Cloudinary Video API for Investigations
A neutral, sourced look at where Cloudinary Video API fits for investigations work — and where BetterVideo differs on the things this work actually needs.
🔒 Footage deleted on your schedule — with a certificate to prove it
- Surveillance and body-cam footage is frequently low-res, dark and compressed.
- Evidence integrity means enhancement must clarify, never fabricate.
- Subject and source privacy makes long-term storage a real risk.
Cloudinary Video API for this
Cloudinary delivers media; it won't clarify a low-res surveillance clip, and it retains original backups indefinitely — a risk for sensitive footage. BetterVideo enhances the footage and deletes it on your schedule with an optional certificate.
Where BetterVideo fits
For investigations, BetterVideo upscales, denoises and sharpens surveillance and body-cam footage to make faces, plates and actions more legible — enhancing the real capture, never inventing detail — and deletes with an optional certificate.
BetterVideo vs Cloudinary Video API, side by side
| Criterion | BetterVideo | Cloudinary Video API |
|---|---|---|
| Category | documentation/verification | media platform |
| Data retention / privacy | Disclosed: auto-delete (default 30d) or on-demand; never trained on/sold | Disclosed: stored while account active; backups retained indefinitely |
| Self-host GPU required | No — managed | No — managed |
| Starting price | $0.03/sec (1080p) · $0.06/sec (4K) | Free tier; Plus $89/mo (annual); Advanced $224/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| API type | REST | REST + SDKs |
Common questions
Does Cloudinary enhance surveillance video?
No — it delivers media; it doesn't restore surveillance footage. BetterVideo does.
How long does Cloudinary keep footage?
Per its docs, original backups are kept indefinitely — a risk for sensitive material. BetterVideo deletes on your schedule.
Built for investigations footage
One REST call to enhance — deleted on your schedule, with a certificate to prove it.
Get your API key →