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Methodology

How ClipCompat reaches a cautious verdict.

The checker separates facts read from the file from documented editor support and heuristic editing risks. The video stays on your device throughout the analysis.

✓ Browser-local✓ Deterministic rules✓ Source-linked✓ Reviewed October 11, 2026

Analysis pipeline

From local file to compatibility guidance.

ClipCompat does not infer compatibility from a filename extension. It reads the media structure, normalizes the reported properties, matches relevant rules, then explains the strongest finding and its limits.

  1. 1
    Select a file

    The browser grants temporary access only to the file you choose.

  2. 2
    Read media metadata locally

    A Web Worker runs MediaInfo compiled to WebAssembly and reads file chunks through the browser File API.

  3. 3
    Normalize media facts

    Container, codec, profile, level, bit depth, chroma, frame rate, frame-rate mode and audio details are mapped into a consistent internal shape.

  4. 4
    Match compatibility rules

    Rules consider the selected editor, operating system and Resolve edition where relevant.

  5. 5
    Rank the findings

    A stronger risk can override a general supported baseline. VFR, for example, can raise an H.264 source from Supported to Editing Risk.

  6. 6
    Explain the next step

    The result preserves uncertainty and recommends testing or a separate edit copy when the evidence does not support a universal answer.

Evidence model

Facts and compatibility claims are kept separate.

A codec name reported by the file is different from a claim about what a particular editor environment supports. ClipCompat labels that difference explicitly.

01

Media Fact

Directly reported from the selected file through MediaInfo, such as codec, profile, bit depth, chroma or frame-rate mode.

02

Documented Compatibility

A rule based on current Adobe or Blackmagic Design support documentation for the selected editor environment.

03

Heuristic Editing Risk

A caution based on a media characteristic that can affect editing behavior, such as variable frame timing. It is not presented as guaranteed failure.

Verdict language

ClipCompat avoids a false yes-or-no answer.

Video compatibility can depend on operating system media components, GPU/CPU decoding, drivers, plug-ins and editor versions. The checker therefore uses verdicts that preserve those conditions.

SupportedA documented or well-established baseline is present and no stronger finding was detected.
ConditionalThe media may work, but support depends on the selected environment or a condition that cannot be verified from the file alone.
Editing RiskThe file can still import, but a characteristic such as VFR can make timing or workflow behavior less predictable.
Test RequiredThe facts are incomplete, or the current rules do not justify a universal compatibility claim. No readable video track also receives this verdict; it is not proof of a vendor codec restriction.

What the checker can inspect

Media structure, not visual quality.

  • Container and stream formats
  • Video codec, profile and level when reported
  • Bit depth and chroma subsampling when reported
  • Average frame rate and CFR/VFR mode
  • Minimum and maximum frame rates when MediaInfo exposes them
  • Resolution, color space and HDR fields when available
  • Primary audio codec, channel count and sample rate

What it does not prove

Hardware performance still needs a real editor test.

  • Playback speed on every GPU or CPU
  • Driver-specific decode behavior
  • Third-party plug-in compatibility
  • Whether a visually damaged frame exists deep in the media
  • Whether every future Premiere or Resolve version will behave the same way
  • Whether a transcode is necessary when the original already edits normally

Safe troubleshooting

The original file is never automatically modified.

ClipCompat is a diagnostic tool, not a transcoder or repair service. It does not overwrite, remux or re-encode the selected video. When a working copy may help, the guidance says to preserve the original and create a separate file.

  • No inferred missing media values are written back to the file.
  • No automatic conversion is started from a compatibility verdict.
  • No unsupported combination is silently “fixed.”
  • No result claims guaranteed playback on every machine.

Rule maintenance

Versioned evidence is kept separate from current-release assumptions.

Vendor support changes between editor releases. ClipCompat therefore keeps the exact versioned source behind a rule visible, checks current release notes for material changes, and avoids silently upgrading an older codec matrix into a claim about every newer build.

  • Stable codec/container rows can use a versioned vendor matrix as a documented baseline.
  • New-release notes are checked for changes that affect decoding, bit depth, chroma or hardware paths.
  • If current documentation is not specific enough for a universal answer, the result stays Conditional or Test Required.
  • Performance is never inferred from decode support alone.

Primary technical references

Rules are grounded in media facts and vendor documentation.

Compatibility changes over time, so ClipCompat links to the source material used to maintain the current rule set and dates its reviewed guidance.

MediaInfo.jsBrowser WebAssembly media analysisOpen source ↗MediaAreaMediaInfo field referenceOpen source ↗AdobeSupported codecs and hardware-accelerated decodingOpen source ↗Blackmagic DesignDaVinci Resolve 20 supported codec matrix (versioned baseline)Open source ↗Blackmagic DesignDaVinci Resolve 21 new features and codec changesOpen source ↗Blackmagic DesignCurrent Resolve support and release notesOpen source ↗

Methodology reviewed: October 11, 2026