Feedback: guides-streaming_transcribe_audio_file

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/guides/streaming_transcribe_audio_file
Category: guides
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:36:55 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:36:54 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis & Feedback

Overall Assessment

This documentation provides a functional example but has several clarity, completeness, and user experience issues that should be addressed.

Critical Issues

1. Missing Information

Prerequisites & Setup:

• No mention of minimum Python version requirements
• Missing audio file format specifications beyond “WAV files”
• No information about supported audio codecs, bit depths, or file size limits
• Missing rate limiting information for the Streaming API

Configuration Options:

• No documentation of StreamingParameters (imported but never used)
• Missing information about available configuration options (language detection, custom vocabulary, etc.)
• No explanation of authentication methods beyond API key

Error Handling:

• No comprehensive list of possible errors and their meanings
• Missing guidance on retry strategies or connection recovery

2. Unclear Explanations

Function Documentation Errors:

# Current (incorrect):
def on_terminated(self: Type[StreamingClient], event: TerminationEvent):
  "This function is called when an error occurs."  # Wrong!

def on_error(self: Type[StreamingClient], error: StreamingError):
  "This function is called when the connection has been closed."  # Wrong!

Recommended Fix:

def on_terminated(self: Type[StreamingClient], event: TerminationEvent):
  """Called when the streaming session ends normally."""

def on_error(self: Type[StreamingClient], error: StreamingError):
  """Called when an error occurs during streaming."""

Inconsistent Chunk Duration:

• Comment says “50ms chunks” but code uses chunk_duration = 0.1 (100ms)
• No explanation of why this specific chunk duration was chosen

3. Better Examples Needed

Current example limitations:

• Only shows WAV file processing
• Hardcoded file path and sample rate
• No error handling demonstration
• Missing real-world scenarios

Recommended Additional Examples:

# Example 1: With error handling and validation
def robust_stream_file(filepath: str, target_sample_rate: int = 16000):
    """Stream audio file with proper error handling."""
    import os
    import time
    import wave

    if not os.path.exists(filepath):
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Audio file not found: {filepath}")

    try:
        with wave.open(filepath, 'rb') as wav_file:
            # Validate audio format
            channels = wav_file.getnchannels()
            sample_rate = wav_file.getframerate()

            if channels != 1:
                raise ValueError(f"Only mono audio supported. Found {channels} channels.")

            print(f"Streaming {filepath}: {sample_rate}Hz, {wav_file.getnframes()} frames")

            # Stream in optimal chunks
            chunk_duration = 0.1  # 100ms chunks
            frames_per_chunk = int(sample_rate * chunk_duration)

            while True:
                frames = wav_file.readframes(frames_per_chunk)
                if not frames:
                    break

                yield frames
                time.sleep(chunk_duration)

    except wave.Error as e:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid WAV file: {e}")

# Example 2: Using environment variables for API key
import os

client = StreamingClient(
    StreamingClientOptions(
        api_key=os.getenv("ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")
    )
)

4. Improved Structure

Current structure issues:

• Quickstart is too complex for new users
• Step-by-step guide repeats quickstart without adding value
• Missing conceptual overview

Recommended Structure:

1. Overview & Concepts
2. Prerequisites
3. Simple Quickstart (minimal example)
4. Complete Example (with error handling)
5. Configuration Options
6. Event Reference
7. Troubleshooting
8. Advanced Usage

5. User Pain Points

Pain Point 1: API Key Management

# Add this section:
## API Key Setup

# Option 1: Environment variable (recommended)
export ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

# Option 2: Direct assignment (not recommended for production)
client = StreamingClient(
    StreamingClientOptions(api_key="your-api-key-here")
)

Pain Point 2: File Format Requirements Add a dedicated section:

## Supported Audio Formats

- **Format**: WAV files only
- **Channels**: Mono (1 channel) required
- **Sample Rate**: 8kHz to 48kHz supported
- **Bit Depth**: 16-bit recommended
- **Max File Size**: [Add limit]

Pain Point 3: Connection Management

# Add context manager example:
class StreamingSession:
    def __init__(self, api_key: str):
        self.client = StreamingClient(
            StreamingClientOptions(api_key=api_key)
        )
        self._setup_handlers()

    def __enter__(self):
        return self.client

    def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb):
        self.client.disconnect()

# Usage:
with StreamingSession(api_key) as client:
    client.stream(file_stream)
    # Automatically disconnects

Specific Recommendations

1. Add Missing Sections

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

**"Only mono audio is supported" Error**
- Convert stereo files to mono before streaming
- Use ffmpeg: `ffmpeg -i input.wav -ac 1 output.wav`

**Connection Timeout**
- Check your internet connection
- Verify API key is valid
- Ensure you're within rate limits

### Performance Tips
- Use 16kHz sample rate for optimal performance
- Keep chunk duration between 50-200ms
- Implement connection retry logic for production use

2. Improve Code Organization

# Move imports to top-level example
import os
import time
import wave
from typing import Type, Generator

import assemblyai as aai
from assemblyai.streaming.v3 import (
    BeginEvent,
    StreamingClient,
    StreamingClientOptions,
    StreamingError,
    StreamingEvents,
    TerminationEvent,
    TurnEvent
)

3. Add Configuration Reference

## Configuration Options

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| api_key | string | required | Your AssemblyAI API key |
| sample_rate | int | 16000 | Audio sample rate in Hz |
| word_boost | list | [] | Custom vocabulary words |
| encoding | string | "pcm_s16le" | Audio encoding format |

This documentation would benefit significantly from addressing these issues to provide a better user experience and reduce support burden.

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