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In the era of digital connectivity, live streaming has become an integral part of various businesses, institutions, and individuals looking to engage and interact with their audiences in real-time. As the demand for high-quality, reliable live streaming services continues to surge, the need for robust, customizable streaming solutions has become paramount. Wowza Streaming Engine, with its versatile pricing plans and a plethora of features, stands out as a frontrunner in the live streaming industry. This article will delve into the intricacies of Wowza Streaming Engine’s pricing plans, its integrated video platform with API, and other supporting services, providing a comprehensive understanding of its offerings and helping users choose the best plan that suits their needs.
Understanding Wowza Streaming Engine Pricing
1. Wowza Streaming Engine Overview
Wowza Streaming Engine is a powerful, fully customizable on-premises software solution that enables users to host live streaming events with efficiency and scalability. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive set of features, it caters to the diverse needs of both occasional and high-volume streaming requirements.
2. Wowza Streaming Engine Pricing Plans
Wowza Streaming Engine offers multiple pricing plans, catering to a wide range of streaming needs. The plans are tailored to accommodate different user requirements, ensuring that individuals and businesses of all scales can benefit from its services. Let’s take a closer look at the available pricing plans:
a. One Month of Streaming Plan
The “One Month of Streaming” plan, priced at $295 as a one-time purchase, is ideal for users with occasional on-premises streaming needs or those dealing with unpredictable events and audiences. This plan includes the first instance and allows up to 10 concurrent, transcoded channels. Additional instances can be purchased for $295 each.
b. Basic Monthly Plan
Priced at $195 per month, the “Basic Monthly” plan caters to users with ongoing on-premises streaming requirements, steady events, and a growing audience base. Similar to the “One Month of Streaming” plan, it includes the first instance, allows up to 10 concurrent, transcoded channels, and provides the option to purchase additional instances for $195 each.
c. Enterprise Plan
The “Enterprise” plan is designed for large-scale, self-hosted streaming with unique and demanding requirements. This plan offers annual plans with discounted rates, hybrid cloud services including CDN, Flowplayer, and analytics, offline keys, and professional services for highly customized deployments. The Enterprise plan pricing can be customized based on the user’s specific needs.
3. Other Wowza Services and Support
Apart from the Wowza Streaming Engine, Wowza offers a range of complementary services and support to enhance the overall streaming experience. These services include:
a. Wowza CDN
Wowza CDN allows users to scale Wowza Streaming Engine with efficient delivery over the CDN, ensuring reduced latency and improved reliability. It enables users to stream directly to a Wowza CDN endpoint, perform transcoding, and deliver content to viewers seamlessly.
b. Premium Support
Wowza provides premium support tailored to the unique streaming needs of users. With features such as live chat support, web conferencing, and screen sharing, the Premium Support package ensures that users receive prompt assistance from Wowza’s team of streaming experts.
c. Live Event Support
The Live Event Support service is specifically designed for professionals handling live events and streaming to audiences of varying sizes. With a dedicated streaming expert providing pre-event setup and real-time support during the event, users can leverage Wowza’s recommendations and trusted advice on best practices.
Key Features of Wowza Streaming Engine
Wowza Streaming Engine boasts a multitude of features that make it a preferred choice for live streaming solutions. Let’s explore some of its key attributes:
1. Industry Gold Standard
Wowza Streaming Engine is widely recognized as an industry gold standard, delivering fast and clean streams with precise control over format, video quality, and delivery options. Its robust technology ensures high-performance streaming, meeting the demands of diverse user requirements.
2. Built to Go Live
The software is specifically designed to facilitate seamless live streaming, allowing users to stream with confidence, even during high-demand events. Its patented technology optimizes the live streaming performance and scalability, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted streaming experience for both creators and viewers.
3. Future-Proof Solution
Wowza Streaming Engine stays ahead of the curve by supporting the latest industry protocols, formats, and codecs. This ensures that users can trust the platform to work flawlessly both in the present and the future, without worrying about compatibility issues or technological obsolescence.
| Plan Name | One Month of Streaming | Basic Monthly | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $295 (one-time purchase) | $195/month | Custom |
| Best For | Occasional on-prem hosted streaming needs or unpredictable events and audiences | Ongoing on-prem hosted streaming needs with steady events and growing audiences | Large-scale, self-hosted streaming with unique requirements |
| Included Instances | 1 Instance | 1 Instance | Custom |
| Additional Instances | $295 per month | $195 per month | Custom |
| Included Transcoded Channels | Up to 10 concurrent, transcoded channels | Up to 10 concurrent, transcoded channels | Custom |
| Additional Transcoded Channels | $25 per channel | $25 per channel | Custom |
| Containerized Deployment Pricing | Flexible pricing models for containerized deployments | – | – |
| Offline Deployment Pricing | Unique pricing for offline keys | – | – |
| Support Level | Standard | Standard | Premium |
| Response Time | 48 Hours | 48 Hours | 30 Minutes |
| Live Chat | – | – | Available Every Day |
| Hot Fixes | – | – | – |
| Dedicated Account Owner | – | – | – |
4. Complete Package with API Integration
Wowza offers a complete platform that powers the modern streaming ecosystem. From encoding to delivery and API integration, Wowza provides a comprehensive solution for all streaming-related needs. Its seamless integration with various APIs and native media-player options enhances the overall streaming experience for users.
