Real-time media processing supports features such as transcoding, snapshots, and recording. This topic describes how these features are billed.
The prices in this topic are for reference only. The prices displayed on the official Alibaba Cloud website shall prevail. For more information, see Pricing.
Real-time transcoding
Real-time transcoding is billed daily based on the transcoding type, resolution, and total transcoding duration.
Real-time transcoding provides standard transcoding, Narrowband HD transcoding, audio-only transcoding, and original quality transcoding. Original quality transcoding is billed at the same price as audio-only transcoding.
Pricing
Standard transcoding pricing
Standard transcoding specification
H.264 (CNY/minute)
H.265 (CNY/minute)
480P or lower
0.017
0.085
480P to 720P (inclusive)
0.033
0.17
720P to 1080P (inclusive)
0.065
0.34
1080P to 2K (inclusive)
0.136
0.68
2K to 4K (inclusive)
0.272
1.36
Transcoding specification definitions:
480P: 640 × 480
720P: 1280 × 720
1080P: 1920 × 1080
2K: 2560 × 1440
4K: 3840 × 2160
NoteThe output specification is determined by the long and short sides of the output video resolution.
For example, for the 720P (1280 × 720) specification, the output video is classified as 720P only if its long side does not exceed 1280 and its short side does not exceed 720. If the long side is greater than 1280 or the short side is greater than 720, the output video is classified as the next highest specification, which is 1080P.
Narrowband HD transcoding pricing
Narrowband HD is a proprietary Alibaba Cloud algorithm. Narrowband HD transcoding uses high-performance transcoding clusters and complex encoding algorithms to provide higher compression efficiency at the same quality level. This process reduces traffic by an average of 20% to 30% compared to standard templates.
Narrowband HD transcoding supports H.264 and H.265.
Narrowband HD transcoding specification (H.264)
The Chinese mainland (CNY/minute)
Singapore (CNY/minute)
Japan (CNY/minute)
Germany (CNY/minute)
India (CNY/minute)
Indonesia (CNY/minute)
480P or lower
0.0675
0.068
0.068
0.038
0.068
0.068
480P to 720P (inclusive)
0.133
0.136
0.136
0.077
0.136
0.136
720P to 1080P (inclusive)
0.266
0.272
0.272
0.154
0.272
0.272
1080P to 2K (inclusive)
0.540
0.544
0.544
0.308
0.544
0.544
2K to 4K (inclusive)
1.080
1.087
1.087
0.615
1.087
1.087
Narrowband HD transcoding specification (H.265)
The Chinese mainland (CNY/minute)
Singapore (CNY/minute)
Japan (CNY/minute)
Germany (CNY/minute)
India (CNY/minute)
Indonesia (CNY/minute)
480P or lower
0.135
0.136
0.136
0.076
0.136
0.136
480P to 720P (inclusive)
0.27
0.272
0.272
0.154
0.272
0.272
720P to 1080P (inclusive)
0.532
0.544
0.544
0.308
0.544
0.544
1080P to 2K (inclusive)
1.08
1.088
1.088
0.616
1.088
1.088
2K to 4K (inclusive)
2.16
2.174
2.174
1.23
2.174
2.174
Audio-only transcoding pricing
Item
The Chinese mainland (CNY/minute)
Singapore (CNY/minute)
Japan (CNY/minute)
Germany (CNY/minute)
India (CNY/minute)
Indonesia (CNY/minute)
Audio-only transcoding
0.010
0.032
0.032
0.021
0.032
0.032
Billing rules
Rule item | Rule details |
Billing rule | You are charged based on the transcoding standard, resolution, and total duration of all output transcoded streams for the day. Each transcoded output stream is billed separately based on its duration and resolution, regardless of the number of concurrent viewers.
Note The duration is measured in minutes. The number of minutes is rounded up to the nearest integer. Durations less than 1 minute are rounded up to 1 minute. |
Billing cycle | Billed daily. |
Billing method | Pay-as-you-go. |
Bill generation time | After the current billing cycle (a calendar day) ends. Bills are typically generated within one hour after the end of the billing cycle. |
Settlement time | Fees are automatically deducted from your account balance after a bill is generated. |
Console transcoding template descriptions
The specifications for the transcoding templates in the console are as follows:
Real-time transcoding specification (H.264) | Standard transcoding template type | Narrowband HD transcoding template type | Transcoding specification on the bill |
480P or lower | Low definition | Low definition | LD |
480P to 720P (inclusive) | Standard definition, High definition | Standard definition, High definition | SD |
720P to 1080P (inclusive) | Ultra high definition | Ultra high definition | HD |
Transcoding is billed based on the resolution tier (LD, SD, HD, 2K, or 4K). The resolution tier is independent of the template IDs for standard templates (such as lld, lsd, lhd, and lud) and Narrowband HD templates (such as ld, sd, hd, and ud). Template IDs are used only as identifiers for API calls and are not related to billing tiers.
The console does not support custom resolutions higher than 1080P. If you require 2K or 4K resolution, submit a ticket.
Billing examples
Description: On June 17, in the Shanghai live center, two 720P streams were transcoded using standard transcoding for 60 minutes and 40 minutes, respectively. Three 2K streams were transcoded using Narrowband HD transcoding for 30 minutes each.
