Videos reference
Use this page to look up the built-in video record and the core video interface. It describes the current Cove UI; permissions can hide controls, configured services can add optional similarity features, and extensions can contribute more actions, tabs, filters, or sorts. For HTTP request and response schemas, use the running instance’s OpenAPI document as described in API surface.
A video is a library record, not the source file itself. Shared metadata and relationships belong to the video record, while technical media properties belong to each attached file. A video can exist without a file, can have more than one file, or can be a sub-video that presents a time range from a parent video’s files.
When a title is absent, Cove uses an available file name or a generated Video <id> label where the interface needs a display name.
Descriptive fields
Section titled “Descriptive fields”| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Title | Display title for the video. |
| Date | Release date of the video. |
| Production Date | When the video was shot, as opposed to its release date. Imported from metadata servers such as StashDB that record it. Performer ages on the video count from it when set, and from the release date otherwise. |
| Studio Code | Studio- or publisher-assigned catalog code. |
| Director | Free-text director value. |
| Details | Longer free-text description. |
| Captions | Free-text metadata retained on the record; distinct from discovered sidecar caption tracks. |
| Organized | User-managed flag indicating that the record has reached the desired organization state. |
| VR | Marks the video as virtual-reality content. |
| Cover | Selected or generated image used to represent the video. |
| Created and Updated | Timestamps maintained by Cove for the record. |
Imported or automated values can include provenance. Hover information in the interface identifies the source when provenance is available; see Metadata provenance.
Relationships
Section titled “Relationships”| Relationship | Cardinality | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | Zero or one | Primary studio associated with the video. |
| Tags | Zero or more | Whole-video tags; contextual applications can instead describe a performer occurrence or time range. |
| Performers | Zero or more | Associated performer identities; dated videos can display age at the video date. |
| Groups | Zero or more | Membership can carry a Video # position used by ordered groups. |
| Galleries | Zero or more | Related gallery records. |
| URLs | Zero or more | External links associated with the record. |
| Remote IDs | Zero or more | Provider endpoint and remote identifier pairs used to reconnect external metadata. |
| Custom Fields | Zero or more | Administrator-defined video fields and values. |
| Parent video | Zero or one | Present for a sub-video; clip boundaries define its playable range within the root parent. |
Ratings, likes, favorites, play counts, playback sessions, watched duration, and resume position are user engagement rather than shared descriptive metadata.
Files and technical values
Section titled “Files and technical values”| File value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Path | Cove-visible filesystem path; containerized installations show the container path. |
| File Size | Size in bytes, formatted for display. |
| Format | Container format reported during scanning. |
| Duration | Playback duration. |
| Dimensions | Pixel width × height. |
| Frame Rate | Frames per second. |
| Bitrate | Kilobits per second in the interface. |
| Video Codec and Audio Codec | Codec names reported during scanning. |
| Fingerprints | Available hashes such as oshash, md5, or phash. |
The File Info tab lists every resolved file but does not list discovered sidecar caption tracks.
Capabilities
Section titled “Capabilities”| Capability | Support | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Playback | Built in | Uses an attached file or resolves the root parent file for a sub-video. |
| Sidecar captions | Built in | Discovered VTT and SRT tracks are associated with individual files and used by the player. |
| Raw segments and segments | Supported | Timeline points and ranges can be stored and resolved through display profiles. |
| Sub-videos | Supported | A child video can present a bounded range of a parent source. |
| Similarity | Optional | Visual and audio similarity surfaces require corresponding configured services. |
| Generated media | Conditional | Covers, thumbnails, previews, sprites, and other derivatives depend on generators and jobs. |
Availability and requirements
Section titled “Availability and requirements”| Surface or operation | Availability |
|---|---|
| Browsing and detail | Requires video-read access; content rules can further determine which records are visible. |
| Playback | Requires access to the video, streaming access, and an available resolved file. |
| Editing | Requires video-write access. |
| File Info | Requires file-read access. |
| Scans and jobs | Require the relevant operation permission and an available scan or job service. |
| Provider operations | Require suitable metadata access and a configured provider. |
| Extension surfaces | Appear only when the contributing extension is installed and enabled and the operation is authorized. |
Lifecycle and deletion
Section titled “Lifecycle and deletion”| Event or operation | Effect |
|---|---|
| Create without a file | The record can exist before a downloader supplies media or while its file is unavailable. |
| Delete record | Removes the video record without inherently deleting its source file. |
| Delete source file | Requires an explicit deletion choice and a writable library path. |
| Bulk-delete generated files | A separate choice can remove derivatives independently of source files. |
| Delete parent video | Also deletes its sub-video records. |
| Delete sub-video | Does not delete the parent source files. |
| Delete a shared path | Cove retains the source path when a video outside the deletion still references it. |
Generated media is stored and managed separately from source files. Source-file deletion requires a writable library path.
Videos page
Section titled “Videos page”The Videos page combines browsing, search, filtering, sorting, selection, and playback queues.