5. Full Control and Customization
Users can fully customize and control their streaming infrastructure with Wowza Streaming Engine. With powerful APIs and interface options, users have complete control over their streaming processes, enabling them to tailor the streaming experience according to their specific preferences and requirements.
6. Real-Time Streaming Capabilities
Wowza Streaming Engine excels in real-time streaming scenarios where speed is crucial. Even in cases where traditional protocols such as Flash, RTMP, and HLS face limitations, Wowza remains a reliable and efficient choice for users looking for high-speed and real-time streaming solutions.
7. Cross-Device Compatibility
One of the standout features of Wowza Streaming Engine is its ability to power high-quality live and on-demand video and audio streaming across various devices. Whether it’s desktops, laptops, smartphones, or smart TVs, Wowza ensures that the streaming content is accessible across all devices, providing a seamless viewing experience for audiences.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To provide users with a comprehensive understanding of Wowza Streaming Engine and its pricing plans, here are some frequently asked questions along with their answers:
1. What is an instance?
An instance refers to a single copy of Wowza Streaming Engine server software running on a single physical or virtual computer.
2. How many connections can one instance handle?
The number of connections that an instance can handle depends on several factors such as bitrate, network capacity, and server hardware. For detailed information on deployment scenarios and capacity, users can refer to the streaming deployment examples provided by Wowza or consult a Wowza technical support specialist.
3. How is usage calculated for subscription plans?
For subscription plans, the usage is determined based on the maximum number of concurrent instances in use during the billing cycle.
4. Can I purchase an annual subscription? How do I add instances, and how will that be billed?
Users can opt for an annual subscription by contacting Wowza for more information. Adding server instances to an annual subscription can be done using the existing license key. In terms of billing, users have the option of either making a one-time prorated payment for prepaid annual instances or paying as they go for additional instances at the monthly price.
5. Can I upgrade or downgrade plans?
With Wowza Streaming Engine’s month-to-month plans, users have the flexibility to upgrade or downgrade their plans at any time. Changes to the plan will come into effect at the end of the current billing period. However, for annual plans, any changes will only take effect at the end of the 12-month subscription period.
6. What is a stream vs. a channel?
In the context of Wowza Streaming Engine, a channel refers to the input, while a stream refers to the output. For example, if a user streams three channels (e.g., ESPN, HBO, CBS), each in three different resolutions, it would amount to nine streams.
7. What does concurrent, transcoded channels mean?
Concurrent, transcoded channels refer to transcoded streams. Wowza Streaming Engine doesn’t impose a limit on the number of source streams that users can run. However, there is a maximum limit of 10 concurrent, transcoded channels per instance per month. If users exceed this limit, they will be charged $25 per additional transcoded channel, with overages billed in full-month increments based on the count of the highest high-water mark for concurrent, transcoded channels per instance each month. For users with high-volume transcoding requirements, custom pricing is available, and they are advised to contact Wowza for more information.
8. Where can I deploy Wowza Streaming Engine software?
Wowza Streaming Engine can be deployed on any server hardware, or users can opt to deploy it instantly on a major cloud provider using a preconfigured virtual machine preloaded with Wowza Streaming Engine software. However, it’s important to note that an internet connection is required for deployment. For users seeking deployment in an offline environment, it is recommended to reach out to Wowza for suitable solutions.
9. Is there special pricing for high-volume deployments?
Yes, Wowza offers flexible pricing models for high-volume deployments, ensuring that users with specific high-volume streaming requirements can avail themselves of tailored pricing. Users interested in such custom pricing can get in touch with Wowza for detailed information and assistance.
Wowza Streaming Engine’s comprehensive pricing plans and a host of powerful features position it as a leading choice for individuals and businesses seeking reliable and scalable live streaming solutions. With its focus on providing a seamless streaming experience, extensive customization options, and efficient support services, Wowza caters to a diverse range of streaming needs. Whether it’s occasional streaming events, steady streaming requirements, or large-scale, self-hosted streaming, Wowza Streaming Engine offers solutions tailored to every user’s needs. By understanding the nuances of the pricing plans, the diverse features, and the accompanying support services, users can make an informed decision and leverage Wowza’s cutting-edge technology to enhance their streaming endeavors.