The InputMetadata object

The InputMetadata object contains detailed information about your input file, populated automatically when Transcodely probes the source video. It is available on the Job object as input_metadata once the job reaches the probing status or later.

Use input metadata to inspect source properties (resolution, codec, frame rate, HDR format) before or during encoding. For delayed start jobs, metadata is available during the awaiting_confirmation status, allowing you to review source details and estimated costs before confirming.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Description
`format`	string	Container format of the input file (e.g., `mp4`, `mkv`, `webm`, `mov`, `avi`).
`duration_ms`	integer	Total duration in milliseconds.
`size_bytes`	integer	File size in bytes.
`bit_rate`	integer	Overall bitrate in bits per second.
`video`	object \| null	Video stream information. See Video stream info. `null` if the input has no video stream.
`audio`	object \| null	Audio stream information. See Audio stream info. `null` if the input has no audio stream.
`probed_at`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when probing completed.

{
  "format": "mp4",
  "duration_ms": 185400,
  "size_bytes": 245366784,
  "bit_rate": 10587000,
  "video": {
    "codec": "h264",
    "width": 1920,
    "height": 1080,
    "frame_rate": 23.976,
    "bit_rate": 10200000,
    "pixel_format": "yuv420p",
    "color_space": "bt709",
    "color_transfer": "bt709",
    "color_primaries": "bt709",
    "duration_ms": 185400,
    "chroma_location": "left",
    "bit_depth": 8,
    "interlaced": false,
    "frame_count": 4445,
    "display_aspect_ratio": "16:9",
    "sample_aspect_ratio": "1:1"
  },
  "audio": {
    "codec": "aac",
    "sample_rate": 48000,
    "channels": 2,
    "channel_layout": "stereo",
    "bit_rate": 320000,
    "duration_ms": 185400,
    "bits_per_sample": 32,
    "language": "eng",
    "is_default": true
  },
  "probed_at": "2025-02-28T10:00:02Z"
}

Video stream info

The video object contains properties of the primary video stream.

Attribute	Type	Description
`codec`	string	Video codec identifier (e.g., `h264`, `hevc`, `vp9`, `av1`, `prores`, `mpeg2video`).
`width`	integer	Frame width in pixels.
`height`	integer	Frame height in pixels.
`frame_rate`	number	Frame rate in frames per second (e.g., `23.976`, `29.97`, `30`, `59.94`, `60`).
`bit_rate`	integer	Video stream bitrate in bits per second.
`pixel_format`	string	Pixel format (e.g., `yuv420p`, `yuv422p10le`, `yuv420p10le`, `rgb24`). The `10le` suffix indicates 10-bit depth.
`color_space`	string \| null	Color space (e.g., `bt709`, `bt2020nc`, `smpte170m`). Indicates SDR vs HDR source.
`color_transfer`	string \| null	Transfer characteristics (e.g., `bt709`, `smpte2084` for PQ/HDR10, `arib-std-b67` for HLG).
`color_primaries`	string \| null	Color primaries (e.g., `bt709`, `bt2020`).
`duration_ms`	integer	Video stream duration in milliseconds.
`chroma_location`	string \| null	Chroma sample location (e.g., `left`, `center`, `topleft`).
`bit_depth`	integer \| null	Bits per color channel. Common values: `8` (SDR), `10` (HDR), `12` (professional).
`interlaced`	boolean \| null	Whether the source is interlaced. `false` for progressive scan.
`frame_count`	integer \| null	Total number of frames in the video stream.
`display_aspect_ratio`	string \| null	Display aspect ratio (e.g., `16:9`, `4:3`, `2.35:1`).
`sample_aspect_ratio`	string \| null	Sample (pixel) aspect ratio (e.g., `1:1` for square pixels).

Detecting HDR content

You can identify HDR content by inspecting the color properties:

HDR Format	`color_transfer`	`color_primaries`	`bit_depth`
SDR	`bt709`	`bt709`	8
HDR10 / HDR10+	`smpte2084`	`bt2020`	10
HLG	`arib-std-b67`	`bt2020`	10
Dolby Vision	`smpte2084`	`bt2020`	10

{
  "codec": "hevc",
  "width": 3840,
  "height": 2160,
  "frame_rate": 23.976,
  "bit_rate": 45000000,
  "pixel_format": "yuv420p10le",
  "color_space": "bt2020nc",
  "color_transfer": "smpte2084",
  "color_primaries": "bt2020",
  "duration_ms": 7200000,
  "bit_depth": 10,
  "interlaced": false,
  "frame_count": 172657,
  "display_aspect_ratio": "16:9",
  "sample_aspect_ratio": "1:1"
}

Audio stream info

The audio object contains properties of the primary audio stream.

Attribute	Type	Description
`codec`	string	Audio codec identifier (e.g., `aac`, `opus`, `mp3`, `flac`, `ac3`, `eac3`, `pcm_s16le`).
`sample_rate`	integer	Sample rate in Hz (e.g., `44100`, `48000`, `96000`).
`channels`	integer	Number of audio channels (e.g., `1` for mono, `2` for stereo, `6` for 5.1).
`channel_layout`	string	Channel layout (e.g., `mono`, `stereo`, `5.1`, `7.1`).
`bit_rate`	integer	Audio stream bitrate in bits per second.
`duration_ms`	integer	Audio stream duration in milliseconds.
`bits_per_sample`	integer \| null	Bits per audio sample (e.g., `16`, `24`, `32`).
`language`	string \| null	Audio language as ISO 639-2 three-letter code (e.g., `eng`, `spa`, `fra`).
`is_default`	boolean \| null	Whether this is the default audio track.

{
  "codec": "eac3",
  "sample_rate": 48000,
  "channels": 6,
  "channel_layout": "5.1",
  "bit_rate": 640000,
  "duration_ms": 7200000,
  "bits_per_sample": 32,
  "language": "eng",
  "is_default": true
}

Availability

The input_metadata field on the Job object is populated after probing completes. Its availability depends on the current job status:

Job Status	`input_metadata`
`pending`	`null` — probing has not started.
`probing`	`null` — probing is in progress.
`awaiting_confirmation`	Available — probing is complete, job is paused for cost review.
`processing`	Available.
`completed`	Available.
`failed`	May be available if probing completed before the failure.
`canceled`	May be available if probing completed before cancellation.

#The InputMetadata object

#Attributes

#Video stream info

#Detecting HDR content

#Audio stream info

#Availability