amSigGen is a command-line program that generates Audible Magic reference fingerprints from one or more audio or video files. A fingerprint is binary data that summarizes the audible or visible characteristics of the input media file, in a way that is unique for each different master recording. One reference fingerprint from a master recording can be used by Audible Magic to match all different digital encodings of the master recording. For a video file, the software will create a fingerprint (or fingerprints) from the audio stream(s) (in other words, the soundtracks) of the video file. It will also generate a fingerprint (or fingerprints) from the video stream(s) (the image frames) of the video file, if the configuration file specifies to do so. Typically, amSigGen is run by a rightsholder, who then sends the output files to Audible Magic Corp. for inclusion in an online database.
The Content Registration Bundle includes versions of amSigGen for 64-bit Windows, 64-bit Mac OS, and 64-bit Linux. These versions have identical command-line syntax and operation.
These tools are run in a console window. On Windows, this is the DOS Command Prompt; and on Mac OS or Linux, it is the terminal window running a shell program such as bash or tcsh.
Before running amSigGen, you must create a metadata file containing metadata for each media file that contains information about the copyrighted work. (There can be one metadata file per media file, or a single metadata file can contain the metadata for multiple media files, such as multiple tracks of a single album.)
When Audible Magic receives your upload, the metadata, along with the corresponding reference fingerprints, will be loaded into our database. The manifest file reports details about the signature generation and reports any errors. For your fingerprints to be deployed by Audible Magic, the manifest files should be error-free.
When amSigGen runs, it produces output manifest files corresponding to each input media file. A manifest file reports details about the fingerprint generation and reports any errors. For your fingerprints to be deployed by Audible Magic, the manifest files should be error-free. Be sure the manifest files do not report errors. You can use the parseManifests program for this purpose, as described later. It reports errors in all the manifest files in a given directory (folder). When run successfully, amSigGen also produces a binary file with the suffix .amrsp. This file contains the fingerprints, the metadata, and a copy of the manifest file. As described later, you transfer this .amrsp file to Audible Magic by either FTP or HTTP. When Audible Magic receives your upload, the metadata, along with the corresponding reference fingerprints, will be loaded into our database.
Command-line Parameters
Note: All amSigGen command-line parameters are case-sensitive.
Required Parameters
-i <media file name> (Absolute or relative path of your audio or video media file.)
-c <configuration file name> (Absolute or relative path of configuration file supplied by Audible Magic.)
Either -m <metadata file path> or -M. (The first of these options, -m, tells amSigGen to read the specified metadata file [absolute or relative path], report its name in the manifest file, and copy it into the output .amrsp package file. The second of these options, -M, is similar but says to look for a file named like the media file, in the same directory, but with a .xml suffix. For both options, an error is generated if the file doesn't exist or if its contents are incorrectly constructed. (This parameter is required unless the “use case” in the configuration file is “PrivateDatabase,” in which case this parameter is illegal.)
Optional Parameters
-O <outputDirectory> Absolute or relative path of directory in which .amrsp (or .mfcc) and manifest files will be written. The output file[s] will have the same base name as the corresponding media file[s]. The directory will be created if it doesn't already exist. If neither -O or -o is specified, the output files will be placed in the same directory as <media file name>.)-v (Verbose mode. In verbose mode, informational messages are displayed on the console at each stage of the program’s execution. By default, the application does not display progress information unless errors are encountered during execution.)
-x (Displays detailed information about the input media file’s format, and exits without generating any signature. Useful for debugging problems.)
-h or -? or –- (Displays the list of command-line options and some example usages. When using this option, omit the parameters -i and -c, which are usually required.)
-e <VendorAssetID> (Unique identifier that the content rightsholder has assigned to the content of the -i media file, e.g., the VendorVideoID, VendorAlbumID, or VendorTrackID mentioned in the metadata file. If not supplied, amSigGen will use the basename of the media file. You must ensure that the vendorAssetID matches the one specified in your metadata file. Otherwise, the fingerprint will not be added to Audible Magic's database, but an error might not be reported.)
The following parameter is supported as an alternative to -O, but -O is generally recommended as being more intuitive:
-o <fingerprint basename path> (absolute or relative path for the output .amrsp or fingerprint file[s], but not for the manifest file. The path should end with the base name for the output files, without their suffix. The directories in the output path specified by –o must already exist. If –o is used, the manifest file is written in the current directory.)
Items below in angle brackets (i.e., < >) indicate words to replace with the appropriate ones for your case. Square brackets (i.e., [ ] ) indicate optional parameters.
Usage for amSigGen:
amSigGen -i <media file name> [-O <directory for output files>] –c <configuration file path> [-m <metadata file path>] [-M] [-e <VendorAssetID>] [-v] [-x] [-h]
Example 1
amSigGen –h
Display the version number and usage instructions to the console.
Example 2
amSigGen –x –i <media file name> -c <configuration file name>
Display detailed information about the input media file’s format, and exit without generating any signature. The –i and –c arguments are documented above. Example output:
/media/artist1/video.mpg, media info: Format: mpeg Duration: 189.952 Bitrate: 342974 VideoCodec[0]:mpeg1video AudioCodec[1]:mp2
Example 3
amSigGen –i /media/3456897_01_003.avi –c <configuration file name> –m /metadata/3456897_01_003.xml -O myOutputDir
The output manifest file will be 3456897_01_003.avi.manifest.xml, the output package file will be named 3456897_01_003.amrsp, and both will be placed in myOutputDir, which need not exist prior to issuing this command.
Example 4
amSigGen –i /media/3456897_01_003.avi –c <configuration file name> –m /metadata/3456897_01_003.xml -e <VendorAssetID from metadata file> -O myOutputDir
Same as example 3 except used -e command. rightsholder has unique asset ID for VendorAssetID. -e is a required input if the AssetID and media file name are different names.
Example 5
amSigGen –i /media/3456897_01_003.avi –c <configuration filename> –M
This is similar to the previous example, except that -O is unspecified, so the output manifest file and .amrsp file will be placed in the directory where the media file is located (/media/ in this example). Also, this example uses -M, so amSigGen will look for 3456897_01_003.xml in the /media/ directory instead of in /metadata/.
Temporary Files
AmSigGen may cause temporary files to be written.
Depending on the particular command line, they might show up in the current directory, the output directory (specified by -O), or in the input media directory. Typically the filename begins with “_a1m_mi”.
These temporary files will disappear during normal operation. If you find some remaining after the program exited with an error, you can safely delete them.