Overview
ApsaraVideo Live is a live video and audio broadcasting platform based on leading content distribution and large-scale distributed real-time transcoding technology. The product provides high-definition and smooth live audio and video services that can be conveniently accessed, with low latency and high concurrency.
ApsaraVideo Live provides console-based management, APIs and mobile terminal SDKs among other live video access means for you to customize your own live stream media architecture. This enables you to quickly establish a high-quality global live video platform at low cost.
Benefits
Usability
End-to-end solution
Provides full range of technical solutions from streaming, transcoding, distribution to playback, as well as self-adaptive uplink bit rate, narrow-band HD transcoding, screenshot, recording and time shifting.
Low latency network
Alibaba Cloud boasts the lowest video lag rate industry-wide, and a smooth live video watching experience across its global network. BGP lines and ample bandwidth reduce live video latency and ensure real-time interactions in live video. With a concurrency capacity of 10 million live streams, the live video technical architecture can be dynamically scaled to power your live video business.
Global coverage
With 1000+ live video nodes around the world, ApsaraVideo Live provides the infrastructure for your live broadcasting business to go global.
Built for industry
Sophisticated industry-tailored solutions to cover a range of live video application scenarios, including e-commerce, entertainment, online education and gaming
Multi-terminal adaption
Users are provided with collection SDKs and playback SDKs for multiple platforms and terminals, covering Android, iOS devices, TV sets and STBs. Alibaba Cloud’s cloud synchronization technologies ensure that the video can be played on multiple terminals at the same time to provide a seamless user experience.
Secure storage and security protection
URL encryption, video encryption, anti-leech and other multiple security protection approaches provided to reduce the risk of live video bootlegging and broadcasting without consent from the copyrighter.
Features
Rich terminal features
Visual optimization
Supports face recognition and visual optimization technology, which can be customized and adjusted
Mic interaction
Host and audience can interact in real-time via microfones, and these interactions can be showcased to third-party audiences.
Instant loading
The player loads instantly within seconds through optimization of the SDK network layer.
Frame optimization
The frame optimization technology minimizes end-to-end streaming latency, ensuring smooth video playback.
Live audio and video
Supports independent playing of live audio and video as well as flexible switching between the two.
Powerful service end support
Real-time recording
Supports recording of live video, transcoding on the cloud and storage all in real-time. Also supports on-demand playback and transition of live videos to on-demand video.
Edge node streaming
National leading CDN technology to push live streams to the nearest CDN node and reduce video latency.
HD transcoding
Industry-leading narrow-band HD transcoding technology to save substantial bandwidth costs for users while maintaining quality.
Illicit content identification
Real-time monitoring of illicit content, with an accuracy identification rate of 99.9%.
Flexible water marks
Supports the adding of water marks to videos. Water marks can be flexibly configured to safeguard users' video copyrights.
Multi-function SDKs
Player SDK support
Supports RTMP, HLS and HDL protocols. Supports Android/iOS/Web player SDKs.
Streaming SDK support
Enter the streaming address to perform quick and convenient media streaming.
Live video interaction SDK
Caters for likes, comments, and mic interactions. Supports real-time live video watching. The player can be loaded instantly within seconds. Audio tracks can be mixed and the playback feature is also supported.
Pricing
Pricing
The pricing of ApsaraVideo Live service consists of live video traffic, transcoding, and screenshot fees. Live video traffic offers two billing types: Billing by Peak Bandwidth, and Billing by Traffic.
By Traffic
| Traffic Tier | Mainland China Price (USD/GB) | Outside of China Price (USD/GB) |
| 0GB - 10TB (inclusive) | 0.055 | 0.071 |
| 10TB - 50TB (inclusive) | 0.049 | 0.065 |
| 50TB - 100TB (inclusive) | 0.046 | 0.060 |
| > 100TB | 0.040 | 0.054 |
Billing Rules: Bill Peak Bandwidth will carry forward the amount of peak bandwidth exceeding the limit for the current day to the next billing cycle (on a calendar day basis).
