This column acts as a detailed Q&A for how storage works over the Dacast system. Please feel free to comment on which topics you’d like to see addressed here.

How much storage is included with my account?

This depends on your plan level. Please log into your Dacast account and click DASHBOARD and the top center box shows how much included storage you have. If you are considering buying a plan, and not sure which to go with, please consult our pricing page.

How much is storage if I go over?

The answer to this varies. Developer Plans and Event Plans are charged $0.15 a month for each GB of storage they go over their limit.

How often is extra storage billed?

If you are over your storage limit, extra storage is billed monthly. 

What is the minimum charge for extra storage?

For monthly plans, there is no minimum and the charge for extra storage occurs on the same day as your plan rebill date.

How do I purchase additional storage?

Please reach out to our 24/7 Support team at: www.dacast.com/support

You can also increase your included storage by upgrading to a higher plan.

How is storage cost calculated?

Storage cost is calculated from the peak storage used each month for the plan. So deleting all videos just before the billing date, for example, will not bring the cost to 0.

How does multi-bitrate work with storage?

All bitrates are added up and factored into the storage amount:

Do inactive files count toward my storage total?

Yes, all files on your account (up until they are deleted), regardless of whether they are turned ON or OFF, count toward your storage total. If you are unclear what your total storage might be, please click DASHBOARD on the left sidebar after logging into your account.

If I cancel my plan, what happens to my stored files?

If you cancel a plan, and don’t purchase any additional data bandwidth, your files will be removed from your account.

Any questions or you want to access this feature? Please contact us.

Not yet a Dacast user, and interested in trying Dacast risk-free for 30 days? Sign up today to get started.

GET STARTED FOR FREE

Additional Resources

• Does Streaming on Facebook Consume Bandwidth?
• Why Can’t I Create Another Channel After Purchasing Bandwidth?
• How Much Does it Cost to Use Dacast?
• What is Bitrate and How Does it Relate to Dacast?
• Video Transcoding Services: Which Video Bitrate Should I Use for Mobile Devices?

Dacast’s partnership with China allows us to deliver high-quality video hosting solutions in Mainland China.

The ICP 19031887 contract with China-based CDN services ensures fast delivery without buffering. Hosting Video on Demand in China in just a few clicks is a rarity in the online video industry. With multiple points of presence (PoPs) across the mainland, you gain access to 1.4 billion people behind the Great Firewall.

Serving video content in mainland China is available via our VOD hosting solution.

It is an add-on to existing plans rather than a plan in itself. With our current live streaming pricing plans, this feature will cost from $100, billed monthly, or $200 annually according to your plan.

Any questions or you want to access this feature? Please contact us.

Not yet a Dacast user, and interested in trying Dacast risk-free for 30 days? Sign up today to get started.

GET STARTED FOR FREE

Additional Resources

• What Does VOD Stand For?
• Top 5 VOD Platforms for Online Video Hosting: A Comparison
• AVOD: Definitive Guide to Ad-Based Video on Demand
• SVOD: Everything You Need to Know About Subscription Video On Demand
• Pay-Per-View Streaming: The Basics of TVOD
• VOD Streaming: The Premier Content Delivery Strategy
• How to Build Your Video On Demand Platform
• Top 5 VOD Platforms for Online Video Hosting
• Building Your Video On Demand Platform
• How to Organize Dacast VOD Content in the New Back Office

Streaming and hosting videos on Dacast uses both video bandwidth and storage. In order to generate an estimate of how much bandwidth you’ll need, we suggest checking out our bandwidth calculator.

In this post, we’re going to walk you through the process of buying extra bandwidth so that you never run out when you’re in need.

Before we get started, feel free to check your remaining video bandwidth to see where your account stands.

How to Buy Bandwidth

On the left sidebar of your Dacast account, click “Account” > “Plan” > “Additional Data.” You will see the pricing indicated on a chart. The higher the bandwidth, the lower the price. 

When you click on the “Purchase Data” button, you will be redirected to the next window. Simply indicate the amount of bandwidth you wish to purchase. 

