PostMicroTools
Utility
Delivery spec validator
Enter your master's values and compare them to common delivery specs. Designed as a quick reference and checklist, not as automated QC.
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About loudness and true peak
Integrated loudness (LUFS/LKFS) measures the perceived loudness of the whole programme; true peak (dBTP) controls inter-sample peaks that can distort after encoding. Most delivery rejections are about audio out of spec, not video.
Are LUFS and LKFS the same?
Yes, they're equivalent units (1 LUFS = 1 LKFS). EBU uses “LUFS” and ATSC “LKFS”, but they measure the same thing.
Why -1 or -2 dBTP and not 0?
Leaving headroom prevents lossy conversion (AAC, MP3) from producing peaks above 0 dBFS and distorting. That's why specs ask for a ceiling below 0.
Loudness targets are contractual, not aesthetic
Every platform rejects deliveries over loudness, and the targets genuinely differ. European broadcast under EBU R128 wants −23 LUFS integrated (±0.5 LU) with true peak under −1 dBTP; US broadcast under ATSC A/85 centres on −24 LKFS; Netflix measures dialogue-gated loudness at −27 LUFS (±2) with −2 dBTP; YouTube normalizes playback around −14 LUFS, and podcast platforms cluster near −16 LUFS stereo. A mix that passes one spec can fail another by 10 LU.
This validator lets you enter your measured values — integrated loudness, true peak, codec, resolution, color — and checks them against the preset you're delivering to, catching the classic mistakes: a −14 LUFS web mix sent to broadcast, a −1.0 dBTP peak against a −2 dBTP spec, or an H.264 file where the platform wanted ProRes — if that last one bites, the codec chooser explains which format belongs at each stage, and the bitrate & size calculator tells you what the master will weigh.
It's a pre-flight reference, not a QC replacement: the numbers still have to come from your meter (most NLEs and DAWs include an R128/ITU-R BS.1770 meter). What it saves is the spec-hunting through PDF delivery documents at 2 a.m.
What's the difference between LUFS and dBFS?
dBFS measures instantaneous signal level against digital full scale; LUFS (identical to LKFS) measures perceived loudness over time using the ITU-R BS.1770 weighting. Specs combine both: an integrated LUFS target plus a true-peak ceiling in dBTP.
Why is Netflix's target −27 LUFS when broadcast is −23/−24?
Netflix measures only dialogue (dialogue-gated), not full program loudness, so the numbers aren't directly comparable. A cinematic mix with quiet dialogue and loud action can hit −27 dialogue-gated while its full-program value sits elsewhere.
Does this tool measure my file?
No — it validates numbers you already measured against platform presets. Measure in your NLE/DAW (or with ffmpeg's loudnorm filter), then check the values here against the target spec.