What is Video Metadata Viewer?

Video Metadata Viewer reads the basic properties of a video file directly on your device. See the container format, file type, file size, duration, resolution, and aspect ratio. Files stay on your machine — nothing is uploaded.

The viewer reads the duration and pixel dimensions reported by a native video element, estimates the frame rate by timing decoded frames, then probes the file's audio with the Web Audio API to recover the sample rate and channel count. A frame is captured from the midpoint as a preview, and a slider lets you scrub to any moment — pick the exact frame you need and save it as a PNG with one click. The same metadata exports as plain text, structured JSON, or a spreadsheet-ready CSV. It does not decode the stream end-to-end, so specifics like the exact codec name and color space stay out of the report. No file of your own handy? Generate a sample clip on the spot to see how it works. Reads MP4, WebM, MOV, and MKV files that play locally.

How to use

1. Drag a video onto the upload area or click to pick one. The file is read on your device and never uploaded.
2. Review the report: General shows the container format, file type, size, duration, average bitrate, and modified date. Video shows the resolution and aspect ratio.
3. Save the report as plain text, structured JSON, or a CSV spreadsheet, or download the captured thumbnail frame as a PNG.

When to use

• Checking a video's resolution and aspect ratio before placing it in an edit or slide.
• Confirming the duration and file size of a clip before sending it to a client or uploading it somewhere.
• Identifying what container a file actually uses when the extension or filename is missing or ambiguous.

Result

A clip you downloaded looks oddly stretched on your timeline. Drop it in, see the resolution is 1920x800 with a 21:9 aspect ratio, and you know it was shot wide rather than scaled by mistake.

FAQ

Does this tool show the video codec, like H.264 or VP9?

No. Reading the exact codec requires parsing the container itself, which this tool does not do. The Codec field shows the browser's MIME type label (for example video/mp4 or video/webm), which tells you the container family but not the stream codec inside. For codec-level detail, use a desktop tool like MediaInfo or ffprobe.

Why does it not show color space or bit depth?

Color space and bit depth aren't surfaced — those require parsing the container itself, which this tool skips. Frame rate is estimated by playing a short slice and timing the gaps between decoded frames, so it's a close measurement rather than a value read straight from the file. Audio sample rate and channel count come from decoding a small chunk through the Web Audio API.

Does my video get uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is loaded into a hidden video element on your device long enough to read its dimensions and duration, then discarded. Nothing is sent to a server.

Why does my AVI or WMV file fail to load?

The tool relies on what your browser can open. Chrome, Firefox, and Safari do not decode AVI or WMV natively, so those files do not load. MP4, WebM, MOV, and most MKV files work in current browsers.

How accurate is the bitrate figure?

It is an average, calculated as file size in bits divided by duration in seconds. For variable bitrate videos the moment-to-moment value can be much higher or lower during specific scenes. The average is still useful for a quick size-versus-length sanity check.

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