As online media continues to steal the spotlight from more traditional media outlets, streaming server hosts like BitGravity are beginning to offer some of the most robust and capable servers yet. While streaming servers in the past were lately overpriced and underpowered, new options allow customers to stream hundreds of thousands of videos and enjoy several terabytes of deliver bandwidth for the lowest monthly fees that have ever been offered. BitGravity has been pioneering these new, more capable, more affordable streaming server plans for a half-decade, changing the online broadcasting landscape in the process.

Four Plans for Online Broadcasters and Producers

Online video streaming isn’t what it used to be. And what it used to be is clunky, grainy, and largely inaccessible to a large swath of the intent. Improved codecs, wider broadband penetration, and better video editing tools have largely resolved these problems. All that currently stands in the way is old-fashioned streaming server hosting plans.

At BitGravity, there are four distinct plans that enable all levels of streaming content delivery. The company offers its “Starter” streaming server plan for novice streaming customers; this plan includes 4GB of hard disk space and 2TB of delivery (also called bandwidth) per month. That equates to roughly 120,000 video views per month, or 10,000 hours of streaming content delivery. This package is offered for $295 per month which, given its stunning amount of storage and data transfer, is actually a great value.

The mid-range streaming server plan offered at BitGravity more than doubles the included storage space, raising it to 10GB. Streaming server customers will enjoy 5TB of delivery bandwidth; that means as many as 300,000 videos streamed per month, or roughly 25,000 of streaming content downloads. Customers can make this plan their own for $500 monthly.

At the high end, BitGravity offers is “Pro” streaming server hosting plan. This package cost $1,000 per month and includes 25GB of storage paired with 15TB of delivery bandwidth. That equates to 900,000 videos streamed per month, or 75,000 hours of content delivered to users around the world on a monthly basis. For needs that exceed this level, BitGravity offers a custom-developed plan to new customers. They’ll have to contact a company representative and arrange a quote in order for this plan to be purchased.

If a customer requires extra bandwidth or storage, those options can be purchased on a monthly basis for a small extra fee. The company charges a per-gigabyte rate of between 10 cents and 14 cents per month for extra bandwidth, and it charges 30 cents per month for every extra gigabyte of storage. A number of encoding and transcoding tools are included for free, as is the Adobe Flash player and both US and HTTP delivery of content.

Customer Support Options at BitGravity

Streaming server hosting is relatively straightforward but, in the event that any issues arise, BitGravity has a few great customer support options. First and foremost, the company includes free email and telephone support with every hosting plan it sells. Streaming server customers will be relieved to know that BitGravity operates these two options on a 24-hour basis, with representatives able to handle technical support, feature questions, sales concerns, and additional hosting package features any hour of the day.

Online billing is provided through the company’s user administration panel, and that same interface provides access to a support ticket filing system which allows customers to submit their problem to the relevant department and assign it a low or high priority. This is standard among web hosts, and it’s nice to see that even a streaming server provider like BitGravity is committed to this more traditional method of customer service.

BitGravity also maintains active profiles on Facebook and Twitter; the company also operates its own blog dedicated to both streaming server hosting and the wider streaming media community online.

Uptime at BitGravity

Interestingly, the streaming server products at BitGravity are not backed by a stated uptime guarantee. The company does go to great lengths to brag about the quality of its network, but never mentions how often customers should expect (or not expect) that network to be offline. However, the company’s user agreement does require new customers to consent to the occasional outage for network maintenance or unforeseen circumstances.

This might be a bit troubling for so-called “power users” who will be using the company’s streaming server products to broadcast near-constant live content to their subscribers. Without a firm commitment to uptime or a stated level of service to be expected, the company could go dark and stay that way for a while, without any option for customer recourse or refunds.

Still a Great Streaming Server Host

All too often, streaming server hosting is limited by low bandwidth allotments and even less disk space. But the people behind BitGravity are changing what a streaming server plan should be, with powerful options that combine high bandwidth levels with robust disk space and a wealth of video encoding and transcoding tools. It all adds up to a company which sets a new precedent for quality and features; customers should take note of this above-and-beyond commitment to the streaming media industry when they consider BitGravity as one of their hosting options.