​
Overview

Probe.dev supports multiple analysis tools, each optimizing for different use cases. You can enable one, several, or all of: mediainfo, ffprobe, probe_report.

{
    "url": "https://probelibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/sample-source.mp4",
    "inject_json": true,  
    "probe_report": {
        "enabled": true,
        "diff": true
    },
    "mediainfo": {
        "enabled": true
    },
    "ffprobe": {
        "enabled": true
    }
}

​
Quick Selection

ParameterTypeAllowed valuesPurpose
onlystringmediainfo, ffprobe, probe_reportRun exactly one tool and return its raw output with no wrappers
inject_jsonbooleantrue, falseInject the canonicalized metadata back into the original raw JSON payload so downstream tools can consume a single object

​
MediaInfo

MediaInfo summarizes the most relevant technical and tag information. Ideal for content validation and format verification.

{
    "mediainfo": {
        "enabled": true,
        "version": "latest",
        "output": "JSON"
    }
}

​
Parameters

ParameterDescriptionAllowed ValuesDefault
enabledToggle MediaInfo analysistrue, falsefalse
versionSpecifies the version of mediainfo which will runlatest, 24.06, 23.11, 22.12, 21.09, 20.09, 19.09, 18.12latest
outputOutput format returnedHTML, XML, JSON, EBUCore_1.8_ps, EBUCore_1.8_sp, EBUCore_1.8_ps_JSON, EBUCore_1.8_sp_JSON, EBUCore_1.6, FIMS_1.3, MPEG-7_Strict, MPEG-7_Relaxed, MPEG-7_Extended, PBCore_2.1, PBCore_2.0, PBCore_1.2, or NISO_Z39.87JSON

You may pass any MediaInfo CLI flag in snake_case; names match the original tool.

​
FFprobe

FFprobe offers deeper introspection than MediaInfo and integrates seamlessly with FFmpeg pipelines. Perfect for detailed technical analysis.

{
    "ffprobe": {
        "enabled": true,
        "version": "latest",
        "output_format": "json"
    }
}

​
Parameters

ParameterDescriptionAllowed ValuesDefault
enabledToggle ffprobe analysistrue, falsefalse
versionffprobe build to runlatest, 7.0, 6.0, 5.1, 5.0, 4.4, 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, 3.4, or 3.3latest
output_formatOutput serializationdefault, csv, flat, ini, json, or xmljson

We accept virtually all ffprobe options with the same names. Refer to the ffprobe documentation for details.

​
Probe Report

The probe_report parses, reconciles and canonicalizes the raw outputs from FFprobe and MediaInfo, then applies machine‑learning heuristics (trained on >1 billion assets) to correct inconsistencies and deliver a single, authoritative metadata set.

{
    "probe_report": {
        "enabled": true,
        "diff": true
    }
}

​
Parameters

ParameterDescriptionAllowed valuesDefault
enabledToggle Probe Report generationtrue, falsefalse
diffInclude structural diff between MediaInfo and FFprobe outputstrue, falsefalse

​
MediaStreamValidator

Apple’s MediaStreamValidator checks the compliance of HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) media streams against Apple’s technical specifications.

mediastreamvalidator is slower than other tools and typically takes 12–15 seconds to complete. Use selectively during staging or pre-publish validation workflows.

{
  "mediastreamvalidator": {
    "enabled": true,
    "timeout": 30,
    "queue_timeout": 10,
    "parse_playlist_only": true,
    "enable_cli_output": false
  },
  "inject_json": true,
  "url": "https://example.com/path/to/playlist.m3u8"
}

​
Parameters

ParameterDescriptionAllowed ValuesDefault
enabledToggle MediaStreamValidator analysistrue, falsefalse
timeoutMaximum execution time for the tool (in seconds)Integer30
queue_timeoutMaximum time the job may remain in queue before timing out (in seconds)Integer10
parse_playlist_onlyValidate the playlist structure without fully downloading or decoding chunkstrue, falsetrue
enable_cli_outputInclude the raw CLI output of mediastreamvalidator in the responsetrue, falsefalse

​
Choosing the Right Tool

MediaInfo

Best for: Content validation, format verification, quick metadata overview

Speed: Fast Detail Level: Medium

FFprobe

Best for: Technical analysis, FFmpeg integration, detailed stream information

Speed: Fast Detail Level: High

Probe Report

Best for: Authoritative metadata, ML-enhanced analysis, reconciled data

Speed: Medium Detail Level: Highest