> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.doviconvert.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# scan

> Analyze files to identify video format and FEL complexity

## Synopsis

```shellscript theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan [files|directories] [options]
```

## Description

Scans MKV files to identify their video format (HDR10, Dolby Vision Profile) and analyzes Profile 7 files to determine FEL complexity.

You can scan individual files, directories, or any combination. If no path is specified, scans all MKV files in the current directory.

The scan samples 10 timestamps across each file and analyzes the RPU metadata to detect brightness expansion, which indicates Complex FEL.

## Options

| Option            | Short    | Description                                                |
| ----------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--recursive [N]` | `-r [N]` | Scan subdirectories recursively up to depth N (default: 5) |
| `--candidates`    | —        | Show only Profile 7 files that can be converted            |
| `--debug`         | —        | Generate `dovi_convert_debug.log` with detailed output     |

## Examples

**Scan current directory:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan
```

**Scan specific file:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan movie.mkv
```

**Scan a directory:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan /movies
```

**Scan multiple directories:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan /movies /tv
```

**Mixed files and directories:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan /movies movie.mkv /tv
```

**Scan recursively:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan --recursive
dovi_convert scan -r
```

Scans up to 5 levels deep by default.

**Limit or expand recursion depth:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan --recursive 2
dovi_convert scan -r 2
dovi_convert scan --recursive 10
```

**Directory with recursion:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan /movies --recursive 3
dovi_convert scan /movies -r 3
```

**Show only conversion candidates:**

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-latte","dark":"catppuccin-macchiato"}}
dovi_convert scan --candidates
```

## Output

The scan displays:

* **Video format** — HDR10, Dolby Vision Profile 5/7/8, etc.
* **FEL type** (for Profile 7) — MEL, Simple FEL, or Complex FEL
* **Color-coded verdict** — Green (safe), yellow (verify), red (skip)

## See Also

* [inspect](inspect) — Full frame-by-frame analysis
* [convert](convert) — Convert files or directories