Report Types

Complete guide to Probe.dev analysis tools: media analysis, streaming validation, and content authenticity verification

Overview

Probe.dev supports multiple analysis tools across different categories:

Core Media Analysis: Traditional metadata extraction and technical analysis

• mediainfo, ffprobe, probe_report - Can be enabled together for comprehensive media analysis

Specialized Validation: Purpose-built tools for specific compliance requirements

• mediastreamvalidator - HLS compliance validation for Apple App Store submissions
• c2pa - Content authenticity and provenance verification

Example: Core media analysis tools working together:

{
    "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

Parameter	Type	Allowed values	Purpose
only	string	mediainfo, ffprobe, probe_report, c2pa	Run exactly one tool and return its raw output with no wrappers
inject_json	boolean	true, false	Inject the canonicalized metadata back into the original raw JSON payload so downstream tools can consume a single object
inject_output	boolean	true, false	Return raw tool output as-is, without Probe.dev metadata wrapper (available for single-tool endpoints)

Response Format Philosophy

Raw Tool Output: Probe.dev’s design philosophy prioritizes giving you the same experience as running tools locally. Single-tool endpoints (like /v1/probe/c2pa and /v1/probe/mediastreamvalidator) default to raw output for convenience. Multi-tool endpoints wrap responses to handle multiple reports.

When to use each:

• only - Single tool with raw output from /v1/probe/file
• inject_output=true - Raw output from dedicated single-tool endpoints (default where applicable)
• inject_json=true - Enhanced JSON formatting for easier parsing
• Standard response - Full metadata including usage statistics and multiple tool outputs

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

Parameter	Description	Allowed Values	Default
enabled	Toggle MediaInfo analysis	true, false	false
version	Specifies the version of mediainfo which will run	latest, 24.06, 23.11, 22.12, 21.09, 20.09, 19.09, 18.12	latest
output	Output format returned	HTML, 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_Z39.87	JSON

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

Parameter	Description	Allowed Values	Default
enabled	Toggle ffprobe analysis	true, false	false
version	ffprobe build to run	latest, 7.0, 6.0, 5.1, 5.0, 4.4, 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, 3.4, or 3.3	latest
output_format	Output serialization	default, csv, flat, ini, json, or xml	json

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

Parameter	Description	Allowed values	Default
enabled	Toggle Probe Report generation	true, false	false

C2PA Report

The C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) report validates Content Credentials and provides comprehensive content provenance analysis. Based on the C2PA 2.2 specification, it detects AI-generated content, verifies authenticity, and tracks content history.

{
    "url": "https://probelibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/c2pa/sample-with-credentials.jpg",
    "only": "c2pa"
}

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Allowed values	Default
inject_output	Return raw C2PA tool output as-is, without metadata wrapper (default: true - see Response Format Philosophy)	true, false	true
inject_json	Inject C2PA to response as object, not string	true, false	false
timeout	Analysis timeout in milliseconds	integer	65000
queue_timeout	Queue timeout in milliseconds	integer	60000

Supported Formats

C2PA analysis supports a wide range of media formats with embedded Content Credentials:

Images: JPEG, PNG, AVIF, HEIC, HEIF, DNG, TIFF, WebP
Video: MP4, MOV, AVI
Audio: MP3, M4A, WAV
Documents: PDF, SVG

C2PA works best with content that includes embedded Content Credentials. For testing, use C2PA public test files which include various authenticity scenarios.

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

Parameter	Description	Allowed Values	Default
enabled	Toggle MediaStreamValidator analysis	true, false	false
timeout	Maximum execution time for the tool (in seconds)	Integer	30
queue_timeout	Maximum time the job may remain in queue before timing out (in seconds)	Integer	10
parse_playlist_only	Validate the playlist structure without fully downloading or decoding chunks	true, false	true
enable_cli_output	Include the raw CLI output of mediastreamvalidator in the response	true, false	false

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

C2PA Report

Best for: Content authenticity, provenance verification, AI detection

Speed: Fast Detail Level: High

MediaStreamValidator

Best for: HLS compliance validation, App Store submissions, streaming quality assurance

Speed: Slow (12-15s) Detail Level: High