MediaLive Transcoding

MediaLive provides standard transcoding and low-bitrate HD transcoding. The fee is calculated based on the actual codec standard, and the resolution and duration of the input and output videos.

Concepts

Service delivery mode of MediaLive

Dual transcoded streams: Two streams are input and two streams (primary and standby) are output after transcoding. When one stream is interrupted, the other stream can seamlessly take over the transcoding, so you are not aware of the fault.
One transcoded stream: One stream is input and one stream is output after transcoding. Video streams may be interrupted for a short period of time on terminals, such as frame loss, frame freezing, and artifacts. If stream interruption occurs, the retry mechanism can be used to resume transcoding.

Resolution definition

SD: The vertical resolution is less than 720 px.
HD: The vertical resolution range is [720, 1080] px.
UHD: The vertical resolution range is (1080, 2160] px.

Billing modes

Pay-per-use is a postpaid billing mode. You pay as you go and just pay for what you use. In each billing cycle, the system calculates the fee based on the actual usage of each resource multiplied by the unit price, and then deducts the fee from your account balance.
Yearly/Monthly is a prepaid billing mode. You pay in advance for a subscription term, and in exchange, you get a discounted rate. The longer the subscription term, the bigger the discount. This mode is a good option for long-term, stable services.
If you purchase a yearly package in the same region, the total transcoding duration of all channels per hour cannot exceed one hour. If you purchase two yearly packages of the same specifications, the total transcoding duration of all channels per hour cannot exceed two hours. The excess is charged in the pay-per-use mode. You can evaluate the total transcoding duration per hour to purchase suitable yearly/monthly packages.

Notes

To transcode a stream, you must specify the stream type, that is, one transcoded stream or dual transcoded streams. The stream type cannot be changed. You can only add or delete a stream.
If the stream type of your stream needs to be changed due to service changes, you are advised to delete the stream type and then add a new one.
After a yearly/monthly package expires, the billing mode automatically switches to pay-per-use. Take note of the validity period of a yearly/monthly package and renew the subscription before it expires.

Prices

Billing description of MediaLive transcoding

MediaLive will charge you for both the input and output of transcoding.
Prices vary depending on regions, that is, prices are different in AP-Singapore and ME-Riyadh.
In the same region, prices vary depending on the billing mode (pay-per-use or yearly/monthly).
With the same billing mode in the same region, prices vary depending on the stream type (one transcoded stream or dual transcoded streams).
Dual transcoded streams provide higher service reliability but cost more than one transcoded stream. Select a stream type as needed.
With the same billing mode and stream type in the same region, prices vary depending on the transcoding output mode (SD or low-bitrate HD).

Pricing details

Pay-per-use

Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3 describe the transcoding input and output prices of MediaLive in the AP-Singapore region.

**Table 1** Transcoding input prices in the AP-Singapore region
Codec	Input Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Hour)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Hour)
H.264	SD	0.2052	0.1231
	HD	0.4050	0.2430
	UHD	2.4300	1.4580
H.265	SD	0.4050	0.2430
	HD	0.8100	0.4860
	UHD	4.8654	2.9192

**Table 2** Standard transcoding output prices in the AP-Singapore region
Codec	Output Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Hour)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Hour)
H.264	SD	0.6102	0.3661
	HD	1.2150	0.7290
	UHD	4.8600	2.9160
H.265	SD	2.4408	1.4645
	HD	4.8600	2.9160
	UHD	19.4400	11.6640
Audio only	-	0.3024	0.18144

**Table 3** Low-bitrate HD transcoding output prices in the AP-Singapore region
Codec	Output Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Hour)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Hour)
H.264	SD	1.8306	1.0984
	HD	3.6450	2.1870
	UHD	14.6448	8.7869
H.265	SD	7.3224	4.3934
	HD	14.5800	8.7480
	UHD	58.5792	35.1475

Table 4, Table 5, and Table 6 describe the transcoding input and output prices of MediaLive in the ME-Riyadh region.

**Table 4** Transcoding input prices in the ME-Riyadh region
Codec	Input Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Hour)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Hour)
H.264	SD	0.198	0.1188
	HD	0.3894	0.2336
	UHD	2.343	1.4058
H.265	SD	0.3894	0.2336
	HD	0.7788	0.4673
	UHD	4.686	2.8116

**Table 5** Standard transcoding output prices in the ME-Riyadh region
Codec	Output Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Hour)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Hour)
H.264	SD	0.5874	0.3524
	HD	1.1682	0.7009
	UHD	4.6728	2.8037
H.265	SD	2.3496	1.4098
	HD	4.6728	2.8037
	UHD	18.6912	11.2147
Audio only	-	0.2904	0.1742

**Table 6** Low-bitrate HD transcoding output prices in the ME-Riyadh region
Codec	Output Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Hour)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Hour)
H.264	SD	1.76	1.0573
	HD	3.50	2.1028
	UHD	14.10	8.4586
H.265	SD	7.05	4.2293
	HD	14.02	8.4110
	UHD	56.39	33.8342

Yearly/Monthly

Table 7, Table 8, and Table 9 describe the transcoding input and output prices of MediaLive in the AP-Singapore region.

