MediaInfo reads video and audio files and reports their technical and tag data in a single window: container details, video and audio codec parameters, subtitle tracks, chapters, and embedded metadata. Reports can be copied or exported.
MediaInfo is an inspection tool that opens a media file and shows what it is actually made of, without playing it. The window lists the container format, overall duration and bit rate, then breaks the file into its video, audio, subtitle, and chapter streams, reporting codec identifiers, resolution, frame rate, colour characteristics, channel layouts, sample rates, and language flags. Tags embedded in the file, such as title, artist, album, and encoder, appear alongside the technical data. Facts can be copied to the clipboard or exported in several formats, which makes the output easy to paste into a bug report or a delivery sheet.
The same information is available in several presentations. A text view suits copying into an email, while the sheet, tree, and HTML layouts make long reports easier to scan, and each view can be configured to hide fields you never use. Reports can be exported as plain text, CSV, XML, JSON, or HTML, including archival schemas such as EBUCore and PBCore, so MediaInfo output can feed a catalogue or a validation script. Shell integration adds drag-and-drop and a context menu entry. A command line version and a library build support batch inspection, which is how archives check thousands of files at once. Editors checking why an export looks wrong often compare notes with Kdenlive.
The value of MediaInfo is that it answers questions other tools guess at. When a file will not play, will not import, or looks wrong after export, the report shows exactly which codec, profile, colour settings, or bit depth is inside it, which turns a vague complaint into a specific fix. Delivery specifications become checkable too: frame rate, chroma subsampling, scan type, and audio channel layout are all listed, so a master can be verified against a brief before it is sent. Because the output can be copied or exported, the same report can go into a ticket, a spreadsheet, or an automated validation step. The command line and library versions extend that to whole folders, and the interface simply reports what it finds rather than modifying anything, so it is safe to point at any file.
Key capabilities and highlights.
A single file is split into its container, video, audio, subtitle, and chapter parts, with each stream listed separately. That separation matters for files carrying three audio tracks and two subtitle sets, where knowing which stream has which language and flag is essential.
MediaInfo reports the codec, aspect ratio, frame rate, bit rate, colour space, chroma subsampling, bit depth, and scan type for each video stream. Those are the values that decide whether a file meets a broadcast or archive specification, and they cannot be confirmed by watching the footage.
Each audio track is described by codec, sample rate, channel count and layout, bit depth, language, and bit rate, and subtitle streams report their format and language. That makes it straightforward to confirm that a multilingual deliverable really contains every required track.
Embedded metadata is displayed next to the technical data, covering common tag formats used by audio and video containers. Title, artist, album, director, encoder, and date fields appear where the file provides them, which is useful when sorting a library or tracing where a file came from.
The MediaInfo report can be shown as plain text, a sheet, a tree, or formatted HTML, and each layout can be customised so only relevant fields appear. Text suits pasting into a message, while tree and sheet views make it easier to compare long lists of parameters across a complicated file.
Reports can be saved as plain text, CSV, XML, JSON, HTML, or archival schemas such as EBUCore and PBCore, with user-defined templates available. That lets MediaInfo output feed a spreadsheet, a catalogue system, or a validation script without anyone retyping the values by hand.
Dropping a file onto the window or using the context menu entry opens it immediately, which makes quick checks painless. Shell integration means a file can be inspected from the folder it lives in, without switching applications or loading a separate project just to read its properties.
The same data engine is available as a command line tool and as a library that other applications can link against, so inspection can be automated. Pointing it at a folder produces reports for every file inside, which is how media archives audit large collections for format drift.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about MediaInfo.
Checking what a media file actually contains. It reports the container format, codecs, resolution, frame rate, colour parameters, audio channels, subtitle tracks, chapters, and embedded tags, which is useful when a file will not play, does not import, or has to be verified against a delivery specification.
No. MediaInfo only reads files and writes nothing back, so it is safe to point at originals, masters, and files on read-only media. Editing metadata and repairing damaged containers are jobs for separate utilities with their own risks.
It is read directly from the file's structure rather than from the filename or a database, so it reflects what the file actually declares. Inconsistencies between what a file claims and what its frames contain are exactly the kind of problem this sort of inspection is meant to surface.
Yes, through the command line or the library build. Pointing the tool at a folder produces a report for each file inside it, which is how archives and post houses check thousands of items for unexpected formats or missing audio tracks without opening anything manually.
Plain text, CSV, XML, JSON, and HTML are all available, along with archival schemas such as EBUCore and PBCore and user-defined templates. The choice depends on the destination: CSV for spreadsheets, JSON for scripts, and a structured schema when the report has to match a catalogue standard.
For simple questions, no: duration, resolution, and codec names are readable at a glance, and the basic view hides most of the detail. The deeper fields, such as chroma subsampling or scan order, become useful once you are matching a delivery specification or diagnosing a specific playback problem.
MediaInfo reads video and audio files and reports their technical and tag data in a single window: container details, video and audio codec parameters, subtitle tracks, chapters, and embedded metadata. Reports can be copied or exported.
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