Cloud recording billing

Introduction

You can use the cloud recording feature to record audio and video calls to a specified cloud storage address. Currently, you can store recordings in Object Storage Service (OSS). By default, Alibaba Cloud Real-Time Communication (RTC) bills you for cloud recording based on the processing duration. The billable duration is the total processing time for the day, measured in minutes. When you use cloud recording, Alibaba Cloud RTC calculates your bill by summing the total duration for each specification used that day. For more information, see Cloud recording.

Billing details

Cloud recording fee = Unit price for the recording specification × Billable recording duration

• Unit price for the recording specification: The recording specification is determined by the value of the `TaskProfile` parameter that you set when you call the AddRecordTemplate API operation. This value defines the maximum number of ingest endpoints for stream mixing and the output resolution for a single recording process. The `TaskProfile` parameter determines the recording specification for any recording task, regardless of whether it is an audio or video task. For more information, see Pricing of Real-Time Communication.
• Billable recording duration: Billing starts when a recording begins and stops when it ends. The duration is measured in minutes and rounded up to the next minute. If a channel has only one recording task, the billable duration is the total time that task runs. If a channel has multiple recording tasks running at the same time, the billable duration is the sum of the durations of all tasks.

Billing examples

The prices in the following examples are for reference only. For the latest pricing information, see Pricing of Real-Time Communication.

• Example 1:

  Three users join a channel for an audio and video 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.
  • Because only audio is recorded, the recording specification (`TaskProfile`) is `Mixed_Audio` (audio-only).
  • The recording duration is 2,100 seconds, which is 35 minutes.

  Fee calculation:

  Cloud recording fee = Unit price for the recording specification (CNY 0.0062/minute) × Billable recording duration (35 minutes)

• Example 2:

  Three users join a channel for an audio and video call that lasts 3,700 seconds. The video resolution is 360 × 640. You need to record the audio and video of all three users.

  Usage calculation:

  • One cloud recording process is started to record three video and audio streams.
  • The task is to record the video from three users (three ingest endpoints for stream mixing) at a resolution of 360 × 640 (360p output). This requires the `4IN_360P` recording specification (`TaskProfile`). If a specification for the exact number of ingest endpoints is unavailable, the next highest one is used. For example, for three ingest endpoints, the `4IN` specification is selected.
  • The recording duration is 3,700 seconds, which is 62 minutes.

  Fee calculation:

  Cloud recording fee = Unit price for the recording specification (CNY 0.0262/minute) × Billable recording duration (62 minutes)

• Example 3:

  Four users join a channel for an audio and video call that lasts 600 seconds. The video resolution for each user is 720 × 1280. You need to record the audio and video for each user individually.

  Usage calculation:

  • Four cloud recording processes are started. Each process records one video and audio stream.
  • Each user's video and audio must be recorded individually, which requires one ingest endpoint for stream mixing per user. The resolution for each user is 720 × 1280 (720p output). Therefore, the recording specification (`TaskProfile`) is `1IN_720P`.
  • The recording duration is 600 seconds, which is 10 minutes.

  Fee calculation:

  Cloud recording fee = Unit price for the recording specification (CNY 0.0360/minute) × Billable recording duration (10 minutes) × 4