By peak bandwidth
| Peak Bandwidth Tier | Mainland China Price (USD/Mbps/Day) | Outside of China Price (USD/Mbps/Day) |
| 0-500 Mbps | 0.16 | 0.20 |
| 500 Mbps - 5 Gbps | 0.14 | 0.19 |
| > 5Gbps | 0.12 | 0.17 |
Billing Rules: The highest bandwidth incurred on the live video service node for the day will be treated as the settlement standard.
Real-time transcoding
| Transcoding Tier | Mainland China Price (USD/Min) | Singapore Price (USD/Min) |
| 480P (inclusive) and lower | 0.0097 | 0.0334 |
| 480P-720P (inclusive) | 0.0191 | 0.0500 |
| 720P-1080P (inclusive) | 0.0382 | 0.0834 |
Billing Rules: The different bit rate specifications used on the day and their corresponding durations are added up as the settlement standard.
Real-time screenshot
| Type | Mainland China Price (USD/1000 Pieces/Day) | Singapore Price (USD/1000 Pieces/Day) |
| Screenshots | 0.015 | 0.036 |
Billing Rules: The live video screenshot service is billed by the number of screenshots taken for live videos on a daily basis.
Scenarios
Online education
Alibaba Cloud helps customers in the education industry to quickly deploy interactive online education websites. Courtesy of Alibaba Cloud’s high-quality multi-line BGP network, ECS cloud servers, Server Load Balancer, ApsaraDB for RDS, and security protection services, enterprise customers can achieve online evaluation, online exams and online interactions and exchanges between teachers and students on the cloud.
Financial services
Alibaba Cloud provides comprehensive security protection for financial cloud products and services tailored to enterprises. This includes leveraging highly available business disaster tolerance architecture, highly stable and high-performance cloud hosts, cloud storage, database and global live video CDN services.
Entertainment
Alibaba Cloud provides low-cost live video transcoding and distribution capabilities to help customers with their global live broadcasting of cultural and entertainment activities worldwide.
Getting Started
ApsaraVideo Live web console
The Alibaba Cloud console provides a simple web-based user interface which allows you to quickly launch a live video service from the web console. From the console you can configure the streaming, playing, recording and screenshot features, manage live video activities and view live video data.
Reference of ApsaraVideo Live APIs
ApsaraVideo Live APIs supports customized development of live video businesses. This service helps enterprise developers to quickly build core businesses on the live video platform.
APIsFAQs
Are there any restrictions on ApsaraVideo Live？
1. The service imposes no limit on the stream bit rate. It supports common resolutions and corresponding bit rates;
2. To prevent the stream from getting choppy, we recommend you adopt a bit rate no higher than 4Mbps.
Why do you use a live player to play m3u8 video file prompt error?
You need to add a policy file for cross-region access to the player, that is, adding the crossdomain.xml file to the root directory of the domain name where the video playback link is located and adding the permission for the domain name where the player is located.
Why can't the live push be played after it's successful?
1. Confirm whether the playback address is correct.
You can get the live console address at Console > Manage Domain Names > Domain Name Details.
The user-defined splicing rule of the playback address is 'Playing Domain Name' + 'App Name' + 'Stream Name' + "'_'" + 'Transcoding Template Name'.
2. Confirm whether the CNAME resolution of the domain name is configured to an Alibaba Cloud server.
You can query whether the CNAME resolution is effective or not through the ping command. If the ping command returns alikunlun*.com, it indicates the domain name CNAME resolution is effective. If the CNAME resolution is effective, execute the CNAME binding operation. For details, see
What do you do when you play video with Player?
Check whether it is a video source problem.
1. If it is a video source problem: A) Confirm whether the video source is normal to exclude the possibility of a transcoding problem. B) Confirm whether the stream frame rate and bit rate are normal to exclude the possibility of the stream transmission process.
2. If it is not a video source problem, check whether the player adopts software decoding. Call the 'setDefaultDecoder' interface in the SDK. If the parameter is 0, it indicates hardware decoding; if the parameter is 1, it indicates software decoding. Set the parameter to 1. Remove the original program first and restart the computer before re-installing the APK to avoid impact of data in the cache.
