Installation and setup

Last updated: 10 August 2026

How to install the Video Ingester and get it ready for an event.

Requirements

Before the Ingester can operate correctly:

• The PC must run 64-bit Windows and be connected to the internet. The installer adds the .NET 9 runtime if it is missing.
• You must be able to install software on the PC — the installer needs administrator rights. On a company-managed laptop you may need someone from IT to run it.
• You need an API key for the backend you are uploading to (JudoManager or Judobase). Contact the Control Room team if you do not have one.
• You need a licence key to register the Ingester. An unregistered copy processes only one file per program run — see Registration and licensing.
• The PC needs enough free disk space for the video files being produced; the Ingester uploads from disk and does not make copies.

Installation

Loading

What you are downloading

A single file named FairReplayIngesterSetup_<version>.exe — for example FairReplayIngesterSetup_2026.06.01.337-be888ea.exe. The part after Setup_ is the version, and it is the same version the Ingester later shows in its title bar.

The file is large (around 110 MB) because it carries the .NET 9 runtime inside it, so the Ingester can be installed on a fresh PC without hunting for extra downloads.

note

If your browser flags the installer file as suspicious, download it anyway. The installer and all components of the FairReplay Ingester are code-signed by Datastat d.o.o. — Windows will show that publisher name when you start it.

Before you start

• Close the Ingester if it is already running. The installer replaces files that the running program has open.
• Have the administrator password ready, or ask someone who has it. The installer cannot run without it.

Step by step

1. Run the file. Double-click the downloaded FairReplayIngesterSetup_...exe.

2. Allow it to make changes. Windows darkens the screen and shows a User Account Control prompt — a small dialog asking "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?", with the publisher shown as Datastat d.o.o. Click Yes.

This prompt is expected and is not a warning that something is wrong. The installer puts files in C:\FairReplay and creates a shortcut for every user of the PC, and Windows always asks for confirmation before letting a program touch areas shared by all users. If you click No, nothing is installed and the installer simply closes. If the prompt asks for a user name and password instead of a simple Yes, the account you are signed in with is not an administrator — someone with an administrator account has to run the installer.

3. Wait for the splash screen. A picture reading INGESTER — SETUP IS LOADING… appears for a moment. While it is on screen the installer is checking what is already on the PC.

4. The installer checks for an existing Ingester. One of three things happens:

What is on the PC	What happens
Nothing, or an older version	Installation continues. Your settings, job queue and registration are kept — see Upgrading below.
The same version	A message says "This version of FairReplay Ingester is already installed on your computer!". Click OK; the installer closes without changing anything.
A newer version	A message says "A newer version of FairReplay Ingester is already installed on your computer" and lists both versions. Click OK; the installer closes without changing anything.

This is a safety check, not an error. It exists so that running an old installer by mistake — from an old download folder, say — can never quietly downgrade a working machine in the middle of an event.

note

The check compares only the last number of the version — the build number, 337 in 2026.06.01.337. Build numbers always increase, so a higher build is always the newer program.

If you genuinely need to go back to an older version, uninstall the current one first and then run the older installer.

5. The .NET 9 runtime is installed. Two small Microsoft installers run one after the other — the .NET runtime and the .NET desktop runtime. They run in passive mode: a progress window appears and closes by itself, and there is nothing to click. On a PC that already has .NET 9 they finish in a few seconds; on a fresh PC allow a minute or two. Windows is not restarted.

6. Work through the wizard. A welcome page appears, naming the version that is about to be installed. It also suggests closing other applications first, which is worth doing if the Ingester or the Video CutterV2 is still open. Click Next and let the wizard run to the end — there is nothing to fill in or choose along the way.

note

There is deliberately no page for choosing where to install. The Ingester always goes to FairReplay\Ingester on the Windows drive, normally C:\FairReplay\Ingester. Support instructions, log paths and troubleshooting steps all assume that location, so having a single fixed path removes a whole class of "where is it installed?" questions.

7. Finish. The last page confirms that setup has finished and offers a Run Ingester tick box, ticked by default. Leave it ticked to start the program straight away, or untick it to start it later from the desktop shortcut. Click Finish.

What the installer leaves behind

• The program itself in C:\FairReplay\Ingester.
• A desktop shortcut called Ingester, visible to every user of the PC.
• A Start menu folder called FairReplay containing Ingester.
• An entry called FairReplay Ingester in Windows Settings → Apps, used for uninstalling.

Upgrading

Installing a newer version over an older one is the normal way to upgrade — there is no need to uninstall first. Just close the Ingester and run the new installer.

info

Upgrading keeps your settings, job queue and registration — settings.json, FileWatcherIngester.db and jwt.json are left untouched.

If you are coming from a very old version that was installed from a zip file, copy those three files from the old folder into C:\FairReplay\Ingester before starting the new version.

Uninstalling

Open Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find FairReplay Ingester and choose Uninstall.

Uninstalling removes the program, the shortcuts and the Start menu entry. It does not delete your settings.json, the job queue database FileWatcherIngester.db or your registration file jwt.json — those stay in C:\FairReplay\Ingester, so reinstalling later picks up exactly where you left off.

To start completely fresh, delete the C:\FairReplay\Ingester folder by hand after uninstalling. You will then have to enter the API key, watch folders and licence key again.

Starting the Ingester

Double-click the Ingester icon on the desktop, or press the Windows key and type Ingester.

Only one copy can run at a time. If you start it twice, the second copy tells you "An instance of the application is already running" and closes — the first copy is still running, look for it in the taskbar.

The main window looks like this:

The title bar shows the backend system and the exact version, for example Video Ingester - JudoManager 2026.06.01.337-be888ea. Quote that version when you report a problem.

First-time setup

1. Register

Click REGISTER and enter your licence key — see Registration and licensing. The REGISTER button is only visible while the Ingester is unregistered.

2. Configure the connection

Open SETTINGS and fill in the API Configuration group:

1. Choose the Backend System — JudoManager or Judobase. The API url is filled in for you automatically.
2. Paste your API key.

All three are mandatory. The Ingester will not let you save the settings without them, and will not create jobs until they are set.

3. Point it at the video files

Still in SETTINGS, under File Settings:

1. Enter the Watch folders — the folders the Video CutterV2 writes to, separated by semicolons. Sub-folders are included automatically.
2. Check that Video file extensions covers the files your cutter produces (.mxf; .mp4 by default).
3. Set the File chunk size. Leave it at 10 MB unless the venue connection is poor, in which case choose 5 MB.

Click Save settings.

note

A watch folder that does not exist is dropped silently when you save. If a folder disappears from the list, the path was mistyped or the drive was not connected.

4. Switch the roles on

Back on the main window, switch on WATCHER and WORKER. The Ingester starts monitoring the folders and processing jobs. Lines appear in the Log panel confirming that the watcher started and which folders it is watching.

If you are not sure what these two do, read the Watcher and Worker roles.

5. Check it works

• The Connected indicator in the top-left should be green.
• Click Rescan folders — the log reports how many new files were found.
• The statistics bar at the bottom shows the current upload speed and how many jobs are done out of the total.

Every setting is described in detail in the Settings reference.

Getting help from inside the program

The ? button next to SETTINGS opens this documentation in your browser.

The Open logs button opens the folder containing the log files, which is the first thing to collect when reporting a problem.