- Peak bandwidth
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- Monthly transfer
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- With INOVANEX, transfer is unlimited: it is not billed per GB.
- Suggested INOVANEX plan
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Rule of thumb: plan by the peak (a match, breaking news, a big show), not the average. Viewers above the limit can't connect.
How it is calculated
- Peak bandwidth = viewers at peak × bitrate. 1,000 viewers at 3.5 Mbps are 3.5 Gbps leaving the network at that moment.
- Monthly transfer = average viewers × bitrate × seconds on air in the month. At 2 Mbps one viewer uses 0.9 GB an hour.
- Viewer hours = average viewers × hours on air in the month: the unit some providers bill.
- Suggested plan = the smallest INOVANEX video plan that covers your peak viewers and your chosen quality (1080p from Plus, 1080p60 on Multimedia), with prices from its public catalog in US dollars.
Examples, 24 hours on air
| Peak viewers | Average | Quality | Peak bandwidth | Monthly transfer | Viewer hours a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 30 | 720p · 2.0 Mbps | 200 Mbps | 19.4 TB | 21,600 |
| 250 | 80 | 720p · 2.0 Mbps | 500 Mbps | 51.8 TB | 57,600 |
| 750 | 250 | 1080p · 3.5 Mbps | 2.63 Gbps | 284 TB | 180,000 |
| 2,000 | 600 | 1080p · 4.5 Mbps | 9 Gbps | 875 TB | 432,000 |
| 5,000 | 1,500 | 1080p60 · 5.0 Mbps | 25 Gbps | 2,430 TB | 1,080,000 |
The first row is a small local channel; the last, a large channel at full HD 60 fps. Even the smallest one moves tens of terabytes a month when it is on air around the clock.
Comparing providers that use different units
Put every offer in the same unit before comparing: take your monthly transfer and viewer hours from the calculator, multiply the excess over each plan's allowance by its overage price, and add it to the monthly fee. For a channel on air around the clock, a cheap plan with a small bandwidth allowance usually ends up the most expensive. The comparison shows each provider's unit exactly as published.
Questions about the numbers
Why does a 24/7 channel use so much transfer?
Because every viewer receives the full stream for as long as they watch. 80 average viewers at 2 Mbps around the clock are about 52 TB a month. On a plan billed per GB, that number decides the invoice; on a plan with unlimited transfer, it doesn't.
Should I choose the plan by peak or by average viewers?
By the peak for the viewer limit (viewers above it can't connect) and by the average for transfer and viewer hours. Peaks happen exactly when it matters most: a match, breaking news, a special.
Does multi-bitrate change the numbers?
Each viewer still receives one rendition at a time, so transfer depends on which quality they actually watch. Viewers on weak connections drop to a lower rendition, which lowers the average a little. Transcoding itself is a server cost, often charged as an add-on.