**Table 7** Transcoding input prices in the AP-Singapore region
Codec	Input Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Year)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Year)	Yearly/Monthly
H.264	SD	435	261	1 year
	HD	870	522
	UHD	5222	3133
H.265	SD	870	522
	HD	1741	1045
	UHD	10443	6266

**Table 8** Standard transcoding output prices in the AP-Singapore region
Codec	Output Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Year)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Year)	Yearly/Monthly (Hour/Year)
H.264	SD	1306	784	1 year
	HD	2611	1567
	UHD	10445	6266
H.265	SD	5217	3130
	HD	10388	6233
	UHD	41552	24931
Audio only	-	643	386

**Table 9** Low-bitrate HD transcoding output prices in the AP-Singapore region
Codec	Output Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Year)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Year)	Yearly/Monthly (Hour/Year)
H.264	SD	3917	2351	1 year
	HD	7834	4700
	UHD	31334	18808
H.265	SD	15667	940
	HD	31334	18799
	UHD	125337	75232

Table 10, Table 11, and Table 12 describe the transcoding input and output prices of MediaLive in the ME-Riyadh region.

**Table 10** Transcoding input prices in the ME-Riyadh region
Codec	Input Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Year)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Year)	Yearly/Monthly
H.264	SD	435	261	1 year
	HD	870	522
	UHD	5222	3133
H.265	SD	870	522
	HD	1741	1045
	UHD	10443	6266

**Table 11** Standard transcoding output prices in the ME-Riyadh region
Codec	Output Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Year)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Year)	Yearly/Monthly (Hour/Year)
H.264	SD	1306	784	1 year
	HD	2611	1567
	UHD	10445	6266
H.265	SD	5217	3130
	HD	10388	6233
	UHD	41552	24931
Audio only	-	643	386

**Table 12** Low-bitrate HD transcoding output prices in the ME-Riyadh region
Codec	Output Resolution	Unit Price of Dual Transcoded Streams (USD/Year)	Unit Price of One Transcoded Stream (USD/Year)	Yearly/Monthly (Hour/Year)
H.264	SD	3917	2351	1 year
	HD	7834	4700
	UHD	31334	18808
H.265	SD	15667	9404
	HD	31334	18799
	UHD	125337	75232

The transcoding fee of MediaLive is charged by MPC.

Billing Rules

See Table 13.

**Table 13** Billing rules
Rule Item	Description
Billing Rule	You are charged based on the codec standard, and the resolution and duration of the input and output videos. The duration is accurate to four decimal places, and the fourth digit is rounded off based on the fifth digit. If there are multiple output specifications, the total transcoding fee covers the transcoding input and each output specification. The number system of the transcoded stream bitrate is 1,024. For example, 1 Kbit/s = 1,024 bit/s.
Billing Cycle	Pay-per-use: Billed by hour and deducted in real time Yearly/Monthly: Billed for the required duration specified in your order
Billing Mode	Pay-per-use Yearly/Monthly
Bill Run Time	Pay-per-use: After the current billing cycle (hours) ends, the bill run time is subject to the system. Yearly/Monthly: In the prepaid mode, using a package within the package validity period will not be billed.
Settlement Time	Pay-per-use: Fees are automatically deducted after bill run. Yearly/Monthly: Settlement is performed based on the subscription period.

Billing Examples

AP-Singapore
Assume that you are in the AP-Singapore region and use pay-per-use billing and the stream type of dual transcoded streams to transcode an HD video stream using H.264. If there are five transcoded streams with different resolution levels, the total cost per hour is calculated as follows:
- Cost of an input stream using H.264 per hour:
  $0.405 USD for HD (1080 px)
- Cost of an output stream using H.264 per hour:
  $1.215 USD for HD (1080 px)
  
  $1.215 USD for HD (720 px)
  
  $0.6102 USD for SD (576 px)
  
  $0.6102 USD for SD (432 px)
  
  $0.6102 USD for SD (288 px)
Total cost: $0.405 USD + $1.215 USD x 2 + $0.6102 USD x 3 = $4.6656 USD/hour
ME-Riyadh
Assume that you are in the ME-Riyadh region and use pay-per-use billing and the stream type of dual transcoded streams to transcode an HD video stream using H.264. If there are five transcoded streams with different resolution levels, the total cost per hour is calculated as follows:
- Cost of an input stream using H.264 per hour:
  $0.3894 USD for HD (1080 px)
- Cost of an output stream using H.264 per hour:
  $1.1682 USD for HD (1080 px)
  
  $1.1682 USD for HD (720 px)
  
  $0.5874 USD for SD (576 px)
  
  $0.5874 USD for SD (432 px)
  
  $0.5874 USD for SD (288 px)
Total cost: $0.3894 USD + $1.1682 USD x 2 + $0.5874 USD x 3 = $4.488 USD/hour