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Registration and licensing

Last updated: 6 August 2026

The Video Ingester is licensed software. This page explains what registration does, how to do it, and what happens when something goes wrong with the licence.

What happens if you do not register​

An unregistered Ingester starts and works, but it will process only one job per program run. After the first file, further uploads stop with this line in the log:

You have an UNREGISTERED version and can only process one file. Please register!

The affected job is left in error state, and the window title shows - UNREGISTERED.

The limit exists so the software can be installed, configured and tested end-to-end before a licence is purchased, without allowing it to be used for a real event.

How to register​

  1. Click the REGISTER button on the main window. The button is only visible while the Ingester is unregistered.
  2. Paste your licence key into the field.
  3. Click Register.

On success you see "Registration complete. Thank you for playing fair!", the REGISTER button disappears and - UNREGISTERED is removed from the title bar.

The Visit FairReplay Cloud button in the same dialog opens the FairReplay Cloud website, where licences and activations are managed.

note

Registration needs a working internet connection — the licence key is validated against the licensing server. If the server cannot be reached you get "Unable to reach the licensing server. Please verify your internet connection!".

Machine keys and activations​

When the Ingester registers, it ties the licence to that specific PC using a machine key derived from the hardware. This is what stops one licence key being used on an unlimited number of machines.

The machine key and the licence token are stored in jwt.json in the installation folder.

"Your machine key has changed"​

If the hardware identity of the PC changes — a replaced motherboard or network card, a restored image, sometimes a major Windows upgrade — the machine key no longer matches the one recorded at registration, and the Ingester shows:

Your machine key has changed! Please re-register Video Ingester by following these steps:

  1. Visit https://backend.fairreplay.com and click "My Activations".
  2. Find the Video Ingester activation for the machine key … and revoke it.
  3. Re-register Video Ingester.

After you close that message a second one asks "Would you like to copy the machine key to the clipboard?". Answer Yes and the key is put on the clipboard, ready to paste into the activations page — which makes step 2 much easier than copying a long key off the screen by hand.

note

The key you are given is the old one — the key baked into the licence token at registration time, which is the same key shown in the message above. That is deliberate: step 2 asks you to find and revoke the activation made under the old key, so the old key is what you need. It is not the PC's current, changed machine key.

This offer appears only as part of this message. There is no button elsewhere in the Ingester for copying the machine key on demand.

Revoking the old activation frees the seat so the same licence key can be used again on the rebuilt machine.

"License token expired"​

The license token for Video Ingester has expired. Your product key is still valid. Please re-register to refresh access.

The licence token is short-lived and is refreshed when the Ingester contacts the licensing server. If the PC has been offline for a long time, the token can expire even though the licence itself is fine.

The fix is simply to click REGISTER and register again with the same licence key — no new key is needed.

"Your license has expired"​

The licence itself has run out. Contact the Control Room team or renew it in FairReplay Cloud.

MessageMeaning
Could not check a valid JWT!The stored licence token could not be read or verified. Re-register.
License key error - invalid product code!The key is valid but is for a different product, not the Video Ingester.
JWT public key decoding problem.The licence token is corrupt. Re-register; if it persists, contact support.
Other internal server error.The licensing server returned an unexpected error. Try again, then contact support.

What to have ready when contacting support​

  • The version from the title bar, for example 2026.06.01.337-be888ea.
  • The machine key, if you are asked for it. It is the machineId value recorded in C:\FairReplay\Ingester\jwt.json, which you can open with Notepad.
  • The exact error message.
  • The log files — click Open logs on the main window.