MKV Inspector

MKV Inspector analyzes Matroska MKV files to extract and validate container metadata. It is intended for QA engineers, media archivists, catalog teams, and streaming pipelines that require a precise, non-destructive view of file structure before ingestion, transcoding, or cataloging. It focuses on MKV-specific elements such as Segment Info, Tracks, Chapters, Tags, Attachments, and Cue Points, providing a deterministic summary of what the file contains and how it is organized. It does not decode or alter media streams; it reads structural data only.
Internally, the inspector parses the EBML-based Matroska container, reads Segment Info for duration, extracts per-track properties (type: video, audio, subtitle; codec_id; language; bitrate; width, height for video; sampling rate for audio), and lists chapters and attachments when present. It derives overall bitrate as file size times eight divided by duration and builds a detailed per-track list. The primary outputs are a JSON object with a summary section and a tracks array, plus a readable report. Optional raw EBML portions can be included for advanced debugging.
Use cases include validating file integrity before archiving, metadata extraction for catalogs, and verifying compatibility across players and pipelines. Unique value comes from a consistent, exportable data model, fast analysis, and a non-destructive workflow that supports batch processing.