This topic describes the billing rules for cloud recording.
Introduction
You can use the cloud recording feature to record audio and video calls to a specified cloud storage address. By default, Alibaba Cloud RTC bills for cloud recording based on the total recording duration for the day, measured in minutes. Your bill is calculated by summing the total duration for each specification used that day.
Billing details
Cloud recording fee = Unit price of the recording specification × Recording duration usage
Unit price of the recording specification: The recording specification is determined by the aggregate resolution, which is the sum of the resolutions of all video streams being recorded at any given time. Fees are calculated separately for each video tier.
Recording duration usage: Billing starts when a recording task begins and stops when it ends. If a single recording task runs in a channel, the recording duration usage is the total duration of that task. If multiple recording tasks run concurrently in a channel, the recording duration usage is the sum of the durations of all tasks.
If a cloud recording includes video, you are charged only for the aggregate video resolution based on the pricing tiers. Audio is not billed separately.
Alibaba Cloud RTC generates and settles the bill for the previous day at approximately 02:00 each day. The exact time that a bill is issued may vary.
Duration usage is measured in seconds but billed in minutes. The duration is always rounded up to the next full minute. For example, any duration less than one minute is billed as one minute.
Unit prices
Recording specification | Unit price (CNY/1,000 minutes) |
Audio | 9 |
Standard Definition (SD) Aggregate resolution ≤ 307,200 (640 × 480) | 24 |
High Definition (HD) 307,200 (640 × 480) < Aggregate resolution ≤ 921,600 (1280 × 720) | 36 |
Full High Definition (Full HD) 921,600 (1280 × 720) < Aggregate resolution ≤ 2,073,600 (1920 × 1080) | 81 |
2K Video 2,073,600 (1920 × 1080) < Aggregate resolution ≤ 3,686,400 (2560 × 1440) | 144 |
2K+ Video 3,686,400 (2560 × 1440) < Aggregate resolution ≤ 8,847,360 (4096 × 2160) | 324 |
Billing examples
The prices in the following examples are for reference only.
Example 1:
Three users join a channel for a call that lasts 2,100 seconds. You need to record the audio from all three users.
Usage calculation:
One cloud recording process is started to record three audio streams.
The recording specification is Audio because only audio is recorded.
The recording length is 2,100 seconds, or 35 minutes.
Fee calculation:
Cloud recording fee = Unit price (0.009 CNY/minute) × Recording length (35 minutes)
Example 2:
Users A, B, and C join a channel for a video call that lasts 3,700 seconds. The video resolution for User A and User B is 640 × 480. The video resolution for User C is 1280 × 720. You need to record the audio and video for all three users.
Usage calculation:
Start a cloud recording process to record the audio and video streams from users A, B, and C.
The recording is set to Full High Definition (Full HD). The aggregate resolution is (640 × 480) + (640 × 480) + (1280 × 720) = 1,536,000.
The recording length is 3700 seconds (62 minutes).
Billing
The cloud recording fee is the unit price (CNY 0.081/minute) multiplied by the recording duration (62 minutes).
Example 3:
Four users join a channel for a call that lasts 600 seconds. The video resolution for each user is 1280 × 720. You want to record the audio and video for each user individually.
Usage calculation:
You start four cloud recording processes. Each process records one audio and video stream.
The recording specification for each process is High Definition (HD) because each individual stream has a resolution of 1280 × 720.
The recording length is 600 seconds, or 10 minutes.
Fee calculation:
Cloud recording fee = Unit price (0.036 CNY/minute) × Recording duration (10 minutes) × 4