MediaInfo
Open-source viewer for the technical and tag details of video and audio files.
- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 2
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About MediaInfo
MediaInfo reads a video or audio file and lays out what's inside: the container, every video, audio and subtitle stream, codecs and profiles, bitrates, frame rate, colour space, channel layout, languages, chapters and tags. Video editors, archivists, encoders and home-media collectors use it to check whether a file will play on a device, why it won't, or whether an encode came out as intended. It reads a long list of formats, from MP4, MKV and MXF to broadcast subtitle streams. Results can be shown as plain text, a sheet or a tree, and exported as text, CSV or HTML. MediaInfo comes as a desktop app, a command-line tool and a library that other software builds on, and there is a browser-based version for one-off checks. It is open source under a BSD-style licence and free on Windows and Linux; the Mac App Store build is a paid convenience version. It only inspects files: it can't edit or remove tags.
Best for: Editors, encoders and media collectors who need to see exactly how a video or audio file is built.
Pros and cons
What works
- Very detailed stream-level info for a wide range of containers and codecs
- GUI, command-line and library versions from the same project
- Exports reports as text, CSV or HTML
- Free and open source under a BSD-style licence
Why people leave
- Read-only: it can't edit or strip metadata
- Desktop interface looks dated and is dense for newcomers
- Little support for photo EXIF compared with ExifTool
Top MediaInfo alternatives
See all 2- 1
ExifTool66.5Reads and also writes metadata across photos, video and audio, for when you need to change tags, not just view them.
- 2
VLC media player48.1Its codec information window covers the basics (codecs, resolution, bitrate) if you already have VLC installed.
Why people left MediaInfo
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from MediaInfo, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
No approved reviews yet. How we verify reviewers
Write a review of MediaInfo
MediaInfo: common questions
Is MediaInfo free?
Yes. MediaInfo is free, open-source software.
Is MediaInfo open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at MediaArea/MediaInfo.
What platforms does MediaInfo run on?
MediaInfo is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and Web.
What are the best alternatives to MediaInfo?
The highest-ranked MediaInfo alternatives right now are ExifTool and VLC media player. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.