Zype's transcoding service provides customers the ability to deliver the highest quality of premium content to their audiences on every device. This robust service is crucial for customers to be able to ensure their consumers have the best possible experience watching their content. In this article, we'll give you some tips on how you should think about budgeting your transcode usage as you're importing your content. Our goal is to provide transparency and the guidance necessary to help you avoid surprise bills and overage charges.
What is Transcoding?
Let's begin with defining what transcoding is and how Zype calculates Transcode Hours. Transcoding is the process in which your encoded video is decompressed, the format is altered to a streaming-friendly one (such as HLS), and configured into multiple renditions (eg 480p, 720p, 1080p).
A transcode hour is calculated by how long a video takes to complete transcoding. A one hour video equals one transcoding hour. If you have twenty hours of video content, it will take twenty hours to transcode them.
How Do I Budget My Transcoding Usage?
Monthly transcode allotments reset on the first of every month, so estimating your content ingestion needs is important to preventing overage fees.
Below are some tips to help you manage your monthly allotment and avoid unnecessary fees!
- Review your Zype contract with your Account Manager to confirm your allotment
- Estimate how much content you plan to ingest
- Devise a plan with your Account Manager to schedule content ingestion within your allotment
If you find that you are consistently (3 months in a row or more) using more transcode hours than available on your contract, you should examine your needs and speak with your Customer Success Manager.