Camtasia Relay consists of two software components: Server and Recorder. You provide a production server, running Windows Server 2003 or 2008, and a media server (if needed). Recorder may be freely distributed to an unlimited number of Mac and PC users at your organization.
Pricing is a one-time fee. No required contracts, no per-seat license.
| Simultaneous Encodings | Education | Business‡ | Server CPU Required† |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4,995 | $7,995 | Single-core (dual-core recommended) |
| 3 | $9,995 | $15,995 | Quad-core |
| 7 | $14,995 | $23,995 | Eight-core |
| Multiple servers | contact sales | ||
| Optional maintenance agreement | +25%, renewed annually | ||
† See the complete system requirements.
‡ Business pricing also applies to government and non-profit organizations.
What's the difference between the three levels?
Camtasia Relay pricing is based on server processing capacity, as measured by the number of encoding jobs your Camtasia Relay system can handle at the same time (a.k.a., simultaneous encodings).
When one presentation is produced into three formats—say, web, iPod, and Windows Media Video—it results in three encoding jobs for the server. A three-encoding server would work on all three jobs at the same time, while a single-encoding server would queue them up and process one at a time.
So all other things being equal, a three-encoding server can process 3x more presentations in a day than a single-encoding server.
The actual number of presentations processed per day depends on a number of variables, such as…
- presentation duration: a two-hour lecture takes longer than a 30-minute talk
- type of content recorded: 3D animation takes longer than PowerPoint slides
- type and number of formats selected: video formats take longer than audio-only
- server specs: a faster processor and more RAM gets jobs done sooner
I'm just starting out—what does the entry-level setup get me?
We can't predict how you'll be using the system, but many customers are pleasantly surprised at how much the basic, single-encoding version can do.
Here's a rough estimate showing approximately how many hours of recorded content a single-encoding server can process in a day, depending on which media formats you choose:
| Formats produced | Production capacity |
|---|---|
| web video | 50 hours/day |
| web video + iPod video | 25 hours/day |
| web video + iPod video + WMV | 13 hours/day |
Since there are so many factors to consider, we recommend that you contact our sales staff for personal service. And please keep in mind: your Camtasia Relay system can grow as demand grows at your organization.
An analogy: Visit to the supermarket
Looking for more clarification? Think of each presentation uploaded to the server as a shopper getting in line at the supermarket check-out. You can have as many shoppers in the store as you want. But you don't want them waiting in line indefinitely.
How long does it take to get each person through the line? Well, that depends on a bunch of things, like how much stuff is in their cart and what form of payment they use.
With Camtasia Relay, a 30-minute presentation will obviously take less time to process than a two-hour presentation. But each presentation can also be produced or encoded into multiple media formats. And some formats are quicker to produce than others. Want your two-hour presentation to be published for web, iPod, Windows Media Player, and mp3 players? That's a pretty full grocery cart. It's going to take more time to check out.
And—much like a typical Saturday at the supermarket—one loaded cart holds up all the carts behind it.
"No waiting on aisle 3"
The good news is that you can hire a faster cashier and open as many check-out lanes as you need. Likewise, Camtasia Relay can scale to meet your needs.
If you have one high-capacity server (with, say, eight processor cores) you could buy the top-end Camtasia Relay license that enables your server to handle seven encodings at a time. [?] It's like hiring one super-talented cashier.
Another option is to open two lanes with above-average cashiers in each. Two quad-core servers working in tandem can handle six encodings at a time, which is almost as good as our cashier superstar. Or mix and match the number and size of your servers any way you like...
The upshot is: If you don't anticipate a lot of recordings hitting the server at once—or if you don't mind a bit of a queue when things get busy—a single-encoding server may perfectly suit your needs.
If you really need your presentations to be published within minutes of being recorded...you'll probably want higher-capacity Camtasia Relay servers and/or more of them. But you can always start out small and grow the system as your budget and usage warrants.
