# Working with reserved queues in AWS Elemental MediaConvert
With reserved queues, you can purchase transcoding capacity for a 12-month period. The following topics provide information about working with reserved queues, such as creating and deleting queues, and allocating resources.
Reserved queues differ from on-demand queues in how AWS Elemental MediaConvert allocates transcoding resources for jobs and in how you pay for your transcoding.
**Note**
There are a few features that you can't use with jobs that you send to a reserved queue. For more information, see [Limitations](feature-limitations-with-reserved-queues.md).
When you set up your reserved queue, you choose how many jobs it can run at once by specifying the number of reserved transcode slots (RTS) in the queue. For example, if you send five jobs to a reserved queue with two RTS, MediaConvert immediately begins processing the first two jobs that you submit, and it holds the other three in the queue. When one of the jobs that MediaConvert is processing finishes, the service begins processing the next job.
Each RTS has its own dedicated computing resources. Therefore, when MediaConvert processes a job that you send to a reserved queue, it takes the same amount of time to process whether the queue has one RTS or multiple RTS.
When a job in a reserved queue finishes, MediaConvert selects the next job to process based on the job's priority. You set the priority of a job when you create it. If more than one job has the highest priority, MediaConvert begins the one that you submitted first. For more information, see [Setting job priority](setting-the-priority-of-a-job.md).
**Topics**
+ [Pricing for reserved queues](how-you-pay-for-reserved-queues.md)
+ [Simulating a reserved queue](simulating-a-reserved-queue.md)
+ [Creating a reserved queue](creating-a-reserved-queue.md)
+ [Editing a reserved queue](editing-reserved-queues.md)
+ [Purchasing additional RTS](purchasing-additional-capacity-for-a-reserved-queue.md)
+ [Purchasing additional RTS for an expired reserved queue](purchasing-a-new-contract-for-an-existing-reserved-queue.md)
+ [Listing reserved queues](listing-viewing-reserved-queues.md)
+ [Deleting a reserved queue](deleting-a-reserved-queue.md)
+ [Limitations](feature-limitations-with-reserved-queues.md)
# Pricing for reserved queues
With reserved queues, you pay for the capacity in the queue regardless of whether you use it. When you set up a reserved queue, you make a 12-month commitment to a pricing plan. The pricing plan specifies a fixed number of reserved transcode slots (RTS). For more information, see [MediaConvert Pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/pricing/).
**Important**
After you purchase your RTS, you can't cancel your 12-month commitment.
You can purchase additional capacity for a reserved queue that already has RTS. To purchase additional capacity, you extend your existing commitment with a new 12-month commitment for a larger number of RTS. The new commitment begins when you purchase the additional capacity. You can't decrease the number of RTS in your reserved queue.
When your pricing plan term expires, your reserved queue persists. You can still send jobs to it, but AWS Elemental MediaConvert doesn't run them.
**About Auto Renew**
You can set your pricing plan to auto renew. When your pricing plan term ends, AWS Elemental MediaConvert checks the auto renew status. If auto renew is enabled at that time, you automatically commit to another 12-month term for the same number of RTS at the same price. You can change the auto renew status at any time.
You can choose auto renew when you set up your queue. Anytime after that, you can change the auto renew status on the **Edit** page for the queue. For more information, see [Creating a reserved queue](creating-a-reserved-queue.md) and [Editing a reserved queue](editing-reserved-queues.md).
**About billing when jobs hop queues**
When you set up [queue hopping](setting-up-queue-hopping-to-avoid-long-waits.md) between a reserved queue and an on-demand queue, MediaConvert bills you according to the queue that it runs your job from. That is, if the job runs from your reserved queue, MediaConvert doesn't bill you for the job. If the job runs from your on-demand queue, MediaConvert bills you for the job at the on-demand rate.
# Simulating a reserved queue
You can run a job in a *simulated* reserved queue to test its performance. When you do, MediaConvert runs your job from an on-demand queue with similar performance to what you will see with one RTS in a reserved queue. Take note of how long you job takes to complete and use this job completion time when calculating how many RTS you need.
------
#### [ Console ]
To simulate a job's reserved queue performance using the MediaConvert console:
1. Open the [Create job](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/home#/jobs/create) page in the MediaConvert console.
1. Choose **Job management** on the left menu under **Job settings**.
1. Set **Simulate reserved queue** to **Enabled**.
------
#### [ API, SDK, or the AWS CLI ]
To simulate a job's reserved queue performance using the API, SDK, or AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI), set `SimulateReservedQueue` to `ENABLED`. This property is a direct child of `Jobs`, which is in the top level of the JSON job specification. The default value is `DISABLED`.