In this example, based on the pricing, 1 to 5TB cost $0.25 per GB, so in order to purchase 1TB, you put 1000 (1TB=1000GB). The price will then cost for this purchase at $250 (1000GB x $0.25). 

When you click the “Next” button, you will need to input the mode of payment. You can choose one that is already saved on your Dacast account or use a new one. 

How to Purchase Extra Storage

If you are over your storage limit, the extra storage will then be billed to you monthly. Pricing would vary depending on the plan. 

For example, Developer Plans and Event Plans are charged $0.15 a month for each GB of storage they go over their limit.

If you want to purchase extra storage on your Dacast account beforehand, you can get in touch with your account manager directly or our 24/7 support team, who will then push your request directly to the account manager. 

Another option is to increase your included storage by upgrading to a higher plan.

If you have any questions about video bandwidth or need help with this Dacast feature, feel free to contact us directly.

Not yet a Dacast user, and interested in trying Dacast risk-free for 30 days? Sign up today to get started.

GET STARTED FOR FREE

Additional Resources:

• Does Streaming on Facebook Consume Video Bandwidth?
• Why Can’t I Create Another Channel After Buying Video Bandwidth?
• How Much Does it Cost to Use Dacast?
• What is Bitrate?
• What is the Best Video Bitrate for Mobile Streaming?

In the professional broadcasting world, CDN is short for “content delivery network.” 

A CDN is a network of servers that deliver a web page or web content, such as video, to a user. The CDN copies the web content to a network of servers that are dispersed to different locations around a geographic region.

When a user accesses content that is part of a CDN, the CDN will redirect the request from the originating site’s server to a server in the CDN that is closest to the user and deliver the cached content. 

The closer the CDN server is to the user geographically, the faster the content will be delivered.

Using a CDN is ideal for streaming video, especially to a geographically diverse group of viewers.

Dacast uses top-tier CDNs including Limelight and Akamai, which have some of the largest networks of servers in the world. The global nature of these servers ensure scaleable and high quality live streaming.

Benefits of Using a CDN

As a broadcaster, providing your viewers with high-quality video content is absolutely essential. You want to create an enjoyable viewing experience to keep your viewers coming back. 

Using a global CDN provides several benefits that relate to bringing that high-quality experience to viewers in broader geographic regions.

Some improvements that CDNs offer include faster loading times, lower bandwidth costs, higher content availability, and enhanced security.

Speedier loading times reduce latency. Since viewers tend to have little patience for lagging and buffering, this is a major plus.

CDN vs. Video Hosting

Since they work so closely together, CDNs are sometimes confused with video hosts. When it comes to professional broadcasting, this is not an either/or situation.

A video host (ex: Dacast) is where your video lives. A CDN is simply the tool that brings it to your viewers. 

Think of your nervous system. Everything is operated by your brain, but chains of nerves send signals all over your body to give it the information it needs to function. 

A video hosting platform is a brain. It sends videos (or signals) to people to viewers via content delivery networks (the nerves). Both parts work together to bring viewers the content that has been requested.

Your online video host and CDN will work together to produce a high-quality broadcast.

Any questions or need help/access to this feature? Please contact us.

Not yet a Dacast user, and interested in trying Dacast risk-free for 30 days? Sign up today to get started.

GET STARTED FOR FREE

Additional Resources

• Live Streaming CDNs and Why Businesses Should Utilize Them
• CDN For Live Streaming: What to Look For?
• Top 7 Video Streaming. CDN Providers for HTML5 Live Streaming in 2020
• CDN Comparison for High Quality Live Streaming & Video Hosting
• Live Streaming CDN Pricing Comparison (2019 Update)
• Can I Use My Own CDN with Dacast?

It stands for File Transfer Protocol, and deals with FTP clients like Filezilla as a way to upload content to your account. FTP clients are external programs which allow you to connect to a web service, like Dacast, using login details that include a:

server
username
password

This is the suggested method for uploading files around or over 1.5 GB in size. If you need help on using this feature over Dacast, please refer to this video tutorial.