Choose a video or audio file to see its codec, resolution, frame rate, color space, HDR type, and audio tracks. You can also compare the results with a delivery spec.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you enter is never sent anywhere.Your input is never sent anywhere.
DetailsDrop a video or audio file here, or click to choose one
MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, AVI, WAV, FLAC, MP3, OGG. The file stays on your device.
Check a Video's Codec, Color Space, and HDR Without Uploading It
A file extension such as .mp4 or .mov only names the container. What decides whether a file plays, edits, or passes a delivery check is inside it: the video codec, frame rate, color space, HDR type, and the audio track layout. An .mp4 with H.264 video has the widest device support, while an .mp4 with HEVC or AV1 video may not open in older players or editors.
This tool reads those details from the file's metadata and lists the container, codec, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, bit depth, color primaries, transfer function, range, HDR type, and every audio and subtitle track. It reads only the parts of the file that hold this information, so nothing is uploaded and large files do not have to be read in full.
If a client or platform sent you a spec sheet, enter the required values and the tool compares them with the file field by field, so a 30 fps export against a 29.97 fps requirement shows up as a mismatch.
When You Need to Look Inside a Video File
Before you deliver a file
Compare an export with the resolution, frame rate, codec, and HDR type a client or platform asked for, and copy the results into your delivery notes.
A file that will not open or play
See which video and audio codecs a received file uses, and whether your browser reports that it can play them. HEVC and AC-3 are common culprits.
Telling HDR from SDR footage
Read the transfer function and color primaries to find out whether a clip is tagged as SDR, HDR10, HLG, or Dolby Vision, instead of guessing from how it looks.
Checking audio tracks and phone footage
List every audio track with its codec, sample rate, and channel count, and spot phone clips that are variable frame rate or stored rotated.
How to Check a File in 4 Steps
- Drag a video or audio file onto the box, or click it to choose a file.
- The tool reads the file's metadata and lists the container, codec, resolution, frame rate, color space, and HDR type.
- Review each video, audio, and subtitle track. For video files, the playback box shows whether your browser supports the codecs.
- To check a delivery spec, open Delivery spec check, enter the required values, and read the match results. Use Copy results as text to paste the details into an email or ticket.
Note: The file is not uploaded. Only the metadata sections are read, in your browser.
What the Tool Can and Can't Read
- Only metadata is read. If a file's header is unusual or incomplete, some fields show Unknown.
- Frame rate, bitrate, and bit depth are labeled "approx.", "average", or "estimated" when they are not read directly from the file. H.264 bit depth is inferred from the profile, and High 4:4:4 files are left unknown.
- Supported formats are MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, AVI, WAV, FLAC, MP3, and OGG. MXF, MPEG-TS, FLV, and WMV are not supported.
- Dolby Vision is detected in MP4 and MOV files only. HDR10+ metadata is not detected.
- A file with no color tags is shown as "SDR (assumed)". HDR information stored only inside the video stream is not read.
- The delivery spec check compares the first video track and the first audio track only.
Common Video and Audio Codecs at a Glance
Use this to look up the codec names that appear in the results.
| Shown in results | Full name | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| H.264 / AVC | Advanced Video Coding | Widest device and software support. |
| H.265 / HEVC | High Efficiency Video Coding | Smaller files than H.264 at similar quality. Common for 4K and HDR, but some browsers and older editors cannot decode it. |
| VP9 | Google VP9 | Common in WebM files. |
| AV1 | AOMedia Video 1 | Newer royalty-free codec. Older devices may lack hardware decoding. |
| Apple ProRes | Apple ProRes | Intermediate codec for editing and mastering. Files are large. |
| AAC | Advanced Audio Coding | Common audio codec in MP4 and MOV files. |
| AC-3 / E-AC-3 | Dolby Digital / Dolby Digital Plus | Surround sound for broadcast, discs, and streaming. |
| Opus | Opus | Low-latency audio codec used in WebM and Ogg files. |
| FLAC | Free Lossless Audio Codec | Lossless compressed audio. |
| PCM | Pulse-code modulation | Uncompressed audio, as in WAV files. |
HDR types in the results
The tool reports the HDR type from the transfer function stored in the file.
- HDR10 (PQ): uses the SMPTE ST 2084 transfer function with static metadata. Any video tagged PQ is reported as HDR10.
- HLG: Hybrid Log-Gamma (ARIB STD-B67), designed for broadcast and for displays that may not support HDR.
- Dolby Vision: adds dynamic, scene-by-scene metadata. It is detected from a Dolby Vision configuration box in MP4 and MOV files.
HDR10+ and other extended metadata formats are not detected.
Delivery Specs, Codecs, and Color: What to Verify
The details that most often cause rejected files and wrong-looking video, and why they matter.
Container and codec are two separate checks
The extension (.mp4, .mov, .mkv) names the container. The codec inside decides what can decode it. Two .mp4 files can hold H.264 and HEVC, and only one of them may open on a given device.
Audio works the same way: an MP4 can carry AAC, AC-3, or Opus. Check the container, the video codec, and the audio codec together.
SDR, HDR10, and HLG are set by the transfer function
SDR video is normally tagged BT.709. HDR10 uses the PQ transfer function, and HLG uses its own. These tags tell a player how to interpret brightness.