Display modes
Section titled “Display modes”| Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Grid | Cover-oriented cards with compact metadata. |
| List | Denser row-based comparison. |
| Wall | Multi-column visual browsing with adjustable column count. |
| Tagger | Tagging-oriented review across the loaded results. |
| Feed | Large sequential cards; uses infinite loading. |
| Vertical Viewer | Full-height, swipe-like playback; uses infinite loading and can enter full screen. |
Paged and Infinite page sizes are available outside the modes that require infinite loading. The Include Compilations filter can add compilation groups to compatible video results.
Search, filters, and sorts
Section titled “Search, filters, and sorts”Text search covers videos and related metadata such as tags and performers. See Video text search for the complete list of searched values, matching rules, relevance order, and differences from global or visual search. Visual search and its Visual Match sort appear only when a visual-similarity provider is available.
Built-in filter criteria are grouped here for lookup; the filter dialog supplies the field-appropriate text, inclusion, equality, comparison, interval, or date controls. Configured custom fields and installed extensions can add more criteria.
| Filter area | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Identity and text | Title, Studio Code, Details, Director, URL, Remote ID, Remote ID Count, Captions |
| Relationships | Tags, Tag Count, Performers, Performer Count, Performer Tags, Performer Favorite, Performer Age, Studios, Groups, Galleries |
| File and media | Path, Hash, Duplicated (pHash), Duration, Tag Duration, Resolution, Orientation, Video Codec, Audio Codec, Frame Rate, Bitrate (kbps), File Count |
| Record and engagement | Duplicated Title, Duplicated Remote ID, Rating, Likes, Organized, VR, Play Count, Resume Time, Play Duration, Last Played |
| Dates | Date, Production Date, Created At, Updated At |
| Result composition | Include Compilations |
Built-in sorts are listed below. Configured sortable custom fields and installed extensions can add more.
- record values: Updated At, Created At, Title, Date, Production Date, Rating, Organized, Studio, Studio Code
- engagement: Play Count, Likes, Last Like Date, Last Played, Play Duration, Resume Time
- files: Duration, File Size, File Modification Time, File Count, Path, Resolution, Frame Rate, Bitrate, pHash
- relationships: Tag Count, Performer Count, Performer Age
- utility: Random, plus Visual Match when visual search is active
Date sorts count undated videos as the oldest, so they come first from oldest and last from newest. The Performer Age sort and filter and the Age (then) condition on related performers use a video’s production date when it has one and its release date otherwise.
For reusable filters, query behavior, and saved defaults, see Search and filters.
Selection actions
Section titled “Selection actions”Selecting videos can expose these core actions:
| Action | Behavior and availability |
|---|---|
| Download | Queues media retrieval for selected file-less records when downloads and jobs are available. |
| Edit | Bulk-edits rating, organized state, VR state, studio, date, studio code, director, tags, performers, groups, or custom field values. Multi-value relationships can be added, removed, or replaced. Custom fields share one Overwrite, Add, or Remove mode per apply, and each field can instead be cleared. |
| Identify | Runs configured identification workflows. |
| Merge | Combines two or more selected records into a chosen target. |
| Play | Creates a playback queue from the selected videos. |
| Delete | Deletes selected records. The bulk confirmation provides separate choices for source files and generated files. Deleting a selected parent also deletes its sub-video records. |
| Extension actions | Installed extensions can add actions for a video selection. |
Video detail page
Section titled “Video detail page”The detail page combines the player with metadata and operations for one record.
| Tab | Contents and availability |
|---|---|
| Details | Created and updated times, production date, studio code, director, description, tags, performers and occurrence tags, groups, galleries, detected faces, URLs, remote IDs, and custom fields. |
| Segments | Raw segments and display-ready segments for the video. Reading and editing depend on segment permissions. |
| Similar | Visual matches when visual similarity is available. |
| Audio Similar | Audio matches when audio similarity is available. |
| Filters | Playback-only brightness, contrast, gamma, saturation, and hue controls. They do not modify the source file or video metadata. |
| File Info | Every resolved video file and its technical values; requires file-read access. |
| History | Play count, watched duration, play events, and recent playback sessions. Users with video-write access can remove the last play or reset the play count. |
| Extension tabs | Tabs contributed by enabled extensions for the video page. |
| Edit | Editable metadata and relationships; requires video-write access. |
Core operations
Section titled “Core operations”The header can mark the video Organized, open its stream in an external player, and navigate a selected playback queue. The Operations menu can contain:
- Download Media… for a record without a file
- Rescan for an attached file
- Scrape / Metadata… and Identify…
- extension-contributed video actions
- Generate… for derived media
- Set Cover…
- Merge…
- Delete
The exact list depends on video access, job and scan permissions, configured providers, attached files, and installed extensions. See Users, roles, and permissions for the access model and Providers, scrapers, and downloaders for metadata workflows.
Related documentation
Section titled “Related documentation”- Media types explains how videos compare with images, galleries, audio, and text.
- Organizing your library explains when to use tags, performers, studios, and groups.
- Segments and compilations explains timeline ranges, sub-videos, and compilation playback.
- Generated media covers derivative assets and their lifecycle.
- Terminology provides concise definitions of video, segment, sub-video, and compilation.