AWS Elemental MediaConnect supports MPEG transport stream (MPEG-TS) workflows and AWS Cloud Digital Interface (AWS CDI)/JPEG XS workflows. An active resource in MediaConnect is called a flow, defined as a single input connected to one or more outputs, and pricing depends on the type of flow you are running.

  • MediaConnect transport stream flows incur charges at an hourly rate for each running flow, plus a per-gigabyte charge for data transferred using the flow or, with reserved outbound bandwidth pricing, a per-hour charge based on bandwidth for video sent to the internet. Per-gigabyte data transfer charges can be reduced by 70% or more using reserved outbound bandwidth.

  • MediaConnect CDI and JPEG XS flows are billed at an hourly rate for each running flow, plus an hourly rate for each output. The rates are dependent on the flow's maximum video size, which you define at creation time. Reserved outbound bandwidth is not available with MediaConnect CDI and JPEG XS flows.

  • MediaConnect Gateway software is available at no cost. Customers need to supply their own hardware and use Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) Anywhere to run a container in their on-premises infrastructure. Please visit the Amazon ECS Anywhere pricing page for more information. In addition, MediaConnect transport stream flow and data transfer charges apply.

A flow that is in standby mode is not an active resource, and does not incur active resource costs even if it has outputs or entitlements configured. No long-term commitments or upfront payments are required and you can increase or decrease usage at any time, except for transport stream reserved outbound bandwidth, which requires a 12-month commitment at a set bandwidth tier.

Transport stream flow pricing

The pricing below is the cost for MediaConnect transport stream flows.

Active resources

The pricing below is the cost per hour for each running flow.

Data transfer

Data transfer charges are incurred when MediaConnect transfers data to or from MediaConnect resources, AWS Elemental MediaLive, or other AWS services. You also incur additional charges when you serve content outside of AWS. If the live video output is delivered to a destination outside of AWS, then internet data transfer charges apply after the first 100 GB per month. The pricing below is based on data transferred using MediaConnect. 

Reserved outbound bandwidth

If you are willing to make a 12-month commitment, discounted pricing is available for reserved outbound bandwidth on data transferred to the internet. Reserved outbound bandwidth is charged for every hour in the month, for each month of your commitment period. Excess bitrate delivered above the bandwidth commitment is billed per gigabyte (GB) using standard rates from the data transfer out from MediaConnect to internet table. If you have 24x7 distribution workflows, reserved outbound bandwidth can yield savings of 40% to 70% or more compared to standard pricing depending on usage. Learn more by visiting the MediaConnect documentation.

CDI and JPEG XS flow pricing

The pricing below is the cost for MediaConnect CDI and JPEG XS flows. The table shows cost per hour for each running flow, and the cost per hour for each output of the flow, depending on the maximum video size selected when the flow is created.
If you need to set up permanent 24/7 AWS CDI / JPEG XS flows to and from your on-premises environments, please contact us for special pricing.

Pricing examples

  • Example 1
  • An event venue sends a transport stream video encoded at a bitrate of 10 Mbps to MediaConnect in the US East (N. Virginia) Region, for 24 hours, with a single output to another AWS service in the same Region.

    Running cost in US East (N. Virginia) Region
    $0.16 per hour

    Total running cost for 24 hours
    $0.16 * 24 = $3.840

    Data transferred in 24 hours
    10 Mbps / 8 = 1.25 MBps / 1024 = 0.00122 GBbps * 3600 = 4.4 GB per hour * 24 = 105.6 GB

    Total data transfer cost from MediaConnect to another AWS service in US East (N. Virginia) Region
    105.6 GB * $0.01 = $1.056

    Total cost
    $3.840 + $1.056 = $4.896

  • Example 2
  • A broadcaster sends transport stream video encoded at a bitrate of 30 Mbps to MediaConnect in the US East (N. Virginia) Region, with a single output to MediaConnect in the US West (Oregon) Region, plus a single output from MediaConnect in the US West (Oregon) out of AWS to the internet, for a 30-day period.

    Running cost in US East (N. Virginia) Region
    $0.16 per hour

    Running cost in US West (Oregon) Region
    $0.16 per hour

    Total running cost
    $0.16 per hour + $0.16 per hour = $0.32 per hour * 24 hours * 30 days = $230.40

    Data transferred in 30 days
    30 Mbps / 8 = 3.75 MBps / 1024 = 0.00366 GBbps * 3600 = 13.184 GB per hour
    13.184 GB per hour * 24 hours * 30 days = 9,492.48 GB (9.27 TB)

    Total data transfer cost from MediaConnect in US East (N. Virginia) Region to MediaConnect in US West (Oregon)
    9,492.48 * $0.02 = $189.850

    Total data transfer cost out from US West (Oregon) to internet (First 1 GB is free)
    9,491.48 * $0.090 per GB = $854.233

    Total cost
    $230.40 + $189.850 + $854.233 = $1,274.483

  • Example 3
  • A broadcaster sends transport stream video at a bitrate of 50 Mbps from one MediaConnect flow in the US East (N. Virginia) Region out of AWS to the internet. The broadcaster plans to send this video 24x7 for 12 months. To get a discount on data transfer to the internet pricing, the broadcaster reserves outbound bandwidth at the 50 Mbps tier, making a 12-month commitment.

