This feature requires an Enterprise plan with the 4K add-on for Events added.
You can broadcast your live events in 4K (2160p) or 2K (1440p) directly from an external encoder to Vimeo, providing a clearer and more detailed video for your audience. This article discusses the requirements, usage metering, and limitations for streaming live events in 4K resolution.
In this article:
- What to know about 4K streaming
- Understanding 4K usage and metering
- What happens if I run out of 4K streaming hours?
- Making the most out of 4K streaming
- Suggested next steps
What to know about 4K streaming
Before hosting a live event in 4K, please note the following:
- 4K streaming is currently supported only via RTMP using an external encoder. It does not support SRT, 24/7 streaming, or Livestream Studio streaming.
- 4K Live Streaming usage is metered by the number of streaming hours, viewing hours, and bandwidth.
- All streams at 1440p (2K) or higher are metered against your 4K streaming hour allotment, including:
- 4K Streams (2160p): Standard UHD (3840 x 2160), DCI 4K (4096 x 2160), and vertical formats (e.g., 2160 x 3840).
- 2K Streams (1440p): QHD (2560 x 1440) streams, which will be metered as 4K streams.
Understanding billing and usage for 4K streaming
Usage for streaming your live event in 4k is metered by streaming and viewing hours, in addition to bandwidth costs.
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Streaming hours
- Streaming hours are calculated based on the duration of live events sent to Vimeo in 2K or 4K quality.
- Only video streams of 2K or 4K quality will utilize 4K streaming hours.
- Sending live video in 1080p quality or lower will not consume 4K streaming hours.
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Viewing Hours
- Viewing hours account for the total duration an audience member attends the event.
- 4K viewing time is only utilized if the event has an audience (i.e., the audience count is greater than zero).
- If there is an audience, 4K viewing time is metered based on the total attendance time for each viewer.
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Bandwidth
- Bandwidth usage is calculated normally and is affected by factors such as the use of eCDN and adaptive bitrate streaming.
- You can work with your account manager to determine the appropriate amount of bandwidth for your account.
- Bandwidth usage is calculated normally and is affected by factors such as the use of eCDN and adaptive bitrate streaming.
You can monitor your 4K streaming hour usage in the browser studio. You will also receive email notifications when your account reaches 90% of your 4 K streaming hours, between 90% and 100%, and when you've maxed out your 4K streaming hours.
What happens if I run out of 4K streaming hours?
If you approach or exceed your 4K streaming hour limit during a live event, your stream will not be interrupted. You will be notified that you have reached your limit. If you continue to stream 4K live events without the available hours, you will incur additional overage charges.
To add more 4K streaming hours to your plan, please contact your Account Manager.
Making the most out of 4K streaming
- Your live event will be automatically recorded in its original 4K or 2K resolution and available for on-demand playback.
- Your live event will keep its original aspect ratio.