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What to enter in the AWS Pricing Calculator
AWS calculates MediaLive charges from the resources configured for a channel: inputs, outputs, and enabled add-on features. For a 24/7 estimate, enter the actual running duration you expect, then review other AWS charges that apply to the architecture. AWS’s MediaLive pricing page links to the AWS Pricing Calculator for a regional estimate.
Build a configuration worksheet first
- Region: Select the AWS region where the MediaLive resources will run. Rates vary by region.
- Channel class: Choose single-pipeline or standard, based on the resilience you need.
- Inputs: For each input, record its type, codec, bitrate, resolution, and count. Include input switching or other multiple-input configuration.
- Outputs: List every rendition, including codec, bitrate, resolution, frame rate, and count. An adaptive-bitrate ladder is several configured outputs, not just one stream.
- Add-ons: Include any enabled features, such as advanced audio, audio normalization, or motion graphics.
- Running time: For continuous operation, use the hours you actually expect the channel to run in a month.
- Other costs: Identify applicable idle-resource and data-transfer charges, along with other services required for packaging or delivery.
Use the calculator’s actual rates for the selected region and configuration. AWS rounds on-demand running-resource duration up to the nearest minute, with a 10-minute minimum.
Turn the estimate into a monthly and annual view
- Enter the channel’s inputs, outputs, class, add-ons, region, and expected running duration in the AWS Pricing Calculator.
- Review the MediaLive subtotal separately from any other service or transfer costs in the estimate.
- For a 24/7 channel, use the expected monthly operating hours. If your channel will be interrupted or stopped at times, use those hours rather than assuming continuous operation.
- Multiply the resulting monthly estimate by 12 for a simple annualized on-demand comparison. This is an arithmetic projection, not a separate AWS quote; regional rates and configuration must still be checked in the calculator.
Which settings change MediaLive cost?
Channel class and resilience
A single-pipeline channel uses the single-pipeline rate. A standard channel runs two processing pipelines in different Availability Zones for increased channel resiliency and uses AWS’s standard-class rate. Do not model standard as two separately billed channels; select standard pricing in the calculator and compare it with single-pipeline pricing alongside the resilience tradeoff.
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Inputs, outputs, and codecs
Input charges depend on codec, bitrate, and resolution. Output charges depend on codec, bitrate, resolution, and frame rate. Consequently, changing a rendition ladder or encoding configuration can alter the estimate even when the channel still feeds the same YouTube destination. AWS’s published pricing guidance does not establish a special MediaLive processing rate because YouTube is the destination.
With input switching and more than one input, AWS applies the cost of two active inputs, even when more than two inputs are configured in the schedule. Include the switching setup rather than multiplying the input charge by every scheduled source.
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Add-on features
Features such as advanced audio, audio normalization, and motion graphics add charges. AWS says add-on charges apply once per channel, rather than once per input or output; include only the features enabled for your configuration.
How to read AWS’s published hourly example
AWS’s pricing page, accessed in 2026, gives an on-demand standard-channel example in US East (N. Virginia) totaling $3.942 per hour. That configuration uses two 1080p HD HEVC inputs at 20 Mbps with input switching; AVC outputs at 1080p/5 Mbps/30 fps, 720p/2 Mbps/30 fps, 576p/1.2 Mbps/30 fps, 432p/0.8 Mbps/30 fps, and 288p/0.5 Mbps/30 fps; and advanced audio at $0.300 per hour. AWS breaks out the input and output charges and adds the feature charge.
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This is an illustration of one specified region and configuration, not a typical YouTube-channel quote or a required output ladder. It shows why a useful estimate must count each input, rendition, and add-on instead of treating the channel as one input plus one stream. Do not apply this hourly figure to another region or configuration without recalculating it.
Running, paused, stopped, and idle resources
A channel is running when started and idle when stopped. The distinction matters because stopping the channel does not necessarily remove every charge.
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- Running channel: AWS charges for each attached input, even if it is inactive or receiving no content, and for every configured output, including an output paused by you or by Elemental Live.
- Paused output: Pausing is not the same as removing the configured output; a running channel can still incur its output charge.
- Stopped channel: A stopped channel is idle. AWS documents idle-channel charges for its inputs and outputs.
- Idle push input: An idle push input can incur a charge whether it is unattached or attached to a stopped channel.
- Idle pull input: AWS says idle pull inputs do not incur an idle charge.
Pausing a pipeline is also not equivalent to stopping the channel. When estimating savings from downtime, account for the actual resource state and check which idle charges remain.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.On-demand or a 12-month reservation?
AWS offers 12-month reservations for matching input, output, and add-on configurations and advertises savings of up to 75% compared with on-demand pricing. That is an AWS-stated maximum, not a guaranteed discount for every channel: compare the reservation against your exact regional configuration and expected usage.
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Reserved rates are charged for every hour in each month of the commitment. Unused reserved minutes expire at the end of that month rather than carrying forward. A 24/7 workload may be worth comparing against a reservation, but the commitment is most relevant when the reserved configuration and ongoing use match.
MediaLive subtotal versus the full streaming bill
A MediaLive estimate covers the service’s configured processing resources; it is not automatically the total cost of a complete YouTube streaming architecture. AWS’s calculator can estimate MediaLive alongside architecture costs, and AWS notes that additional charges may apply. Review any required packaging, delivery, data transfer, and other AWS services separately in the estimate.
Do not infer that audience size changes MediaLive’s input or output processing rate from the pricing information here. Distribution to viewers can create costs elsewhere in an architecture, so estimate those separately rather than folding them into a MediaLive-only number.
Common estimate mistakes and fixes
- Using one generic monthly price: Region and encoding configuration determine the result. Select the actual region and enter the real inputs, output ladder, class, and add-ons.
- Counting only one output: An adaptive-bitrate setup may have multiple renditions, each with its own codec and encoding settings. Enter every configured output.
- Assuming inactive means free: Inputs attached to a running channel remain chargeable when inactive; configured outputs remain chargeable when paused. Remove resources or stop the channel as appropriate, then account for idle charges.
- Expecting stop to erase all charges: A stopped channel is idle, and idle-channel charges can remain. Check especially for push inputs, which may incur idle charges even when unattached.
- Pricing standard as two channels: A standard channel has two pipelines for resiliency but uses the standard-class rate. Select that class rather than duplicating the channel in the estimate.
- Multiplying AWS’s example into a quote: The $3.942-per-hour figure is tied to a particular US East configuration. Re-enter your own settings and region in the calculator.
- Leaving out architecture costs: Keep the MediaLive subtotal distinct from applicable transfer, packaging, delivery, and other service charges.
Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is a YouTube channel playing uploaded recordings 24/7, StreamNeo is a simpler alternative to operating a MediaLive architecture yourself: upload a video or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. StreamNeo loops the uploaded video in the cloud, so nothing has to stay on at home. It does not stream from a camera.
StreamNeo streams the uploaded file as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot; it does not re-encode or offer quality tiers. If YouTube drops the stream, StreamNeo automatically recovers. The first day is free with no card required. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo, then start your free day.
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