    Running cost in US East (N. Virginia) Region
    $0.16 per hour

    Reserved outbound bandwidth for the 50 Mbps tier from US East (N. Virginia) to internet
    $1.161 per hour

    Total cost per hour
    $0.16 + $1.161 = $1.321

    Total cost per month
    $1.321 * 24 hours * 30 days = $951.12

    Savings with reserved outbound bandwidth compared to on-demand pricing
    Reserved outbound bandwidth price (converted to GB) = $0.052 / GB
    On-demand price = $0.09 / GB
    Broadcaster saved 42% using reserved outbound bandwidth

     

  • Example 4
  • For a high profile event, a broadcaster sends two 1080i50 JPEG XS streams using two MediaConnect instances in the Europe (Ireland) Region in separate Availability Zones, and for each instance creates a single output using AWS CDI to send to AWS Elemental MediaLive. The cost for MediaLive is not included in this calculation. The event lasts 4 hours total.

    Running flow price per Hour in Europe (Ireland) Region for CDI/JPEG XS 1080i video
    $3.00 per hour

    Cost per Output per Hour in Europe (Ireland) Region for CDI/JPEG XS 1080i video
    $0.13 per hour

    Total MediaConnect cost per hour
    $3.00 + $3.00 + $0.13 + $0.13 = $6.16

    Total MediaConnect cost for the 4 hour event
    $6.16 per hour * 4 hours = $24.64

  • Example 5
  • A broadcaster covering a 6 hour event uses MediaConnect to replicate and distribute video to multiple destinations, and to monitor the video signals in real time. The video is 1080p and the workflow is running in the US East (N. Virginia) Region. Three MediaConnect CDI flows are used and each flow has two CDI outputs. The cost of the production switchers, multiviewers, and playout applications running on EC2 instances is not included in this calculation. For more details on this use case, please see the documentation page.

    Running flow price per Hour in US East (N. Virginia) Region for CDI/JPEG XS 1080p video
    $6.00 per hour

    Cost per Output per Hour in US East (N. Virginia) Region for CDI/JPEG XS 1080p video
    $0.30 per hour

    Total MediaConnect cost per hour
    $6.00 + $6.00 + $6.00 + $0.30 + $0.30 + $0.30 + $0.30 + $0.30 + $0.30 = $19.80

    Total MediaConnect cost for the 6 hour event
    $19.80 per hour * 6 hours = $118.80

  • Example 6
  • A broadcaster sends a transport stream video encoded at a bitrate of 10 Mbps from an AWS Elemental MediaConnect Gateway instance on premises to MediaConnect in the US East (N. Virginia) Region, with a single output to MediaConnect in the US West (Oregon) Region, and a single output from MediaConnect in the US West (Oregon) out of AWS to a MediaConnect Gateway instance in another location on premises, for a 30-day period.

    Running cost of MediaConnect flow in US East (N. Virginia) Region
    $0.16 per hour

    Running cost of MediaConnect flow in US West (Oregon) Region
    $0.16 per hour

    Running cost of Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) Anywhere instance for MediaConnect Gateway
    $0.01025 per hour

    Total running cost per month for MediaConnect flows plus two Amazon ECS Anywhere instances
    $0.16 per hour + $0.16 per hour + $0.01025 + $0.01025 = $0.3405 per hour * 24 hours * 30 days = $245.16

    Data transferred in 30 days
    10 Mbps / 8 = 1.25 MBps / 1024 = 0.00122 GBbps * 3600 = 4.394 GB per hour
    4.394 GB per hour * 24 hours * 30 days = 3,163.68 GB (3.16 TB)

    Total data transfer cost from MediaConnect in US East (N. Virginia) Region to MediaConnect in US West (Oregon)
    3,163.68 * $0.02 = $63.274

    Total data transfer cost out from US West (Oregon) to MediaConnect Gateway on premises (first 1 GB is free)
    3,162.68 * $0.090 per GB = $284.641

    Total cost for a 30-day period
    $245.160 + $63.274 + $284.641 = $593.075

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