Procedure: The Shanghai live center is in the Chinese mainland region. The price for standard transcoding of 480P to 720P (inclusive) streams in the Chinese mainland is CNY 0.033 per minute. The price for Narrowband HD transcoding (H.264) of 1080P to 2K (inclusive) streams in the Chinese mainland is CNY 0.540 per minute.
Result:
Standard transcoding fee: CNY 0.033/minute × (60 minutes + 40 minutes) = CNY 3.300
Narrowband HD transcoding (H.264) fee: CNY 0.540/minute × 30 minutes × 3 streams = CNY 48.600
Total transcoding fee: CNY 3.300 + CNY 48.600 = CNY 51.900
The transcoding fee for June 17 is CNY 51.90. The bill is generated on June 18. The actual bill generation time may vary. After the bill is generated, the fee is automatically deducted from your account balance.
Transcoding is charged for each transcoding process performed on a live stream.
Real-time recording
Real-time recording fees consist of a monthly recording service fee and a container format conversion fee. The service fee is based on the peak number of concurrent recording ingest endpoints per month. The conversion fee is based on the duration of the container format conversion.
Currently, real-time recording is billed only for specific user scenarios. This feature will be gradually rolled out to all users. You will be notified by email, text message, and internal message before billing is enabled for all users.
Pricing
Monthly recording service fee: CNY 30/ingest endpoint/month
Container format conversion fee:
Item (Unit: CNY/minute)
The Chinese mainland
Singapore
Japan
Germany
India
Indonesia
Container format conversion
0.007
0.014
0.014
0.0126
0.014
0.014
Billing rules
Real-time recording fees consist of a monthly recording service fee and a container format conversion fee.
Monthly recording service fee
Rule item
Rule details
Billing rule
Billed based on the peak number of concurrent recording ingest endpoints per month. The daily peak number of concurrent recording ingest endpoints is recorded, and the highest daily peak in a month is used for billing. The price is the same for the Chinese mainland and regions outside China.
NoteIf one stream is recorded in both MP4 and FLV formats simultaneously, it is counted as one ingest endpoint.
Time-shifted streams are not counted again in the number of recording ingest endpoints.
Billing cycle
Billed monthly.
Billing method
Pay-as-you-go.
Bill generation time
After the current billing cycle (a calendar month) ends. The bill for the previous month is typically generated after 00:00 on the first day of the current month.
Settlement time
Fees are automatically deducted from your account balance after a bill is generated.
Container format conversion fee
Rule item
Rule details
Billing rule
A container format conversion fee is charged when a live stream is recorded in MP4 or FLV format. This fee is billed based on the duration of the recording in minutes. If one stream is recorded in both MP4 and FLV formats, the peak number of monthly ingest endpoints is counted as one. However, the conversion fee is calculated based on the total duration of both the MP4 and FLV files. The unit price for container format conversion varies by the region of the live center.
NoteNo container format conversion fee is charged for standard recordings that are saved as TS segments.
Billing cycle
Billed daily.
Billing method
Pay-as-you-go.
Bill generation time
After the current billing cycle (a calendar day) ends. Bills are typically generated within one hour after the end of the billing cycle.
Settlement time
Fees are automatically deducted from your account balance after a bill is generated.
Billing example
Description: In the Chinese mainland, the recording service was used on two days in June. On June 9, one live stream was recorded in MP4 format for 300 minutes. On June 13, one live stream was recorded in both MP4 and FLV formats for 600 minutes.
Procedure: The monthly recording service fee is CNY 30 per ingest endpoint per month, and the container format conversion fee in the Chinese mainland is CNY 0.007 per minute.
Result:
The container format conversion fee for June 9 is 300 × 0.007 = CNY 2.1. The bill is generated on June 10, and the fee is automatically deducted from your account.
The container format conversion fee for June 13 is (600 + 600) × 0.007 = CNY 8.4. The bill is generated on June 14, and the fee is automatically deducted from your account.
The monthly recording service fee for June is 1 × 30 = CNY 30. The bill is generated on July 1, and the fee is automatically deducted from your account.
Real-time snapshots
Real-time snapshots are billed daily based on the number of snapshots taken from live video streams. The price varies by live center.
Pricing
Item (Unit: CNY/1,000 snapshots) | The Chinese mainland | Singapore | Japan | Germany | India | Indonesia |
Video snapshot | 0.10 | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.12 | 0.16 | 0.16 |
Billing rules
Rule item | Rule details |
Billing rule | Billed based on the number of snapshots taken from the ApsaraVideo Live service. |
Billing cycle | Billed daily. |
Billing method | Pay-as-you-go. |
Bill generation time | After the current billing cycle (a calendar day) ends. Bills are typically generated within one hour after the end of the billing cycle. |
Settlement time | Fees are automatically deducted from your account balance after a bill is generated. |
Billing example
Description: In the Chinese mainland, 15,000 snapshots were taken on June 17.
Procedure: The unit price for snapshots in the Chinese mainland is CNY 0.1 per 1,000 snapshots.
Result: The snapshot fee for June 17 is 15,000 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1 = CNY 1.5. The bill is generated on June 18, and the fee is automatically deducted from your account.