It is not four hours of independent behavior. Recorded, accepted and worked hours answer different questions, so report them separately.
This guide defines a practical counting convention to put into a brief. A contract can use another convention, but the parties need to agree it explicitly before multiplying a rate by a large hours claim.
Count unique activity before counting streams
Use an episode timeline for the task, with clear start/end boundaries. Simultaneous views share that elapsed interval. Additional exports, crops and rectified versions do not create additional activity. Note overlapping episodes so the same behavior is not counted twice.
Report stream-hours as an additional measure of files delivered. If a view drops halfway through an episode, its stream duration differs from the activity duration. A camera count multiplied by session length can overstate the real files when streams are missing.
Define acceptance for the specific product
Accepted activity is the subset meeting the written task, quality, documentation and permission requirements. It may be smaller than recorded activity. The acceptance rule should identify partial segments, missing views, duplicates and rework.
For stereo or synchronized multi-view delivery, a complete set may be required. A usable head view does not automatically make the episode acceptable as stereo. Record which product was accepted and why rejected segments were excluded.
Keep labor hours in a different column
Labor includes setup, permissions, recording, transfer, review, annotations and recapture as applicable. A per-accepted-video-hour offer is not a wage per labor hour. Include non-recording effort when comparing net return.
Hypothetical only: ten recorded activity-hours, 70% accepted, four complete views and an assumed $10 per accepted activity-hour produce $70 gross. The accepted material contains seven activity-hours and 28 stream-hours. With 14 labor-hours, gross per labor-hour is $5 before expenses.
Write a counting and reconciliation rule
Specify the timeline, duration precision, unique-source IDs, accepted-segment file and reasons for exclusion. Define whether silence, idle periods or unsuccessful attempts are in scope; these may be meaningful for some tasks and excluded for others.
Ask the reviewer to return an acceptance summary that reconciles recorded and accepted totals. If the rate uses camera-hours instead, apply that rate only to the contract’s accepted streams. Do not switch denominators to make one quote look better.
Frequently asked questions
Are four views worth four times the price?
No multiplier follows from the count alone. The quote must define its unit and the useful deliverables.
Are rejected recordings payable?
That depends on the applicable agreement. Confirm rejection, partial acceptance and rework terms before collection.