Vidu Q4 540p draft to 1080p: Sume video upscale at 2x costs $0.09

Yes. A 10-second Vidu Q4 Preview clip rendered at 960x540 can go to 1920x1080 through Sume Video Upscale 1.0 at the default factor of 2, and the job costs $0.09 (10 seconds x $0.009 per video second). Sume does not list a Vidu model, so you generate the clip with Vidu itself and bring only the file: the upscale route takes any public HTTPS video URL.

Vidu Q4 Preview was announced on October 7, 2026, with output options from 540p to 4K according to the launch coverage. This page quotes no Vidu price: the coverage I could read gives only a starting rate, and other write-ups disagree, so check Vidu's own pricing before you plan a budget.

What the route accepts

The request is POST /v1/video-upscale-1.0/upscale. Per the API reference, the body requires only video_url, a public HTTPS URL. Optional fields are upscale_factor or scale_ratio (1.1 to 4, default 2; scale_ratio wins if both are set), duration_seconds (1 to 30), enhancement_tier (fast, standard, pro; default fast), metadata, and the usual communication options.

{
  "video_url": "https://example.com/vidu-q4-draft-540p.mp4",
  "upscale_factor": 2,
  "duration_seconds": 10
}

The arithmetic

Sume's public catalog lists video upscale at $0.009 per video second, with a 30-second input maximum, so the ceiling for one job is $0.27. Send duration_seconds with the real clip length: when you omit it, the admit step reserves 5 seconds, and the hold is $0.045 for a 10-second clip you did not describe.

What the factor does to a 540p draft

A 960x540 frame at factor 2 becomes 1920x1080, which matches the 1080p tier. At factor 4 the same draft reaches 3840x2160, the top of the allowed range, assuming the ratio multiplies each side. Because the price is per second and not per factor, pick the factor from the delivery size you need, not from cost.

The hosted MCP server exposes the same job as video_upscale_create, listed in the tools and gates page.

• Draft cheaply on the model you like, upscale only the takes you keep.
• Clips longer than 30 seconds need to be cut first; see the video trim docs.
• Check the output dimensions before you deliver; the public contract does not promise more than the requested ratio.

Where this fits in a Vidu workflow

A practical loop is to generate several short drafts at the lowest resolution the vendor offers, pick the ones worth keeping, and only then pay for the larger render or the upscale. With Sume the second step is a fixed per-second price, so you can compare it against the vendor's higher-resolution tier once you have read the vendor's own price page.

Two constraints are worth checking before you send a batch. The clip has to be reachable by a public HTTPS URL when the job runs, so a signed link that expires in minutes is risky for a queued job. And the route accepts at most 30 seconds of video, so a longer Vidu render has to be cut with video trim at $0.02 per job first.

• Ten 10-second keepers upscaled: 10 x $0.09 = $0.90.
• The same ten with a 5-second reservation each, if you omit duration: the hold is 10 x $0.045 = $0.45, which then settles to the real length.
• Reading the finished job: poll the job status and result routes described in the jobs and results docs.