Transcoder API pricing
Pricing details for the Transcoder API, in USD.
If you pay in a currency other than USD, the prices listed in your currency on Cloud Platform SKUs apply.
Pricing overview
When you use the Transcoder API you are charged per minute of transcoded video output. Price per minute is based on the output video resolution.
Pricing table
| Video class | Resolution classifier | Price per minute |
|---|---|---|
| SD | Less than 1280x720 | $0.015 |
| HD | 1280x720 to 1920x1080 | $0.030 |
| UHD | More than 1920x1080 to 4096x2160 | $0.060 |
Audio-only output: $0.005 per minute
If you pay in a currency other than USD, the prices listed in your currency on Cloud Platform SKUs apply.
Pricing examples
The following examples illustrate how Transcoder API pricing is calculated.
Example 1: Multiple output formats
Suppose a request is made to the Transcoder API with a 30-minute long input video file with four requested output resolutions:
- 640x480
- 1280x720
- 1920x1080
- 3840x2160
The price per output is determined by the video class of the requested video resolution. For the above example, the following video classes and price points are assigned.
| Video resolution | Resolution classifier | Price per minute |
|---|---|---|
| 640x480 | SD | $0.015 |
| 1280x720 | HD | $0.030 |
| 1920x1080 | HD | $0.030 |
| 3840x2160 | UHD | $0.060 |
| Total Price Per Minute | $0.135 |
The input video length is then multiplied by the calculated total price per minute for all requested video outputs to arrive at the total cost for the requested transcoding job.
- 30 minutes * $0.135 per minute = $4.05 billed for transcoding job.
Example 2: Trimmed video
Supposed the same video resolutions are requested as in Example 1, but the 30-minute input is trimmed during transcoding to create a 2-minute output.
Pricing is per minute of output, so only 2 minutes are billed. The video resolutions are the same as Example 1, so the per-minute pricing is the same:
- 2 minutes * $0.135 per minute = $0.27 billed for transcoding job.
Example 3: Multiple manifests
Suppose that two output manifests (one HLS, one DASH) are created, each including the same video resolutions as in Example 1.
Price per minute is calculated for each video stream encoded. In this case, since HLS and DASH manifests are repackaging the same four streams, the price per minute includes the cost of those four streams.
| Video resolution | Resolution classifier | Price per minute |
|---|---|---|
| 640x480 | SD | $0.015 |
| 1280x720 | HD | $0.030 |
| 1920x1080 | HD | $0.030 |
| 3840x2160 | UHD | $0.060 |
| Total Price Per Minute | $0.135 |
- 30 minutes * $0.135 per minute = $4.05 billed for transcoding job.
Example 4: Audio-only output
Suppose a request is made to the Transcoder API with a 30-minute long input audio file for a 30-minute long output audio file.
- 30 minutes * $0.005 per minute = $0.15 billed for transcoding job.
Example 5: Audio-only transcoding with trimmed audio output
This example uses a similar request to Example 4, but the 30-minute input is trimmed during transcoding to create a 2-minute output.
- 2 minutes * $0.005 per minute = $0.01 billed for transcoding job.
Example 6: Video transcoding with multiple manifests
Suppose a request is made to the Transcoder API with a 30-minute long input video file with SD output resolution. Multiple manifests are produced (manifest1 (video1 + audio1) + manifest2 (audio1)).
In this case, the audio stream is generated from the video input and counts as complimentary for video transcoding. If the job has any video elementary stream, the charge is based only on the video class.
The price per output is determined by the video class of the requested video resolution.
- 30 minutes * $0.15 per minute = $4.5 billed for transcoding job.
Example 7: Multiple audio-only transcoding
Suppose a request is made to the Transcoder API with a 30-minute long input audio file with two 30-minute output audio files.
- 30 minutes * $0.005 per minute * 2 = $0.3 billed for a transcoding job.
What's next
- Read the Transcoder API documentation.
- Get started with Transcoder API.
- Try the Pricing calculator.