Large File Delivery

What is Large File Delivery?

Large file delivery is the reliable transfer of files that are too big for email or standard attachments, typically from a few gigabytes up to hundreds of gigabytes, to a client or collaborator in full quality. For filmmakers, it covers finished masters, ProRes exports, raw footage and project archives.

Why it matters

Video files have grown faster than the tools most people use to share them. Email attachments usually top out around 20 to 25 MB, a single minute of 4K ProRes can be several gigabytes, and a full day of raw camera footage can exceed a terabyte. Choosing the wrong method leads to failed uploads, expired links, split archives and clients who cannot open what you sent. Reliability matters more than raw speed: a delivery that fails at 90% costs more time than a slower one that finishes.

How it works

The main factor is your upload speed, not the service. A useful formula: file size in gigabytes times 8 gives gigabits; divide by your upload speed in megabits per second, then by 60 for minutes. A 50 GB file takes about 1 hour at 100 Mbps and 5 to 6 hours at 20 Mbps.

Features that make large file delivery dependable:

• Resumable uploads. If the connection drops, the transfer continues from where it stopped instead of restarting.

• Chunked transfer. Files are sent in parts, which handles network hiccups better and can speed things up.

• No small per-file cap. Many free tiers limit individual files to a few gigabytes.

• Integrity. The received file should be byte-for-byte identical to the original. Checksums (MD5 or SHA) are common in post-production for verification.

• Recipient-friendly download. Very large zips often fail in browsers or on phones; individual files are usually more robust.

Practical tips: upload over a wired connection, avoid putting your laptop to sleep mid-transfer, start uploads before leaving the edit suite, and do not zip files that are already compressed video, as it saves almost nothing.

Common approaches

WeTransfer and similar services are simple and fast for one-off sends, but have size limits on free tiers and links that expire. Cloud drives such as Dropbox and Google Drive handle large files and sync well, though previews of big videos may fail or be heavily compressed. Accelerated transfer tools like MASV or Aspera are common in post-production for very large professional transfers. Physical drives still make sense when the volume runs into terabytes or upload bandwidth is poor. Video delivery platforms combine large uploads with streaming playback, so the recipient can watch before downloading.

How does DLVRD handle large file delivery?

DLVRD is built for large deliverables. Uploads are resumable, a normal deliverable will not hit a per-file ceiling, and the client can stream the film immediately while the original file stays available to download in full quality.