💾 Cloud Storage in Floppy Disks (…and CDs, DVDs, VHS!)

Why the numbers look different (decimal vs binary)

Storage labels use two systems. Manufacturers usually write sizes in decimal (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes). Computers often report in binary (1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes). That small difference adds up when you’re counting hundreds or thousands of items. This tool lets you switch the base used for your input so you can see both points of view.

Classic media also have quirks. Floppies have well-known formatted capacities (for example, a 3.5″ “1.44 MB” floppy is 1,474,560 bytes). CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays are presented by their labeled decimal capacities (e.g., 700 MB, 4.7 GB, 25 GB). VHS tapes are analog; to compare them to bytes we estimate a digital size from your chosen bitrate and tape length—this is just a friendly approximation for learning.

How We Turn Modern Storage into Retro Stuff (and Why Numbers Don’t Always Match)

This converter takes a size you know—like 1 GB—and asks: “How many old-school items would it take to hold that much?” To do that fairly, we compare your input (in bytes) to each item’s typical, labeled capacity (also in bytes), then round up to whole items. Simple idea, surprisingly many quirks!

1) Decimal vs binary units

Manufacturers usually print sizes in decimal (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes). Operating systems often report in binary (1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes). That 7% difference grows when you need hundreds of discs. Use the Unit base switch to choose which world you mean: decimal (GB/TB) or binary (GiB/TiB).

2) Why a “1.44 MB” floppy isn’t really 1.44 MiB

The famous 3.5″ HD floppy stores 1,474,560 bytes. That’s 1,440 KiB (binary kilobytes), which marketers described as “1.44 MB” using decimal MB. In true binary units it’s about 1.406 MiB. In this tool we use the well-known formatted size 1,474,560 bytes for fairness and nostalgia accuracy.

3) Optical discs have labeled decimal capacities

• CD-R: 650 MB or 700 MB (we treat these as 650,000,000 / 700,000,000 bytes).
• DVD: 4.7 GB single-layer, 8.5 GB dual-layer.
• Blu-ray: 25 GB single-layer, 50 GB dual-layer.

Real usable space can be a little lower after formatting and file system overhead; we purposely stick to the label so results stay intuitive and comparable.

4) Zip & Jaz disks

These removable cartridges were popular before USB drives. We use their printed decimal sizes (100 MB, 250 MB, 1 GB) for quick head math and consistent comparisons.

5) VHS isn’t digital—so we estimate

A VHS cassette stores analog video, not files. To compare fairly, we estimate its “data size” using your chosen bitrate and tape length:

Estimated bytes = (bitrate in megabits/s × 1,000,000 ÷ 8) × seconds

Example: 120 minutes at 2.5 Mb/s → roughly 2.25 × 10^10 bytes (about 22.5 GB in decimal). This is a learning approximation; real VHS quality varies with recording mode (SP/LP/EP), noise, and content.

6) Why we round up

You can’t buy 0.3 of a disc. We use ceil (round up) so if your data slightly exceeds a capacity, you get the next whole item—just like real life.

Quick formulas

• Convert your input to bytes (decimal): KB×1,000; MB×1,000,000; GB×1,000,000,000; TB×1,000,000,000,000.
• Convert your input to bytes (binary): KiB×1,024; MiB×1,024²; GiB×1,024³; TiB×1,024⁴.
• Item count: items = ceil(totalBytes ÷ itemBytes)

Fun examples to try

• 1 GB (decimal) → about ~695 of the 1.44 MB floppies.
• 15 GB of photos → a stack of CDs vs one Blu-ray—see the gap!
• 100 GiB backup (binary) → compare DVD DL vs Blu-ray DL counts.

The goal isn’t perfect archival math—it’s building intuition for how storage has grown. Watching those 💾 icons pile up makes the point better than any spec sheet.