Overview

FastPix supports processing content with three different media quality levels. The quality level you choose affects the output quality, cost, and available platform features for your media.

Standard

Free encoding at all resolutions up to 4K. Standard quality is ideal for MVPs, user-generated content, internal tools, and experimentation where cost efficiency matters most.

Pro

Paid encoding with higher consistency and better control over processing. Pro quality is designed for branded video platforms, e-learning, and production workloads that require reliable playback quality.

Premium

Highest encoding optimized for 4K, HDR, sports, and cinematic content. Premium quality delivers maximum visual accuracy for mission-critical and high-end video experiences.

Media quality levels

Standard

The standard quality level provides cost-efficient processing suitable for common use cases. It uses a reduced encoding ladder with optimized compression, making it ideal when bandwidth, storage, or delivery costs need to be minimized.

Best for:

User-generated content
High-volume media libraries
Content where perfect quality isn't critical
Budget-conscious projects

Pricing: Standard quality is the most cost-effective option for encoding, storage, and delivery.

Pro

The pro quality level encodes your media at a consistent high-quality level with improved visual and audio fidelity. This balanced tier uses enhanced encoding settings that deliver better quality than standard while keeping resource usage reasonable.

Best for:

Marketing and promotional videos
Educational content and webinars
Corporate communications
Most production environments

Pricing: Pro quality incurs a cost per media minute of encoding.

Premium

The premium quality level is optimized for premium media content where the highest quality is required. It uses extensive encoding ladders with the highest bitrates to ensure professional-grade output with maximum clarity and fidelity.

Best for:

Live events and broadcasts
Studio-level content
High-profile delivery
Content requiring 4K resolution
Applications where quality is paramount

Pricing: Premium quality incurs a higher cost per media minute of encoding, storage, and delivery.

Set a media quality level when creating a media

You control the quality tier of a video by setting the mediaQuality field at the time you create a media. This applies to both on-demand (URL-based) uploads and direct uploads from your device.

Choose the quality level that best matches your use case, standard, pro, or premium and FastPix applies the appropriate encoding pipeline during ingest.

Supported upload methods

Direct uploads (from your device): Follow the dashboard or API steps in described in the Upload a video from your device guide.
On-demand uploads (from a URL): Follow the pull-based upload flow outlined in the Upload a video from a URL guide.

NOTE:
If you don't specify a mediaQuality value when creating a media, FastPix defaults to "standard".

Supported features

Medias using different media quality levels have different features or limits available. Refer to the table below for details:

Feature	Standard	Pro	Premium
Just-in-time encoding	✅	✅	✅
Multi-CDN delivery	✅	✅	✅
FastPix Analytics included	✅	✅	✅
FastPix Player included	✅	✅	✅
Thumbnails and GIFs	✅	✅	✅
Storyboards	✅	✅	✅
Watermarking	✅	✅	✅
Secure playback	✅	✅	✅
On-demand streaming	✅	✅	✅
Master access	✅	✅	✅
Audio-only medias	✅	✅	✅
Auto-generated captions	✅	✅	✅
Video clipping	✅	✅	✅
Multi-track audio	✅	✅	✅
Adaptive bitrate ladder	Reduced	Standard	Extended
Maximum streaming resolution	2160p (4K)	2160p (4K)	2160p (4K)
MP4 support	✅	✅	✅
DRM (Digital Rights Management)	❌	✅	✅

Frequently asked questions

Can I change the quality level of an existing media?

No, the media quality level is set when you create a media and cannot be changed afterward. If you need a different quality level, you'll need to create a new media with your desired mediaQuality setting. This ensures consistent encoding and prevents quality mismatches.

What happens if I don't specify a mediaQuality parameter?

If you don't include the mediaQuality parameter in your API request, FastPix automatically defaults to "standard" quality. This ensures your content is processed even if you forget to specify a quality level, while keeping costs optimized for most use cases.

How much does each quality level cost?

Pricing varies by quality level and affects three areas:

Standard: Most cost-effective for encoding, storage, and delivery
Pro: Moderate cost per media minute of encoding. View pricing details
Premium: Higher cost per media minute for encoding, storage, and delivery. View pricing details

Contact FastPix sales for detailed pricing information specific to your usage volume.

Can I use different quality levels for different videos in the same project?

Yes, you can mix quality levels within a single project or application. This is actually a recommended practice—use Standard for bulk content, Pro for important videos, and Premium for your highest-value media. Each media's quality level is set independently when you create it.

Does higher quality mean longer processing time?

Yes, higher quality levels typically require more processing time because they use more complex encoding ladders and higher bitrates. Premium quality takes the longest to process, followed by Pro, then Standard. However, actual processing time also depends on video length, resolution, and content complexity.

Get help

Read the complete FastPix documentation guides
Join the FastPix community discussions
Contact FastPix support