The following is an excerpt of a job settings JSON with `SimulateReservedQueue` set to `ENABLED`.
```
{
"Settings": {
"OutputGroups": [...],
"Inputs": [...]
},
"SimulateReservedQueue": "ENABLED"
}
```
For more information, see the MediaConvert [API Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/latest/apireference/jobs.html#jobs-model-simulatereservedqueue).
------
# Creating a reserved queue
If you decide to purchase additional capacity for your reserved queue, you can. For more information, see [Purchasing additional RTS](purchasing-additional-capacity-for-a-reserved-queue.md). The following tabs show different options for creating a reserved queue.
------
#### [ Console ]
To create a reserved queue by using the MediaConvert console:
1. Open the [Queues](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/home#/queues/list) page in the MediaConvert console.
1. Choose **Create reserved queue**.
1. Enter a **Reserved queue name**. Optionally enter a **Description**.
1. Optionally, use the **Reserved transcode slots (RTS) calculator** to help determine how many RTS that you need.
1. In the **Commitment to purchase RTS for reserved queue** section, enter the number of reserved transcode slots (RTS) that you want to purchase.
1. Review and agree to the pricing and time commitment. **After you commit to your pricing plan, you can't cancel it.** Optionally, select **Auto renew yearly**.
1. Choose **Create reserved queue**. Then review your reserved queue details and choose **Purchase.**
------
#### [ AWS CLI ]
The following `create-queue` example creates a reserved queue with one RTS slot and a 12-month commitment.
```
aws mediaconvert create-queue \
--region region-name-1 \
--pricing-plan RESERVED \
--reservation-plan-settings "Commitment=ONE_YEAR,RenewalType=EXPIRE,ReservedSlots=1" \
--name ReservedQueue1 \
--description "Example reserved queue description." \
--tags "KeyName1=string1,KeyName2=string2"
```
For more information about how to create a reserved queue by using the AWS CLI, see the [AWS CLI Command Reference](https://awscli.amazonaws.com/v2/documentation/api/latest/reference/mediaconvert/create-queue.html).
------
# Editing a reserved queue
When you edit a queue, you can change the following:
+ The description, which helps you identify it in the queue dashboard.
+ The auto renew status of the queue's pricing plan for reserved transcode slots (RTS). For more information, see [Pricing for reserved queues](how-you-pay-for-reserved-queues.md).
+ The paused or active status of the queue. Pausing the queue prevents the service from starting any more jobs until you reactivate the queue.
The following tabs show two options for editing a reserved queue.
------
#### [ Console ]
To edit a reserved queue by using the MediaConvert console:
1. Open the [Queues](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/home#/queues/list) page in the MediaConvert console.
1. In the **Reserved queues** section, select the reserved queue that you want to edit.
1. On the queue’s page, choose **Edit queue**.
1. On the **Edit queue** page, make the changes that you want for the queue.
1. Choose **Save queue**.
------
#### [ AWS CLI ]
The following `update-queue` example updates the description and status of an existing reserved queue.
```
aws mediaconvert update-queue \
--region region-name-1 \
--description "Updated description." \
--status "PAUSED" \
--name ReservedQueue1
```
For more information about how to update queues by using the AWS CLI, see the [AWS CLI Command Reference](https://awscli.amazonaws.com/v2/documentation/api/latest/reference/mediaconvert/update-queue.html).
------
# Purchasing additional RTS
To increase the number of jobs that your reserved queue can process at once, you can purchase additional capacity for it. To purchase additional capacity, you extend your existing commitment with a new 12-month commitment for a larger number of reserved transcode slots (RTS). The new commitment begins when you purchase the additional capacity. You can't decrease the number of RTS in your reserved queue. You can't cancel your commitment or revert to your original commitment after you increase the capacity.
The following tabs show how to purchase additional capacity for a reserved queue.
------
#### [ Console ]
To purchase additional capacity for a reserved queue by using the MediaConvert console:
1. Open the [Queues](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/home#/queues/list) page in the MediaConvert console.
1. In the **Reserved queues** section, select the reserved queue that you want to purchase additional capacity for.
1. Choose **Purchase additional capacity**.
1. In the **Commitment to purchase RTS for reserved queue** section, enter the number of reserved transcode slots (RTS) that you want to purchase. This number includes both the original amount of reserved transcode slots and the new additional capacity.
1. Review and agree to the pricing and time commitment. **After you commit to your pricing plan, you can't cancel or revert it.** Optionally, select **Auto renew yearly**.
1. Choose **Purchase additional capacity**. Then review your reserved queue details and choose **Purchase**.
------
#### [ AWS CLI ]
The following `update-queue` example adds an additional RTS to an existing reserved queue and begins a new 12-month commitment.
