Abstract

This is about technical properties of audiovisual files, how to identify and check/validate them.

The “Digital Video Trinity”

Structure

Tools

We’ll show these here:

• VLC
• MediaInfo

VLC

• Great videoplayer
• 99% chance you have it on the computer
• Allows quick-check of tech-MD
  (Ctrl + J)
• For all formats it can play!

Website: videolan.org/vlc

VLC

Very handy, but not the best for this job.

MediaInfo

“MediaInfo is a convenient unified display of the most relevant technical and tag data for video and audio files.”

Website: mediaarea.net/MediaInfo

MediaInfo

MediaInfo GUI

View ‘Easy’

• General = container level
• Video / Audio
• Other

A/B comparison

(Only in view ‘Easy’)

• Load more than 1 file:
  • Select multiple files
  • or drag/drop a whole folder
• Scroll dropdown = switch between files

Excellent for a quick spotting of common/different values in a given set.

View ‘HTML’

View ‘HTML’

• Nicer to read than view ‘Text’.
  
• Identical content.

Machine Readable

(aka “parsable output formats”)

• More suited for automated workflows.
• Can be saved from GUI.
• But: Usually commandline.

Machine Readable Output Formats

• XML
• JSON
• CSV
• EBUCore
• PBCore
• MPEG-7
• FIMS
• …

Comments?

Questions?