An export meant for SDR that still carries PQ or HLG tags can look washed out or oddly bright, so check the transfer function before you deliver.
Frame rates: 23.976, 29.97, 59.94, and variable frame rate
The broadcast rates are fractions: 23.976 is 24000/1001, 29.97 is 30000/1001, and 59.94 is 60000/1001. A spec that asks for 29.97 does not accept 30.
Some phone and screen-recording clips use variable frame rate (VFR), where the time between frames changes. Some editors handle VFR badly and drift out of sync with audio, so convert to a constant frame rate first if the tool reports "VFR likely".
Limited range vs. full range
Video is usually stored in limited (studio) range, which uses 16 to 235 for 8-bit luma. Full range uses 0 to 255.
Limited-range video shown as full range looks washed out, and full-range video shown as limited looks crushed and too contrasty. The Range chip in the color section shows which one the file declares.
Common Delivery Mistakes and How to Catch Them
The file is .mp4 but will not open on the other end
The extension looked fine, but the video track was HEVC and the recipient's editor or player could not decode it.
💡 See the solution▼
An SDR delivery still has HDR tags
HDR settings from the edit carried into the export, so a file that was supposed to be SDR (BT.709) went out tagged PQ or HLG and looked wrong on the client's player.
💡 See the solution▼
30 fps delivered where 29.97 fps was required
The project was set to a whole-number frame rate, and the export was rejected by a delivery check that expects the exact broadcast rate.
💡 See the solution▼
The wrong audio track plays by default
A file with several audio tracks went out with the tracks in the wrong order or with missing language tags, so the platform picked an unintended one.
💡 See the solution▼
Video Codec, HDR, and Frame Rate FAQ
Q.Is my video file uploaded when I check it?
A. No. The file is read in your browser and nothing is sent to a server. The tool reads only the parts of the file that hold metadata. For MP4 and MOV files it hops from box to box until it reaches the movie header (the moov box), wherever that sits in the file. For MKV and WebM files it reads the first 2 MB, and up to 32 MB if the track list is further in. Multi-gigabyte files are never loaded in full.
Q.How do I find out which codec a video file uses?
A. Drop the file onto the tool. The video track card shows the codec, such as H.264 / AVC, H.265 / HEVC, VP9, AV1, or Apple ProRes, and each audio track card shows its own codec, such as AAC or Dolby Digital. If the tool does not recognize a codec, it shows the raw identifier from the file, for example "Unknown (xyz1)", which you can search for.
Q.How can I tell if a video is HDR or SDR?
A. The tool reads the color tags stored in the file. A PQ (SMPTE ST 2084) transfer function is reported as HDR10, an ARIB STD-B67 transfer function is reported as HLG, and a BT.709 transfer function is reported as SDR. Dolby Vision is reported when an MP4 or MOV file contains a Dolby Vision configuration box. Dolby Vision in MKV files and HDR10+ metadata are not detected. If a file has no color tags at all, the tool shows "SDR (assumed)", because untagged HDR video cannot be told apart from SDR by the container alone.
Q.Why won't my video play, and can this tool tell me?
A. It can narrow it down. For video files, the tool asks your browser whether it supports the video and audio codecs it found. When the file stores the codec profile and level, the tool uses them to build the codec string. Because this is the browser's own answer, it says nothing about your operating system, media player, editing software, or hardware decoder, and it does not test HDR or Dolby Vision display. A "not supported" result for a codec such as HEVC or AC-3 can explain why a file opens in one app and not another.
Q.Which file formats can it read?
A. Video: MP4, MOV, WebM, and MKV get a full read of codecs, color tags, and tracks. AVI gets a basic read (video size, frame rate, codec, audio format) with no color information. Audio: WAV and FLAC are read from their headers, and MP3 and OGG (Vorbis and Opus) get a basic read. Formats such as MXF, MPEG-TS (.ts), FLV, and WMV are not supported.
Q.How accurate are the frame rate and bitrate?
A. In MP4 and MOV files, the frame rate is the average calculated from the file's frame timing table. If the timing varies a lot, the tool labels it "average, VFR likely" (variable frame rate). In WebM and MKV files, the frame rate is the value the file declares for the track, not one measured from every frame. In MP4 and MOV files, video and audio bitrates are averages calculated from the real sample sizes, and audio bitrate is taken from the header when the file lists one. If the sample table is missing, and for WebM and MKV video, the bitrate is a rough figure worked out from file size and duration with a flat allowance for audio, and it is marked "approx." For a formal delivery sign-off, confirm the numbers with a desktop tool such as MediaInfo or ffprobe.
Q.How does the delivery spec check compare values?
A. Enter the values your client or platform requires and leave the rest blank. Number fields (width, height, sample rate, channels) must match exactly. Frame rate must match within 0.01 fps. Text fields (container, codec, HDR type) match when the detected value contains what you typed, ignoring case, spaces, and punctuation, so "h264" matches "H.264 / AVC". Only the first video track and the first audio track are compared. If the video is rotated, width and height are compared as displayed.
Q.Is 29.97 fps the same as 30 fps?
A. No. 29.97 fps is 30000/1001 (about 29.970), and 30 fps is exactly 30. The spec check treats them as different, so a file exported at 30 fps does not pass a 29.97 fps requirement. The same applies to 23.976 versus 24 and 59.94 versus 60.
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