What is the AMC file format?
An .amc file is a personal movie collection catalog created by Ant Movie Catalog, a freeware, open-source application developed by Antoine Potten (Belgium). Despite sharing the extension with an unrelated wireless protocol, an .amc file contains no video data - it is a structured database of DVDs, discs, or digital film files in a user's collection.
The file begins with an ASCII version tag such as AMC_3.5 or AMC_4.1 at byte offset 0, followed by binary catalog records. Each movie entry stores fields like title, director, year, genre, rating, and file path, and can include optional embedded cover art or actor pictures. Two main sub-format versions exist: AMC_3.5 (from application version 3.x) and AMC_4.1 (the current catalog format); the newer application reads older catalogs transparently.
Ant Movie Catalog can export its database to XML, CSV, or an HTML report for use in other tools or for web display. The application runs on Windows only and is largely unmaintained today, though the format remains in use among long-time collectors.
A hex editor confirms the format by showing the AMC_3.5 or AMC_4.1 ASCII signature at the very start of the file, which distinguishes it from other unrelated uses of the .amc extension.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn Ant Movie Catalog .amc is a personal database with no scripting, so it's low-risk to open in Ant Movie Catalog. Two cautions: the application is old and lightly maintained, so download it only from the official antp.be site (not 'free .amc opener' portals that bundle adware); and because the .amc extension is shared by unrelated formats, verify what a given file actually is (check the header) before trusting any tool that claims to 'open any AMC'.
Format details
in a nutshell- QuickTime AMC video (3GPP variant) - A mobile multimedia format, a 3GPP variation, historically opened in Apple QuickTime - this is actual video, unlike the Ant Movie Catalog database.
- Acclaim Motion Capture (ASF/AMC) - Bone/skeletal motion-capture motion data paired with an .asf skeleton file; used in 3D animation tools, not video or a catalog.
- AnyMovie / media-tool catalog - Some other media-cataloguing utilities have used .amc for their own list files; inspect the header to tell which.
Programs that open AMC files
Windows2 apps
Ant Movie Catalog
Free Open the .amc in Ant Movie Catalog to browse/edit the movie list; use File > Export to save it as HTML/CSV/XML. The native, free program. 
Text/hex editor (to identify)
Open-source Open the .amc in a text/hex editor to read the leading 'AMC_x.x' tag and confirm it's an Ant Movie Catalog file (vs QuickTime/mocap). Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary binary movie collection catalog (not a video format) |
| Developer | Antoine Potten (antp), Belgium |
| File signature | ASCII version string at byte offset 0, e.g. "AMC_3.5 Ant Movie Catalog 3.5.x.x" or "AMC_4.1" |
| Sub-format versions | AMC_3.5 and AMC_4.1; the newer application reads both transparently |
| Encoding | Binary with embedded ASCII/text metadata fields for each movie record |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Compression | None; cover images and screenshots stored as embedded or referenced raw data |
| Supported OS | Windows only |
| Typical file size | Tens of KB to several MB, scaling with number of entries and embedded images |
| License | Freeware application; source code released under the GPL |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Movie record fields | Title, director, year, genre, rating, file path, URL, personal notes, cover art, screenshots |
| Export formats | HTML, CSV, XML (via built-in Ant Movie Catalog export functions) |
| Released | 2000 (Ant Movie Catalog 1.x) |
| Latest version | Ant Movie Catalog 4.x catalog format (AMC_4.1); the application is legacy/largely unmaintained |
| Specification | www.antp.be |
AMC conversions
Community Q&A
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