How to Check a Video's Resolution, Codec, and Bitrate
Published
Why check a file at all
A file name can say "1080p" and still disappoint. Resolution, codec, frame rate and bitrate each affect how a file looks, how big it is and where it will play. Checking them takes a minute and tells you what you actually have.
Option 1: VLC (works on any system)
Open the file in VLC, then choose Tools → Codec Information. The Codec tab lists the video stream (codec, resolution, frame rate) and the audio stream (codec, sample rate, channels). The Statistics tab shows live bitrates while the file plays.
Option 2: Your operating system
- Windows: right-click the file, choose Properties, then the Details tab. For common formats it shows frame width and height, frame rate, data rate and total bitrate.
- macOS: select the file and press Command+I for Get Info, then open More Info. It lists dimensions, codecs and duration. QuickTime Player's Movie Inspector shows similar details.
What these built-in views show varies with the file type and the system version, so if a field is missing, try VLC.
Option 3: ffprobe (exact, and good for batches)
ffprobe comes with ffmpeg. This prints the essentials for a file called input.mp4:
ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration,size,bit_rate:stream=codec_type,codec_name,width,height -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 input.mp4
You get one line per value: the container's duration, size and overall bit rate, then each stream's type, codec and, for video, its width and height. Replace the file name with yours.
What the numbers mean
Resolution is the picture size in pixels. More pixels can mean more detail, but only if the bitrate is high enough to keep it.
Codec is the compression method, such as H.264, VP9 or AV1. The same resolution in a newer codec is usually a smaller file. Our guide to YouTube video formats explains the differences.
Frame rate is how many pictures per second the video shows. A 60 fps file usually needs more data than a 30 fps one.
Bitrate is how much data each second of the file uses. It links the other numbers to file size, because size is roughly bitrate times duration. We work through that in how big a YouTube file is, and the same idea explains audio bitrates.
A quick check: divide the file size in megabytes by its length in seconds, and multiply by 8. That gives you the average megabits per second. If it is far below what you expected for the resolution, the file is heavily compressed, and fine detail may be soft.
Why a vertical video can show "1920p"
Format lists often label a row by the picture's height. A vertical clip, such as a YouTube Short, is taller than it is wide, so a clip that is 1080 pixels wide and 1920 pixels tall appears as 1920p in our format list. It's not a higher resolution than a 1080p landscape video, since it has the same number of pixels across, just arranged in a tall frame. Look at width as well as height before comparing.
When the numbers look odd
- A large file with low resolution usually means a high bitrate or an inefficient codec.
- A small file with high resolution usually means a low bitrate. It may look soft in fast scenes.
- No video stream means the file is audio only, whatever it is called.