```
aws mediaconvert update-queue \
--region region-name-1 \
--reservation-plan-settings "Commitment=ONE_YEAR,RenewalType=EXPIRE,ReservedSlots=2" \
--name ReservedQueue1
```
For more information about how to update queues by using the AWS CLI, see the [AWS CLI Command Reference](https://awscli.amazonaws.com/v2/documentation/api/latest/reference/mediaconvert/update-queue.html).
------
# Purchasing additional RTS for an expired reserved queue
After your initial pricing plan term for reserved transcode slots (RTS) expires, your reserved queue persists without the capacity to run transcoding jobs. You can send jobs to the queue, but MediaConvert doesn't process them. To begin processing jobs through the queue again, you can set up a new pricing plan, which requires a new 12-month commitment.
The following tabs show two options for purchasing transcoding capacity for an expired reserved queue.
------
#### [ Console ]
To purchase transcoding capacity for an expired reserved queue by using the MediaConvert console:
1. Open the [Queues](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/home#/queues/list) page in the MediaConvert console.
1. Choose the reserved queue that you want to edit.
1. On the queue’s page, choose **Edit queue**.
1. On the **Edit queue** page, choose **Renew**.
1. In the **Commitment to purchase RTS for reserved queue** section, specify the number of reserved transcode slots (RTS) that you want to purchase.
1. Review and agree to the pricing and time commitment. **After you commit to your pricing plan, you can't cancel or revert it.** Optionally select **Auto renew yearly**.
1. Choose **Purchase additional capacity**. Then review your reserved queue details and choose **Purchase**.
1. Choose **Save queue**.
------
#### [ AWS CLI ]
The following `update-queue` example adds one RTS to an existing expired reserved queue and begins a new 12-month commitment.
```
aws mediaconvert update-queue \
--region region-name-1 \
--reservation-plan-settings "Commitment=ONE_YEAR,RenewalType=EXPIRE,ReservedSlots=1" \
--name ReservedQueue1
```
For more information about how to update queues by using the AWS CLI, see the [AWS CLI Command Reference](https://awscli.amazonaws.com/v2/documentation/api/latest/reference/mediaconvert/update-queue.html).
------
# Listing reserved queues
You can list the AWS Elemental MediaConvert queues that are associated with your AWS account and get details about those queues. The following tabs show two options for listing your queues.
------
#### [ Console ]
To list your reserved queues by using the MediaConvert console, open the [Queues](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/home#/queues/list) page.
------
#### [ AWS CLI ]
The following `list-queues` example lists all of your queues.
```
aws mediaconvert list-queues
```
For more information about how list queues by using the AWS CLI, see the [AWS CLI Command Reference](https://awscli.amazonaws.com/v2/documentation/api/latest/reference/mediaconvert/list-queues.html).
------
# Deleting a reserved queue
You can delete any queue other than the default queue. You can't delete a reserved queue that has an active pricing plan or that contains unprocessed jobs. The following tabs show two options for deleting a reserved queue.
------
#### [ Console ]
To delete a reserved queue by using the MediaConvert console:
1. Open the [Queues](https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert/home#/queues/list) page in the MediaConvert console.
1. Choose the reserved queue that you want to edit.
1. On the queue’s page, choose **Delete queue**.
------
#### [ AWS CLI ]
The following `delete-queue` deletes an expired reserved queue.
```
aws mediaconvert delete-queue \
--region region-name-1 \
--name ReservedQueue1
```
For more information about how to update queues by using the AWS CLI, see the [AWS CLI Command Reference](https://awscli.amazonaws.com/v2/documentation/api/latest/reference/mediaconvert/update-queue.html).
------
# Reserved queue job settings limitations
The following features are available only in jobs that you send to an *on-demand* queue. For jobs that you send to a *reserved* queue, you must disable the following features:
+ [8k output resolution](supported-output-resolution-maximums-by-codec.md)
+ [Automated ABR](auto-abr.md)
+ [AV1 encoding](reference-codecs-containers.md)
+ [Dolby Vision encoding](dolby-vision.md)
+ [FrameFormer frame rate conversion algorithm](working-with-video-frame-rates.md#settings-for-frame-rate-conversion)
+ [Accelerated transcoding](accelerated-transcoding.md)
**Note**
Reserved queues cannot run accelerated jobs. However, you can submit a job to a reserved queue with **Accelerated transcoding** set as **Preferred**. When you do, if the job hops to an on-demand queue, it will run with acceleration. For more information, see [Using accelerated transcoding with hopped jobs](accelerated-transcoding-queue-hopping.md).