Media / Codec information shell extension

[ltwally]

The Windows 7 Explorer is pretty poor at digging out the details of multimedia files (avi, mpg, mp4, etc etc.). At best with most of these, Explorer can give you bitrate. And that's pretty much it.

I'd like Explorer to be able to tell me more. Things such as:

• detailed codec information (including which profile, codec version, encoder, etc)
• video resolution, aspect ratio, frame-rate and bit-rate
• # of audio channels, ABR/CBR/VBR, presence of Dolby, bit-rate

Ideally this information should be made available in Windows Explorer as a Properties page, as columns in the Detailed View, and also to the Properties Footer when a compatible file is selected.

Now, that's my wish list. But I'll take what I can get... and right now I'm not finding a shell extension that gives me any of the above, except for the Matroska extension which only supports MKV files.


Anyone out there with suggestions?

 

[gigagiggles]

Saw this the other day.

Download MediaInfo 0.7.59 - FileHippo.com

Never used the program. Read the info and sort of matched what you seek.

 

[ltwally]

MediaInfo is not an Explorer Shell Extension. It is a separate application in itself, and thus does not get me closer to the goal of expanding the Windows Explorer's abilities to give me details on multimedia files.

... However, there is something called MediaTab, which makes use of the MediaInfo library to add a tab to the Explorer Properties window and partially accomplishes my goal.

Unfortunately, MediaTab hasn't been updated in 2 years. For now, you can manually update it by replacing the MediaInfo DLL that it uses with an updated one from the MediaInfo site. That will suffice to keep it updated until MediaInfo changes the way its library works. And then MediaTab will be SOL.

I would still very much like something that could add columns to the detailed view, as well as extra details to the Explorer footer section.... but MediaTab is better than nothing.


If anyone knows of a better / more-comprehensive solution than MediaTab, I would appreciate it if you posted it.

Thanks

 

[kado897]

MediaInfo installs a right click menu entry on all media files.

 

[ltwally]

MediaInfo installs a right click menu entry on all media files.

Interesting. The website description didn't mention anything like that, and, obviously, I wrote it off without actually trying it.

Does this right-click menu entry launch the MediaInfo program? Or is it added to the properties page (as MediaTab does)? Does it add any level of integration with the Windows Explorer, other than launching a separate window?

(What I'd really like to see is the added information in Explorer's Detailed View columns, and/or in the Explorer footer area. But that's probably a pipe-dream.)

Thanks

 

[kado897]

It opens the application.

 

[ltwally]

Ah. Well, that doesn't really accomplish any of what I was looking for, then.

 

[Darkhawk3d]

Update ?

Any progress on this? I am wanting the same thing, so I can have video files with same name but a column listing which codec they are saved with.

 

[kado897]

I know it's not quite the same thing but the File Type column goes a bit towards that.

 

[Darkhawk3d]

Yeah file column not really helpful in this instance as all my video files are quicktime. Its the wrappers (codecs) that I am interested in seeing at glance as I supply both Photo Jpg and H.264 versions of videos to stock footage sites, and need to be able to sort the files on the explorer page by codec (so I can easily see what's missing or doubled up)

I can't believe this still hasn't been implemented into windows explorer !!!

 

[crashnbuen]

I know this question is old but was this (Codecs in Explorer Columns) ever made possible to do on Win 8.1 or Win 10 (Have both) ?

The Windows 7 Explorer is pretty poor at digging out the details of multimedia files (avi, mpg, mp4, etc etc.). At best with most of these, Explorer can give you bitrate. And that's pretty much it.
I'd like Explorer to be able to tell me more. Things such as:

• detailed codec information (including which profile, codec version, encoder, etc)
• video resolution, aspect ratio, frame-rate and bit-rate
• # of audio channels, ABR/CBR/VBR, presence of Dolby, bit-rate

Ideally this information should be made available in Windows Explorer as a Properties page, as columns in the Detailed View, and also to the Properties Footer when a compatible file is selected.

Now, that's my wish list. But I'll take what I can get... and right now I'm not finding a shell extension that gives me any of the above, except for the Matroska extension which only supports MKV files.


Anyone out there with suggestions?